Clemson's Purnell hopeful of U.S. victory

By PETE IACOBELLI - AP Sports Writer CLEMSON, S.C. -- Four years ago, Clemson coach Oliver Purnell headed to Athens knowing the trip might not turn out the way U.S. fans hoped. Purnell was part of Larry Brown's men's basketball staff for the 2004 Olympics in Greece. And as the all-star squad began its summer training camp, Purnell didn't see a gold-medal winning team. "I understood early on, particularly when we left for Jacksonville (training camp) that our team was going to have some problems simply because our team was not constructed the right way," Purnell said recently. With the U.S. roster for China currently training in Las Vegas, Purnell's confident coach Mike Krzyzewski and USA Basketball have the Americans back on a gold-medal track. Purnell gave Krzyzewski, USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo and... [read full story]