Dear John...

The biggest upset in the 1988 Olympics occurred in the men's basketball competition three days ago, when the United States lost to the Soviet Union, 82-76. It was only the second loss for the men's basketball team in Olympic competition.

Now the fun part--the criticism--starts. Should we blame the coach, the players or the referees? Well, I'm here to tell you to address all letters of complaint to U.S. Coach John Thompson.

Thompson built a team that couldn't hit 15-foot jump shots consistently. Instead, his team was constructed around defense and quickness.

Thompson should also be criticized for the make-up of his team: there was only one white player.

I wonder if Thompson ever considered the possibility of his team falling behind and having to rely on the three-point shot to catch up. Maybe he just figured his team would never fall behind.

Or did he ever consider the fact that the Russians would break his team's press? It's always nice to have a team that can play great defense. But if you're going to have a great defensive team, you should complement it with some outside shooters. Two or three would have sufficed. Did Thompson ever consider the possibility that his only legitimate outside shooter, Hershey Hawkins, might go cold or get hurt?

One more question. Why would Thompson bring a defensive-minded team to a shoot-'em-up Olympics? Didn't he know that the other countries were bringing guys who could make 30 footers?

Thompson should be faulted for not picking shooters such as Rex Chapman, Sherman Douglas, Steve Kerr and Dana Barros. It's not hard to imagine Chapman, Kerr and Barros lighting up the Soviets from the three-point line.

But no. Thompson had Charles Smith, his starting guard at Georgetown, shooting bricks.

Charles Smith should have been dumped.

Thompson has been justly criticized for having only one white player, Dan Majerle, on his team. Players like Chapman and Kerr would have been assets for their outside shooting skills.

America should be embarrassed that it sent over a team that was over 90 percent Black when there were several qualified whites who were left back in the States. America should be embarrassed...and Thompson should be ashamed. Thompson played into the hands of writers who suggested that he would field an all-Black team.

Peculiar Smiles

By fielding a nearly all-Black team, Thompson probably brought smiles to the faces of Jimmy "The Greek" and Al Campanis. On many courts across America, Blacks are always picked before whites simply because they're Black. It's a sad fact that the darker your skin, the higher you will get picked.

Being a Black-Native American Indian, I've seen whites pick the Black or Mexican kid first. I've also seen Blacks pick other Blacks first, assuming, sometimes incorrectly, that the Black kid is going to be good.

This brings to mind a scene from the movie Soul Man, which illustrates this point brillantly. Two white kids, captains of pick-up basketball teams, argue over who gets to pick a Black who has just strolled into the gym.

This is not a criticism of whites or Blacks. It's a criticism of the superficial way our society views people. It's a criticism of a society that accepts and sometimes promotes dangerous stereotypes.

There's an ugly stereotype in our society that Blacks, by nature, are better basketball players than whites. Thanks to Thompson, that stereotype has been re-enforced.

John, you let me and America down.