SHANGHAI—Even now, US coach Gregg Popovich remains a military man.
Nearly a half-century after his graduation from the US Air Force Academy, it hasn’t been uncommon in recent San Antonio Spurs offseasons for Popovich to return for workouts on the wooded trails of that campus in Colorado. He’d be gasping thin air found at 7,700 feet above sea level, lungs heaving, mind racing.
As a student, he’d go there to think. As a graduate, he’s done the same.
“What you learn there is to get over yourself,” said Popovich, a five-time NBA champion coach with the Spurs. “It’s not about you.”
That is why Popovich’s first stint as coach of the US men’s basketball team—it starts in earnest this weekend, when the Americans open their quest for a third consecutive basketball World Cup championship—has not become some sort of comeuppance tour for infamous previous attempts at gold that went awry.
As such, this World Cup isn’t about avenging the disappointment that Popovich still carries over getting cut from the 1972 US Olympic team as a player despite having a stellar few days at tryouts for the team that lost a controversial gold-medal game to Russia. It isn’t about how the 2002 world championships team that he was an assistant on finished sixth, or how the 2004 Olympic team that he assisted managed only a bronze.
The Air Force Academy taught Popovich to focus on the current mission. Right now, and that’s guiding the United States to gold in the World Cup.
“Pop is completely locked in on this one thing,” USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said. “He understands what the goal is, what we’re playing for here.”
His team opens play on Sunday against the Czech Republic, then faces Turkey and Japan later next week in the last two group-stage games. Getting out of group play shouldn’t be difficult; two of those four teams will move on to the round of 16.
But a loss in an exhibition in Australia last week suggested that this US team could be more than a little vulnerable against the other World Cup contenders.
Popovich has been telling his team that winning the World Cup will be tough. The loss only reaffirmed what he was saying. —AP