As Team USA picks up the gold metal in Madrid, things are looking up in international play

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There was no doubt that Team USA was going to dominate Serbia during today's gold medal FIBA championship held in Madrid, Spain. In fact, the team came out swinging and never looked back, winning with a margin of 37, 129-92. From the jump ball at center court to the final buzzer of the contest, the team had not lost their edge against a Serbian National Team that fought and clawed its way up. The story of Team USA's success comes at no surprise, but in terms of the international talent, things are being to look up.

Many have believed that Spain would return to the finale in no time; the question never seemed to be whether or not they would get to the gold metal game but how they would do it. All was well for Spain during the qualifying rounds; the Spaniards dominated in pool play, leading the entire FIBA World Cup in field goals scored per game while also dominating the books with the highest field goal percentage scored in the paint.

Spain was destined to be a challenge for the U.S. squad. The Spaniards had an experienced group of players who all knew each others sweet spots and had an impeccable cohesion; everybody communicated on defense and ran the offensive effectively. Spain was the only National team that most in the U.S. really worried about, that is until France swooped in during the Quarter Finals and shocked the host country that had a team that consisted of five players currently playing in the NBA: forward/centers Marc and Pau Gasol, forward Serge Ibaka, and point guards Ricky Rubio and Jose Calderon.

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When France managed to pull off a late game spurt and a shocking victory over Spain, the world began to pay much more attention. With Boris Diaw leading the group, most believed that Spain would have to make way, because a new and improved team was ready to make a major push to topple the dominate country in the sport. France had played gutsy, hard-nosed basketball. Without the likes of Tony Parker, a regular and major contributor for the national team's offense, everyone on the team picked up the load and found their own touches. NBA veterans Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier shared the load with a surprisingly huge contribution by the young and talented Robert Gobert, a 22-year old 7 foot 2 inch center who is going to play with the Denver Nuggets in October.

After France defeated Spain, the rest of the title chase was left up in the air. Serbia had defeated a very talented Brazil team with young players just like Gobert. Although the Serbian team was lead by former NBA veteran Nenad Kristic, the team had found its main force in Milos Teodosic, Nemanja Bjelica, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, three players in their early to mid-twenties that happened click in ways that no body would have ever thought of during pool play. Bogdanovic may only be 22-years of age, but the young player has a consistent jump shot, nice ball handling skills, and plays solid defense. After his performance in this year's FIBA games, he is likely going to help the Phoenix two years from now, when he is finally able to make his NBA debut. For a 22-year old, he is a great guard who happens to play the lanes very well. There was no surprise that Bogdanovic had his hands on a couple of plays that would help carry Serbia over France.

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The outburst in young talent helped bolster France and topple a very experienced Spanish team; it has allowed us to witness the improvement and rise of a solid Serbian ball club. Players like Gobert and Bogdanovic are slowly coming up, highlighting a trend that may transcend international basketball in the years to come. If Gobert can continue to prove to be an aggressive offensive force in the NBA, he can help break the traditional "soft" label placed on many European and international players. Gobert, among others, are changing the way that the game is being played overseas, thus developing a much more aggressive and athletic style that is currently present in the NBA.

At the same time, players in the U.S. are also adopting playing styles evident in international play. One may see numerous American ball players like James Harden utilize crafty and creative euro steps or flipping up mid-range floaters and jumpers instead of always banging hard into the paint.

As a huge basketball fan, it is awesome how the game is growing globally and how the love for basketball is being celebrated and illustrated through the mixing of different playing styles. As much as I am a fan of Team USA basketball, it is nice to see that other teams are growing and becoming much more aggressive. Young talents are starting to appear from all over the world and this is possibly because of the development of these players at such a young age. I would not be surprised to see contests grow in competitiveness as margins during games close in. In the future, I think that Spain will not be the only country to pose as a major opponent for Team USA, perhaps this year serves as evidence of things that are going to change