European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 19, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday August 19, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 25 olympic basketball . Sending last Semi pros to Seoul by Ken Denlinger Washington Post writer Charlotte . Only in United state olympic basketball would scenes such As those Here last Friday take place. And i do not mean that state of the Art scoreboard plopping to Smithereens hours be fore getting to Flash its first official commercial. Some wonderfully Swift and innovative worker cleaned up the $3.2 million Accident and replaced the dented floor in new Charlotte coliseum with the smooth one from old Charlotte coliseum then some basketball contradictions started colliding. For instance Rickey Green stripped Vernell Bimbo Coles near mid court and scooted in for a Layup Green might Well be a better player than Coles but he cannot play on the . Olympic team. Same with the one and a third Charles Barkley who also graced the Aba All Star team. Sorry Charles. Hoisting that extra two dozen pounds Over the Colleg player of the year and slamming in a missed free throw was impressive but it will be Danny Manning playing for the Gold in Seoul. This situation will be reordered even though those who control . Olympic basketball Are not much in favor of it. Probably this is the last go round for . Olympic basketball the Way we have known it for nearly two generations a team composed mostly of hot shot Colle Gians gets thrown together for six weeks and still is favored to beat the rest of the world. Until recently the International governing body for basketball has mandated that system without much argument. Whether intended or not olympic Basket Thompson s style May hide . Deficiencies commentary Ball has sanctioned a form of handicapping similar to olympic soccer. Certain soccer obsessed countries Are not permitted to use their world cup players in the olympics that makes the Competition More fair. Keeping american professionals out has done the same for olympic basketball. The present and patently unfair system has worked except for 1972 in prior olympics and very Likely will again in Seoul. This does not seem a team even close to awesome but it might Well be enough to win. This is the time when most americans awaken fro their Between olympics snooze and when most Ameri can basketball watchers begin their quadrennial Ner Vous twitch. Chicken Little with a new York accent Al Mcguire usually sounds the first alarm. He frets other countries have a far Superior system of National teams and continuity. His voice growing louder he insists the rest of the world is catching up a part of us buys his line. We thought Spain might actually have a Chance against the air Jordans in 84. Our eyes Here last Friday night suggested the unite states has several gunners but just one repeating Rifle Hersey Hawkins also there Are no Field generals tomake Quinn Buckner fade from memory. Still defense was the reason a fairly unheralded .team beat the highly touted soviets for the world championship two years ago the soviets beating the tour tired Atlanta Hawks once in three games recently added another worry line for Mcguire. Two months from now he May be right. Two years from now hell be silent because the International federation almost certainly will open the olympics to american pros. The Gap will be safely wide once More. A proposal for everybody can play International basketball was Defeated by just four votes in 1986 most observers concede it will pass during a meeting in Munich in april 1989. That would Force a significant change in How . Olympic basketball is structured for the Aba quickly would go from being anonymously helpful to quite influential. Its players perhaps even its Champion would be considered. I d be the first to sign up said Kenny Smith the former North Carolina guard who would have been forced to stay out of the Aba a season to be eligible for the 1988 olympics. Americans who tend to get sternly moral about sport should remember that olympic basketball already is professional. Our players get room Board and tuition from colleges soviet bloc scholarships come from the state. Allowing every . Player a Chance at the olym pics assuming his employer cooperates is simply a matter of becoming realistic about professionalism. This . Team almost surely the last of our Semi pros in the olympics will be fun to follow. It creates just enough doubt to keep the players and coaches Alert to avoiding embarrassment. Its style May be less Dis Tinct than others but no less effective. By Michael Wilbon Washington Post writer Washington As the 1988 .men s basketball team continues to take shape one thing and perhaps Only one thing is apparent no matter which 12 play ers make the final Cut this team won t be a talented As the one that represented the United states in 1984 under Bob Knight or in 1980 under