Cali, Colombia • July 25 - August 8, 1971

Cali, Colombia, was the site of the 1971 Pan American Games, and the Games proved to be an event that the United States would soon wish to forget. Despite a record of 2-1 in the preliminary round, the USA did not advance to the medal round, and for the first time in Pan American history, did not win the gold medal.

The 1971 Pan American Games basketball competition were marked by several controversies. The first controversy regarded the seeding of the teams by the organizing committee. Relying on three preliminary groups (two consisting of four teams, one consisting of five teams), the top two finishers of each preliminary group were to advance on to the medal round.

The four strongest teams heading into the competition were conceded to be Brazil, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the United States. But Brazil, Cuba and the United States were all placed in the same preliminary group. The three teams finished the preliminary round with identical records of 2-1, however, the USA was eliminated on the basis of margins of victory.

Adding further controversy was the fact that in the final preliminary-round game, it was well known that the only way Brazil and Cuba could advance over the U.S. was if Brazil defeated Cuba by five points. That's exactly what happened as Brazil won 73-68, although Brazil had an 11-point lead with 1:50 remaining in the game.

Carrying a 24-game win streak into the 1971 Pan American Games competition, the United States' squad, despite having six players score in double figures, dropped its opening game to Cuba, 73-69. 6'7' Pedro Chappe, a 10-year veteran of the Cuban team, led his squad to the upset with 25 points.

The USA followed that loss with an 81-79 overtime win against Brazil, Brazil's only loss of the competition. 6'9' future NBA legend Bob McAdoo provided the U.S. with the winning margin, hitting a field goal with 15 seconds left in overtime. The USA's winning cause was further assisted by the USA's 15-19 shooting from the foul line.

Closing out its preliminary group play with a 128-48 thumping of Suriname, the USA, Brazil and Cuba all finished the preliminary rounds with identical 2-1 won-loss records. Relying on the point differentials between the tied teams (Brazil, Cuba, USA), the U.S. failed to advance on to the medal round. And so ,for the first time in the history of the Pan American Games, a team other than the United States returned home with the gold medal as Brazil claimed the title with a narrow 73-71 defeat of Puerto Rico in the finals.

1971 USA PAN AMERICAN MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM ROSTER

1971 USA PAN AMERICAN MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS