THE FINCH TAPES - PART I
06/13/2008

GB coach Chris Finch recently met with a group of top-level GB journos - a sure sign that interest is growing in the national team programme.

The fact most of the media were not basketball experts is reflected in some of the questions although it is an interesting read none the less ....

Here is a full transcript of how that interview went.

Q. How important would Ben Gordon be to the team this summer?

A. Ben would be extremely important and crucial for our programme, on many levels. I think we have a better than 50 per cent chance to have him but a lot of our luck in getting him or not getting him this summer will be to do with the nature of the contract he signs.

If he signs a one-year deal he will have a lot to lose if he gets injured. He's made all positive indications, asking all the right questions and we are really excited about that possibility. At the moment, we're letting things play out on the contract front.

Q. Does it surprise you that Luol is so keen to play for GB during the summer, given the pressure that brings with it?

A. The pressure he'll face with GB is a good pressure. Often when a player has had a season such as Luol, I'd put it more in the frustrating category than anything else.

So he will come to the GB programme with a different perspective and a different role to play. He has a heightened leadership role with us, these are things he is striving for every day in the NBA so it is a parallel universe for him, if you will, and he's the type of kid who really welcomes that mantle.

Q. How big is the Olympics for the sport in the UK?

A. There's no doubt about it, success at the Olympics, in our own backyard, is going to sky rocket the game and its profile in the consciousness of the country, it would be something the country could really get behind.

But we are trying to put structures in place for a programme lasting well beyond 2012. We have some chance to really make some noise before that. For us to have any chance of success in 2012, we have to prove ourselves in '09 and again in 2011 at the Euros. We would be making history there too and, hopefully, we will be gathering some momentum in those competitions so we won't be a totally unknown quantity in the Olympics.

Q. How would you describe the state of basketball in the country?

A. I think the game in England is on the way back. It has been a real roller coaster the last 20 years, peaks and valleys. The NBA worldwide is at such a peak of interest, the sport is at a peak, and the NBA is throwing its weight behind the game all across Europe, in particular in London, moving their offices there and having a strong presence.

These aren't coincidences. People believe in the game there, they believe in the future of the game there, they believe the UK is a great untapped market. If you look at the Olympics in China, the NBA are heavily into that and, after Beijing, they will start switching emphasis to London and that can only help the sport.

We have to make sure we have the right people and the right attitude in place to take advantage of that because this could be our last big chance.

Q. How do you go about identifying players who are based all over the world?

A. Our scouting network is very important and we were talking only recently about putting the next level of contacts in place, through more funding, and trying to improve our scouting network.

At the moment it's about personal contact, working through our networks in the UK and US. Being American, but having worked for 10 years in England and 5 years in Europe I am the lynchpin in the system. But now we have to move to a more professional structure. There is no way we have identified everybody but we are in the process of building a big data base.

We know where most of the kids are. It's just trying now to get that next level of information where we can figure out what we want to do with them, track them and guide them. For example, we have a lot of kids leaving the UK and pursuing basketball opportunities but we don't always know they are leaving and they may go to situations that are not necessarily beneficial when we could have helped them with a better career choice.

There are a lot of things we are trying to put in place and I am confident we will be able to do that. In many ways, this is more important than coaching the actual team!

Q. Is it a challenge getting everyone together every summer?

A. It's not been a challenge, it's been a mindset. We have to break the mould from the traditional UK sports, rugby and football especially with our players playing all over the world.

If you take rugby, for instance, they have two seasons run alongside each other. We have two distinct seasons. Players play all winter with their professional clubs or universities then have a break then have a two-month international season, every year!

The biggest challenge is the time and sacrifice, asking the guys to be away from their families so it is just about making the programme sensible and positioning it at the right times.

Q. Apart from Luol and Ben, who are the key guys on your team?

A. Robert Archibald and Andy Betts have been absolutely key to our success last year and will be so this year. They are experienced European players with some NBA experience and big bodies, 6'11", 7'1". They give us a dimensions we are really fortunate to have, two guys who are high-level players. They are key to what we are trying to do this year

The two previous campaigns have all been about trying to get the best, most experienced players we could at that time and getting results. Now, having qualified for the A Division, we have a little bit of breathing space to widen the net and try to work with younger players.

Of those, Ryan Richards is a highly-regarded player. He is going to have to play with the England under-18s this summer but we will have him involved with our programme at some level. Dan Clark is another, he's 6'10", a multi-skilled player, playing in Spain.

We are short of young playmakers, the equivalent would be the creative midfield player in football, but I am excited about the youth and even more excited about the chance to work with them for some time.

Part II will hit the homepage next week.