Buenos Aires, Argentina • August 8-19, l990

Despite falling short in its quest to defend the World Championship gold medal that the USA had earned in 1986, the 1990 USA squad demonstrated resiliency and a never say die attitude en route to capturing the bronze in Buenos Aries, Argentina.

1990 USA RESULTS (6-2) USA 103 Greece 95 (OT) USA 146 South Korea 67 USA 95 Spain 85 FINAL ROUND USA 104 Argentina 100 USA 79 Australia 78 Puerto Rico 81 USA 79) Yugoslavia 99 USA 91 USA 107 Puerto Rico 105 (OT) 1990 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL STANDINGS 1. Yugoslavia (7-1) 9. Italy (7-1) 2. Soviet Union (6-2) 10. Spain (5-3) 3. USA (6-2) 11. Venezuela (4-4) 4. Puerto Rico (6-2) 12. Canada (3-5) 5. Brazil (4-4)* 13. Angola (3-5) 6. Greece (4-4)* 14. China (2-6) 7. Australia (4-4)* 15. South Korea (1-7) 8. Argentina (2-6) 16. Egypt (0-8) *Final standings determined by point differential between tied teams.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski's 12-member USA team, a young and internationally inexperienced team that averaged just 20-years old, finished the World Championship in possession of a 6-2 overall record and the bronze medal. It was the American's determination to win that will be most remembered. In five of eight games the USA team trailed with under two minutes to play and on three occasions the U.S. somehow managed to rally and claim a win.

The USA completed its pool play boasting a perfect 3-0 record after defeating Greece (in overtime), South Korea and Spain.

Opening quarterfinal action with a late night game versus host Argentina, despite a raucous, partisan, capacity crowd, the U.S. started quickly and by half led 58-42. The U.S. managed to hold off a second half Argentinean surge to record the 104-100 win as guard Kenny Anderson led the U.S. with 32 points. Facing an experienced Australian team, the U.S. lost its leading scorer Billy Owens to a back injury just 55 seconds into the game. Trailing 78-74 with 1:52 left, a Todd Day hoop and free throw pulled the U.S. within one, 78-77, and a Lee Mayberry steal and short jumper with 1:13 to go gave the U.S. the lead and the 79-78 win.

Meeting also unbeaten and 5-0 Puerto Rico, the U.S. trailed 48-45 at half. Regrouping, the U.S. with 7:32 remaining led 73-68, but Puerto Rico staged its own rally and with 1:24 to play led 77-76. Adding a critical three-pointer then another basket, Puerto Rico held on to earn an 81-79 win.

Facing Yugoslavia for the right to advance to the gold medal game, the favored Yugoslavian team featured five future NBA players and proved too much for the U.S. collegians, 99-91. Despite a stellar showing by the USA's Alonzo Mourning, 26 points and 11 rebounds while holding 7'0' L.A. Laker Vlade Divac to seven points and four rebounds, the U.S. had no answer for NBA soon-to-be-star Drazen Petrovic's 31 points (6-10 3-pt FGs) or Toni Kukoc's 19 points and nine assists.

Unwilling to return home without a medal, the U.S. persevered and earned a 107-105 overtime win against Puerto Rico. Trailing 96-88 with 1:28 to play in regulation, the U.S. cut the gap to 96-94, Puerto Rico threw the ball away with six seconds remaining and Anderson forced overtime when he made two free throws with no time on the clock. During overtime, the U.S. grabbed a 103-98 lead and went on to claim a 107-105 win and the bronze medal. Yugoslavia earned the gold by virtue of its 92-75 win over the USSR.

1990 USA MEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM ROSTER

NAME	POS	HGT	WGT	AGE	SCHOOL	HOMETOWN
Kenny Anderson	G	6-2	166	19	Georgia Tech	Rego Park, NY
Todd Day	F	6-8	195	20	University of Arkansas	Memphis, TN
Chris Gatling	F	6-9	220	22	Old Dominion University	Irvington, NJ
Christian Laettner	F	6-11	235	20	Duke University	Angola, NY
Lee Mayberry	G	6-2	175	19	University of Arkansas	Tulsa, OK
Alonzo Mourning	F	6-9	230	20	Georgetown University	Chesapeake, VA
Billy Owens	G	6-9	225	21	Syracuse University	Carlisle, PA
Mark Randall	F	6-8	240	22	University of Kansas	Englewood, CO
Chris Smith	G	6-2	175	20	University of Connecticut	Bridgeport, CT
Doug Smith	F	6-10	220	20	University of Missouri	Detroit, MI
Bryant Stith	G	6-5	192	19	University of Virginia	Freeman, VA
Henry Williams	G	6-1	175	19	Univ. of North Carolina-Charlotte	Indianapolis, IN
HEAD COACH: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke University (NC)
ASSISTANT COACH: Jim Boeheim, Syracuse University (NY)
ASSISTANT COACH: P. J. Carlesimo, Seton Hall University (NJ)
MANAGER: Joe Harrington, University of Colorado
TEAM PHYSICIAN: James Hill, Chicago, IL
ATHLETIC TRAINER: Gary Hazelrigg, Birmingham, AL

1990 USA MEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS

NAME	G	FGM-A	PCT	3PM-A	PCT	FTM-A	PCT	REB	PTS	AT	BK	ST
Anderson	8	54-116	.466	6- 26	.231	36- 44	.818	34/ 4.3	150/ 18.8	34	0	13
Mourning	8	47- 92	.511	1- 2	.500	33- 53	.623	61/ 7.6	128/ 16.0	4	37	8
Owens	7	42- 69	.609	2- 9	.222	12- 21	.571	42/ 6.0	98/ 14.0	21	3	14
C. Smith	8	29- 56	.518	15- 27	.556	2- 5	.400	15/ 1.9	75/ 9.4	11	3	6
D. Smith	8	29- 47	.617	0- 0	.000	11- 17	.647	39/ 4.9	69/ 8.6	9	3	9
Laettner	8	16- 35	.457	0- 1	.000	23- 26	.885	41/ 5.1	55/ 6.9	15	2	9
Gatling	5	8- 10	.800	0- 0	.000	18- 20	.900	13/ 2.6	34/ 6.8	0	1	1
Day	8	19- 41	.463	3- 10	.300	9- 12	.750	16/ 2.0	50/ 6.3	7	1	6
Mayberry	8	19- 32	.594	7- 14	.500	1- 2	.500	5/ 0.6	46/ 5.8	11	0	7
Randall	8	18- 31	.581	0- 2	.000	4- 7	.571	31/ 3.9	40/ 5.0	6	0	5
Stith	8	8- 18	.444	1- 3	.333	20- 21	.952	13/ 1.6	37/ 4.6	5	0	4
Williams	7	6- 17	.353	4- 11	.364	6- 6	1.000	2/ 0.3	22/ 3.1	5	0	5
Team								25/ 3.1
USA	8	295-564	.523	39-105	.371	175-234	.748	337/42.1	804/100.5	128	50	87
OPP.	8	252-578	.436	59-151	.391	147-185	.795	312/39.0	710/88.8	100	22	66