RIGA (FIBA U19 World Championship) - George Raveling knows a bit about basketball, after all he has been involved in the sport for more than half a century and has worked as a coach (Washington State University, University of Iowa and University of Southern California), a commentator (CBS News, Fox Sports) and is currently Director for International Basketball for Nike. He has published two books on basketball “War on the Boards” and “A Rebounder's Workshop”.

FIBA.com caught up with Raveling, who attended this summer’s FIBA U19 World Championship in Latvia and asked him to share his impressions of the Championship and youth basketball.

FIBA: You have been closely following international youth competitions for years. You were present at the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship in Hamburg and have attended the last two FIBA U19 World Championships. Is youth basketball evolving?

George Raveling: You continue to see a higher level of the skills worldwide. The rest of the world is catching up with the United States. I’ve been really impressed with the continuous growth of basketball in Lithuania, Serbia, Turkey, Croatia…

I think there are a lot of countries investing time in basketball and you see the positive results. This is really good for basketball, which should be a global game. The next step should be to unify the rules in the whole world: we already have three types of rules in the US, high school, College and NBA and we should all play the same game.

FIBA: How do you judge the level of the competition in Latvia?

Raveling: It’s really good and I’m sure that 10 to 15 players will be playing in the best leagues in the world soon, provided they continue to improve their skills. The coaching has also got better, the execution has been good. The fact that USA did not medal in this competition is a clear sign that even the USA team has to bring the best team possible and execute at its highest level in order to be successful.

Serbia is for me the best example and they should get more credit. They finished in the final four in the World Championship last year, and they are always among the best: 5th in Hamburg, 2nd in Latvia. That is clearly a result of the work they are doing in Serbia at all levels. Lithuania is another great example and I fully expect to see Lithuania continue to be a major force on global basketball at all ages.

FIBA: The dominance of the USA is no longer as clear as it was in the past. Is the gap getting smaller?

Raveling: I believe the USA talent level continues to grow, but in smaller proportion than it did in the past. Other countries are putting more emphasis on basketball, investing money for the training, facilities, competitions… and this contributes to the growth of the game. And FIBA is doing also a good job in promoting the sport all around the world with different projects.

FIBA: Like 3x3 basketball, for instance?

Raveling: Exactly, the new 3x3 competition is a noble idea and I think it will grow the participation in Basketball. It’s positive that FIBA is the leader and the promoter of the discipline: it will help women’s basketball and give a huge opportunity for the emerging markets geographically to have participation. In 3x3, size is not as important and you will see teams in South East Asia, China… and those regions, being able to compete at a highest level.

You just need 3-4 good players, not 12… This discipline might also help certain countries to identify talents that they did not realize were available. This will eventually help to grow the game on a global approach. It’s a positive step in the right direction

FIBA: A lot of players claim that they improve when they have a chance to play in international competitions. Would you share this view?

Sure, FIBA is a main contributor to the growth of the game. Providing international competitions for men and women in different age groups offers a chance for the players to exhibit their skills, to compare themselves to others and to measure how far they can go to reach a higher level of excellence.

Particularly for Americans, they need more and more exposure to the international games, the cultural values that come with traveling, playing against other styles of game…

All this contributes to the evolution of the players and is very positive for the basketball on a global prospective.

FIBA: How important is basketball for Nike?

Raveling: Basketball is the soul of the company. It’s one of the drivers that made us into a successful company. It’s been a long and laborious journey to get where we are, but as we like to say at Nike, “There’s no finish line”.

So we have to continue to test ourselves, test our results and always be mindful that we have a responsibility towards the game, to grow it, to provide it with the best products, the best opportunities to compete and to put back into the game of basketball.

FIBA: And that at all levels of the game?

Sure. Supporting the grassroots basketball is a part of our structure that we take very seriously. We invest tons of dollars, efforts and intellect into figuring out how we can grow the game at the very base level all around the world. We are trying to make sure that we are responsible corporate citizens and that we are not takers, but givers. This is a strong obligation for Nike.

FIBA