USA Basketball

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Here in Colorado Springs, we call ourselves Olympic City, USA, for a reason. The United States Olympic Committee is headquartered Downtown, and the Olympic Training Center is located here as well (we competed in a track meet there when I was in high school. Best track I've ever run on, hands down!) Because so many Olympic Champions have trained here, we also refer to ourselves as the City of Champions, but for these purposes, Olympic City, USA is appropriate. USA Basketball is headquartered in the Olympic Committee offices. It is the governing body of American Basketball, and oversee's the selection and training of our Men's and Women's Olympic and International teams, which includes FIBA (International Basketball Federation) World Cup competition. The organization also promotes the sport towards players and fans, particularly working closely with USA Basketball Youth Development, which not only develops young players, but also provides training and education for coaches at various levels. While USA Basketball, which was formed in 1974 as the Amateur Basketball Association of the United States of America (the name was changed in 1984, when NBA players were allowed to compete in the Olympic Games for the first time) is chaired by Retired General Martin Dempsey, you might recognize the name of former NBA star Chauncey Billups (Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and Denver Nuggets, among others,) who, along with three time Olympic Gold Medalist Katie Smith, serves as an athlete representative. Next time you're cheering on Team USA (unless, of course, you don't live here,) take a moment to remember the work of those performing behind the scenes as well! (Photo by me) (Info verified by Wikipedia)