The U.S. team's sixth-place finish in the World Basketball Championship in Indianapolis last September was deceptive and, to a degree, forgivable.

The roster wasn't made up of the most elite NBA players. Some team members, including Indiana Pacers Reggie Miller and Jermaine O'Neal, were injured during the tournament.

As is usually the case with U.S. teams in international competition, it had far less time to prepare than teams from other countries. And, it easily defeated the third- and fourth-place teams.

Reasons and results aside, however, the lessons from the tournament came as both a slap in the face and a kick in the gluteus to American basketball.

The blatantly superior teamwork and fundamentals displayed by some of the teams from other nations was a wake-up call for the country in which the game was invented. The fact it occurred in the nation's heartland only magnified the jolt.

"What happened last year was bound to happen, because we had gotten so cocky," said Ray Allen, a member of the U.S. team that qualified for the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece, through the Tournament of the Americas qualifying event." We just got knocked down off our pedestal."

A year later, the impact of the world championship resounds throughout USA Basketball, the governing body for U.S. teams in international competition. Ultimately, it could be felt throughout all levels of basketball in the United States if planned initiatives have their intended effect.