Martin Dempsey Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: USA Basketball, Seattle, Rumors, NBL

November 15th, 2016 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this month, USA Basketball announced that Jerry Colangelo was stepping down from his position as USA Basketball Chairman, with Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reporting at the time that retired general Martin Dempsey was on track to replace Colangelo. Dempsey’s election as the new chairman is now official, according to an NBA.com press release. The vote took place at USA Basketball’s annual Board of Directors meeting.

“I am excited to join USA Basketball and to become part of a legacy of excellence both on and off the court,” Dempsey said in a statement. “Playing for USA Basketball is about commitment, sacrifice, and pride. It’s about developing young men and women who are exceptional athletes but also exceptional leaders. It’s about respecting the game and our international competitors. It’s about representing our country with honor, and it’s about winning. I look forward to working with the USA Basketball staff, coaches, players, and families.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has partnered with Chris Hansen‘s Seattle arena group, as Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com details. As we heard last month, Hansen’s group is willing to forgo public funding in order to get approval to move forward with a new arena.
In a helpful piece for SBNation.com, Seth Rosenthal explains the difference between fake NBA rumors and legit ones, and how to tell the difference between the two.
Top recruit Terrance Ferguson ultimately chose to play this season in Australia’s National Basketball League rather than playing college ball at Arizona. A report from the Australian Associated Press (link via ESPN.com) explores whether Ferguson’s decision, along with the NBA’s one-and-done rule, could be a boon for the NBL.
Chris Patrick, formerly a member of Relativity Sports, has left the agency to start the Sports Law Group, which will represent athletes, coaches, and schools, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.

Jerry Colangelo Steps Down As USA Basketball Chairman

November 3rd, 2016 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

3:20pm: According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter), retired general Martin Dempsey is on course to replace Colangelo as USA Basketball’s new chairman. Dempsey recently served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

While Dempsey may seem on the surface to be an odd choice, he wouldn’t be responsible for picking players or coaches, but rather with running USA Basketball as a business enterprise, Wojnarowski explains (via Twitter). Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post adds (via Twitter) that Dempsey is a “massive” basketball fan.

2:17pm: Jerry Colangelo will step down from his position as USA Basketball Chairman, opting not to seek a third term in the position, according to a press release issued today by USA Basketball. While Colangelo will continue to serve as Managing Director for the Men’s National Team, USA Basketball will elect a new chairman at its annual Board of Directors meeting on November 14.

Colangelo’s transition into a lesser role within USA Basketball coincides with the changes being made to the coaching staff for Team USA. Gregg Popovich is set to take over for Mike Krzyzewski as the head coach for the Men’s National Team from 2017 to 2020. During that time, Colangelo will focus on building the player pool for Team USA.

“Given the coaching change and the challenge of assembling a group of players for FIBA’s new competition schedule, this is a good time to devote my full attention to the Men’s National Team,” Colangelo said in a statement. “As Chairman of USA Basketball, I’m proud of what our teams at all levels have accomplished and how our players have embraced the responsibility of representing their country. I look forward to working with the next Chairman to ensure that we continue to honor and build on USA Basketball’s rich tradition.”

The Men’s National Team has won three consecutive Olympic gold medals since Colangelo assumed the role of USA Basketball chairman.