The United States has recently suffered a bevy of Olympic setbacks, one of which has prompted a re-examination of U.S. basketball.
On Aug. 15, the United States men's basketball team suffered a devastating Olympic loss to Puerto Rico, the first U.S. loss in Olympic history since NBA players were allowed to compete.
The defeat marked only the third time the U.S. had been beaten in Olympic competition. The U.S. held a remarkable 63-0 record between the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, when basketball first became an Olympic sport, and in the 1972 games in Munich. There, the U.S. lost to the Soviet Union in a controversial final ending in 51-50 defeat. The second U.S. loss occurred 16 years later, in the semi-finals, again to the Soviet Union at Seoul in 1988. This preempted the arrival of NBA players, who began their Olympic pursuit at Barcelona in 1992. Since then, the U.S. started a new, seemingly unbeatable streak, winning three consecutive gold medals at Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney.
The 2004 U.S. men's basketball team, headed by stars including Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan and teen phenom, LeBron James, appeared to ensure another gold medal for American basketball by merely stepping onto the court. Certainly, no foreign team could touch the talent of the U.S. But, apparently no one bothered to tell this to Puerto Rico. On Sunday, the Puerto Rican team, led by NBA player, Carlos Arroyo, demolished the U.S. in a humiliating 92-73 defeat. The loss will proabably not be a death blow, though, as the U.S. team can still advance to the medal round as long as Puerto Rico doesn't.
After the game, Iverson had much to say.
"We can't say many things. We were not a team. All the people believe that we are the best but we weren't invincible," he said to the press. "We didn't play at all and left the opponents to destroy us."
Iverson said he hopes the rest of the team will come out hungry and ready to take on Greece in the game on Tuesday, as another loss is out of the question.
"We must play like a team. I know that the home team in every tournament has many advantages but our job is to win the game. We must win because I can't imagine a second defeat in a row."
The Dartmouth campus, along with the rest of the country, shared in the shock of Sunday's events. Varsity basketball player Pat Cuttica '06 offered his thoughts on the loss.
"I think there are two reasons for the lack of success by the USA men's basketball teams in the last couple of years. First of all, great teams are not measured by how many superstars you can stuff onto one roster," he said, adding that great NBA teams are often made up of one or two superstars and a supporting cast of role players.
"The second reason is just the growing talent of the rest of the world when it comes to the sport of basketball. The rise in the number of foreign players in the NBA is evidence of this."
Likewise, fellow varsity star Jason Meyer '06 added, "They have no outside shooters, they're very young, and they don't have a veteran leader to help the team. These three things are going to hurt them in the long-run."
While basketball may dominate the headlines, Dartmouth students are also watching less publicized events, like sailing. Sunday night at midnight several members of the Dartmouth sailing team got together to watch the 30 minutes of coverage for Monday's 470 regatta. Eighteen knots of wind for the light and speedy crafts made for exciting races and lots of capsizing. The men's team finished in second overall and the women's team in third.
The women's softball team has continued their dominance, notching an extra-inning shutout victory over Japan Monday. The 3-0 nail-biter marked the U.S. team's 73rd consecutive win. The United States has been so dominant that they have outscored their opponents 20-0 so far.
On Aug. 14, the softball team opened the preliminary round with a 7-0 victory over Italy, and followed that with a 10-0 win over Australia. Both games ended with an invoking of the mercy rule.
Saturday's win showcased the ample talent of superstar pitcher Jennie Finch, who wowed the Italians with a no-hit, five-strikeout performance in only three innings of work. Finch has in many ways become softball's postergirl with her stunning looks and devastating fastball.
But it wasn't all good news for the U.S. contingent. In addition to the basketball fiasco, swimmer Michael Phelps, crowned by advertisers and the media as the Olympian to watch in Athens, finished in third place behind rival Ian Thorpe of Australia in the 200-meter freestyle. Phelps had already failed to win a gold in the men's relay on Monday. In the 200-meter freestyle, The "Thorpedo" edged out Dutchman Pieter van der Hoogenband, the defending Olympic champion, for the gold, despite van der Hoogenband's world-record-pace early lead.
Although Phelps was stuck with a disappointing bronze medal, he did swim the 200-meter freestyle faster than any American in history. But considering the hype surrounding Phelps, perhaps even that record won't make up for his failure to match swimmer Mark Spitz's seven gold medals won at the 1972 Munich games. Swimmer Kemper Diehl '06 said the Dartmouth swim team was impressed with Phelps' performance, pointing out that it's important to remember that Phelps' best stroke is not the freestyle.
"Despite the two bronzes, Phelps' performance so far has been inspiring I think to most guys on the team," Diehl said. "Third place in the 200 free, right behind Thorpe, is a pretty impressive feat considering he's not a freestyler."
On Monday, the unheralded South African team set a world record in the men's four by 100-meter freestyle relay, leaving the Americans with a bronze medal. Phelps, considered alongside Thorpe to be the finest swimmer in the world, brought some gold home, with a win in the 400-meter individual medley.
But the U.S. swimming team captured both the men's and women's 100-meter backstroke. Aaron Peirsol and Natalie Coughlin won the male and female events, respectively.
The women's volleyball teams -- both the indoor and beach variety -- have fared adequately so far in preliminary action. The indoor team, led by the beautiful short-haired star hitter Logan Tom, lost in a tough match against the favored Chinese team. The Chinese team used their quick-hitting style to best the taller U.S. team. But they bounced back big with a victory over Germany. The women's beach volleyball team also has an even 1-1 record so far.
In what has perhaps been the biggest surprise of the Olympics so far, the Iraqi men's soccer team has shocked the world with wins over Portugal and Costa Rica. The Iraq team was not even able to practice in their home country due to the ongoing conflict. The team is now in the quarterfinals for the first time in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
The team's success has provided the country and the world with a change from the misery of war, and have become favorites of the Athens crowd.
Men's gymnastics bounced back from sub-par middle rotations to win the silver medal, the first U.S. men's gymnastics medal since 1984. This followed clutch performances in the parallel bars and the high bar to leap over Romania into second place. The Japanese men won the gol0d.
