USA BASKETBALL Brown expected to coach in 2004

Other candidates include Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan and Pat Riley.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
DALLAS -- Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich still gets goose bumps when he talks about being the coach of the 2000 U.S. Olympic basketball team. It was an emotional experience -- and a successful one, given his team's gold-medal performance.
But Tomjanovich also remains surprised that USA Basketball selected him to lead that 2000 team. Especially since one of his assistants was Sixers coach Larry Brown, who owns twice the amount of professional coaching experience as Tomjanovich.
"I thought it was a little out of order when I got the call," Tomjanovich said. "There were guys who've been around a lot longer than me and who epitomize American basketball. I was really surprised."
No one, though, seems surprised that Brown is the leading candidate to coach the 2004 Olympic team.
In contention
Of the four finalists for the job -- the others being Lakers coach Phil Jackson, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and Heat coach Pat Riley -- the 62-year-old Brown has the most coaching experience, is the only one with national team experience and is the only one who owns a gold medal as a player (1964).
USA Basketball is expected to announce its decision by the end of the month, but reports indicate that it's a foregone conclusion. Brown is the safe choice to help return the U.S. to the top of the podium after an embarrassing sixth-place performance under Bucks coach George Karl last summer at the World Championships.
The question, though, is if he's the best choice.
The answer might rest solely with Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal.
O'Neal hasn't played with Team USA since the 1996 Olympics.
He's the one person that can assure American superiority on the court. The NBA doesn't have an answer for him, and neither does the rest of the world -- although China's Yao Ming may have something to say about that in the future.