Dave Gavitt. George Raveling an assistant coach under Knight and now under John Thomp son did t need a Long time to Survey Thefield of candidates when he said i know there Aren t any Patrick ewings or Michae Jordans in this  if that was t obvious at the outset of the olympic trials it certainly should be now after More than 200 hours of practice an three exhibition games. Even so this 1988 team will be an should be favored to win the Gold medal in Seoul even though there is no set play maker even though the perimeter shooting and half court offence Are limited eve though there is no front court monster and even though the summer games begin i Only a month with the . Team having played just three exhibition games again tuba select teams with no set Structure. By the time the fourth of their eight games against the Aba is played tonight in Richfield Ohio we May see the final 12-Man team in action for the first time. So far the biggest Point of Public interest has been who s going to be on the team. Thompson helped answer that question on monday when he released Arizona s Sean Elliott and Stanford s Todd Lichti getting the team Down to 14. Elliott indicated he was t really sure of his role and that uncertainty hampered his tryout. That s exactly what Thompson does t want to hear not from Elliott or any other prospective olympian. Thomp son said he knows some players won t per form up to their usual standards because they Are being asked to fulfil unfamiliar roles on this team but he can t let that be consideration. It s not a question of picking the 12 Best analysis players but the 12 Best players who accept their roles Thompson said. Some folks Are just not Able to accept certain substitute roles. Who in this group is used to coming off the Bench who will come off the Bench enthusiastically and play that Way. George Raveling issued to being the head coach but now he is my assistant coach. Bill Stein of St. Peter s is used to being an athletic director but Here he is an assistant. Adjustments Are being made by  adjustments Are being made by virtual Lyall the players to play the Way Thompson wants a team to play As opposed to the Way they play at their respective schools. Elliott and Lichti Likely will be All americas this season but they Don t fit with what Thomp son wants to do. Playing Thompson s Way making a opponent almost concede with pressure de sense and transition offence May be teething that winds up hiding deficiencies and helping this team win. And there Are deficiencies. The decision to pass up the olympic trials by Michigan Point guard Gary Grant created one of them. Thompson talked sunday about having an instinctive Point guard on who can balance the floor to protect against the fast  maybe that guard was Grant the one College player who already had proven to be a great offensive and defensive Point Man. Without him the . Team May employ Point guard by committee. Asked what he Felt about the Point guard spot Thompso said who is the Point guard that s How i feel about it. We have some interchangeable  Vernell Bimbo Coles from Virginia tech and Georgetown s own Charles Smith would seem to be two of those inter changeable. Brian Shaw from California Santa Barbara and Iowa state s Jeff Graye could be two More interchangeable Al to laugh Shaw grayer and Kansas state Smitch Richmond primarily a shooting guard could be competing for a final guard John Thompson shows Brian Shaw 6 How to become an interchangeable part. Spot if Thompson decides to keep defensive specialist Stacey Augmon from Nevada Las vegas. He apparently knowhow to come off the Bench and play enthusiastically. Thompson has said that a Point guard Slife is hell with  Smith already knew that and Coles is finding out Day by Day. Ina weekend exhibition in Charlotte ., Coles did t react quickly enough to then a s employment of a trapping defense at half court. Thompson yelled at him Bimbo which offence Are we in Coles did t know immediately. I was telling him you have to read that and know the offence without looking at me Thompson  Back court men who seem to fit into a neat Little Label shooting guard Are her sey Hawkins and Richmond. Thompson could have interchangeable parts in the front court too. What s Dan Majerle s role to be on the court Thompson said Only half facetiously of the versatile 6-foot-6 player from Central Michigan. Willie Anderson a 6-7 swing Man from Georgia will play some at Small Forward and could play some at Point guard. Among the big men Danny Man Ning and Pittsburgh s Charles d. Smith Are absolutely two position players leaving David Robinson  Reid and Alonzo mourning As primarily Low Post men. Assuming Thompson cuts to 12 by this weekend the olympic team can begin to find the cohesiveness that s been lacking in its first three exhibition games. For now the . Team looks a lot like a Georgetown team in december struggling to get comfortable with itself and with its coach