Ambitious Conley contends for spot on USA team

MEMPHIS (2016 Rio Olympics) - The name Conley already has a place in United States Olympic lore. At the 1992 Barcelona Games, Mike Conley Sr. captured gold in the triple jump.

This year in Rio de Janeiro, or at a Summer Games in the years ahead, Mike Conley Jr. may also have a chance to become an Olympic champion with the USA basketball team. A standout guard with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, Conley is among the finalists for this year's squad.

In our sport, the ultimate goal is to win an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal. Those are the dreams of every basketball player. If that can happen, that would be on the top of my list for sure. - Conley

What USA coach Mike Krzyzewski and chairman Jerry Colangelo always want in their teams are players that will fight through hard times. Conley reminded everyone of his toughness last year in the NBA playoffs.

He suffered facial fractures and had to miss a few games. Most players would have missed even more, but he wore a mask in order to play against Golden State.

It came as no surprise after the playoffs that Conley was among those to receive an invitation to the USA Basketball mini-camp in Las Vegas.

He has followed up that experience with another solid season with Memphis. The USA included him on the list of finalists for the Olympic squad on 18 January.

Just being named a finalist by USA Basketball, the 28-year-old Conley says, is a tremendous achievement. The pool of talent to draw from in America is probably the deepest in the international game.

"I was very excited," he said of the announcement. "It is a huge accomplishment, and it's one step closer to, hopefully you know, have one chance to compete in the Olympics, so I just need to see how things are going to go, but it can be an exciting summer."

Conley was too young to appreciate the magnitude of what his father did in Barcelona 24 years ago when it happened. He was just five years old. There is little doubt, however, that his father has served as inspiration for him.

"Maybe one or two years after it (gold medal), I realized his achievement and I was like 'oh, that's pretty cool, Dad'," Conley said, laughing, to FIBA.com. "(But) I watched him a lot and take a lot of advice from him. Things like how to be a pro athlete, how to be prepared, body training, and his competitiveness. I learned from him how to get my body in top shape; he helps me on my summer preparation."

To realize the aim of making it to Brazil, Conley knows he will have to beat out a lot of competition. The best way to do that is to continue having success with the Grizzlies. Winning games will be more difficult, though, in the coming days and weeks following the loss of Spain center Marc Gasol to a broken bone in his foot in the team's 112-106 defeat to Portland on 8 February.

The injury will keep the center out of the line-up indefinitely and could end up being season-ending. Conley had 20 points, five assists and four rebounds in the game that immediately followed, a 109-90 victory at Brooklyn. Coach K and Colangelo will no doubt watch how the guard handles the adversity of playing without Gasol. Maybe come August, Conley will be in the USA team.

I would like to keep the family history going and win a gold medal. We talk about it sometimes and he gets me going, that is for sure, so I know he'd be very proud if I make it happen. - Conley

FIBA