Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski was a member of USA Basketball's U18 and U19 teams from 1994 to 1995, but his most memorable moments might have come more recently - from the bench.
Wojciechowski, along with Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and assistants Johnny Dawkins and Chris Collins, is part of the coaching staff of the USA Men's Senior National Team currently playing the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas.
"This is the best experience I've ever had with USA Basketball," Wojciechowski said. "Watching these NBA stars work, their approach to the game, their enthusiasm and their desire to restore USA Basketball to the highest level has been amazing."
Wojciechowski, Dawkins and Collins have been with the team since its training camp opened August 15, helping out with drills and practice.
Though his job in Las Vegas is focused on coaching and teaching players, Dawkins himself has picked up plenty of expertise from his time at the tournament.
"I've had a great learning experience at Duke, and to be able to continue that at a professional level with the players we are working with, that will only help further my experiences and understanding of the game," Dawkins said.
Dawkins, Krzyzewski and company entered this August's competition with the goal of bouncing back from USA Basketball's disappointing performance at last year's FIBA World Championship in Saitama, Japan, where the team fell 101-95 to Greece in the semifinals.
The loss led to a third place finish for the United States and meant that the team would have to wait until the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
If the team's current performance is any indication, however, fans of the Red, White and Blue should have no worries about missing out on the Olympics. The U.S. Men have cruised through the preliminary rounds of the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship and appear to be in the pole position to clinch a bid to Beijing.
The Americans finished the first phase of the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record, winning those games by an average margin of 48.5 points.
Despite playing weaker competition and teams missing key players-like Canada and its star guard Steve Nash-the Americans' success in part has also come from a change in team organization. Unlike the past, U.S. players now must commit to play three years with the team.
"What these guys are saying is they are willing to change their role from their current team to fit this mold," Krzyzewski said. "It's called being unselfish. Unselfish is not just not shooting all the time, it's accepting new things that may not make you look as good because you don't do them 100 games a year."
Learning the tendencies of teammates takes time, and with the new roster approach in its second year, the coaches are finally seeing the progress and results they are looking for.
In his second year assisting with the Senior Men's National Team, Wojciechowski, has already witnessed the benefits of this progress in Las Vegas this August.
"At the beginning of last year, it was a trial run for everyone," Wojciechowski said. "I feel like everyone who has come back for the second year knows what to expect. Even the guys who have been added are experienced players at all levels of basketball."
With a young team back in Durham that has four returning starters and a trio of heralded newcomers, Duke fans can only hope that a similar step forward will occur this season.
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