US NBA stars to train for world, Olympic events in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) - Seeking redemption for a humbling third-place performance at the 2004 Olympics, a US team of National Basketball Association stars is betting on this US gambling mecca as a training ground

USA Basketball announced Wednesday that their national team will train in Las Vegas each of the next three years, starting with preparations for August's World Championships in Japan and ending with 2008 Beijing Olympic preparations.

This year's camp will begin July 19-25 and include all 23 players who have committed to the US program from now through the Beijing Summer Games. After a break, those chosen for the world team will train here from July 31-August 3.

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, Miami guard Dwyane Wade, Cleveland playmaker LeBron James and Denver's Carmelo Anthony are among those in the player pool.

The US team will face Puerto Rico here in an exhibition game August 3 and then depart for Asia for training and exhibition games August 5-10 at an unrevealed location before taking part in a series of South Korean exhibitions.

The US team will play in Seoul on August 13 against Lithuania and two days later against South Korea before two final days of preparation work before going to Sapporo, Japan, for the World Championships.

China, Puerto Rico, Italy, Senegal and Slovenia have opening-round games against the US squad.

Las Vegas will also host training and an exhibition game in 2008 before the Beijing Olympics and in 2007 before Olympic qualifying at the Tournament of the Americas.

Once shunned for concerns over links to gambling and match fixing, Las Vegas has become popular with the NBA, which will stage its All-Star Game here next year.

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The Barons and Iowa Stars were in an unenviable spot Saturday night, having to follow the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade masterpiece from hours earlier at The Q.

Both teams proved up to the task, in as much as an AHL product can supplement anything generated by the NBA. The Barons lost to the Stars, 3-1, in a highly entertaining game seen by a loud crowd of 6,621.

Left winger Loui Eriksson scored the deciding goal on a breakaway at 12:33 of the third period. Iowa tacked on an empty-netter in the final seconds.

The Stars (35-29-1-7) are competing for the final playoff spot in the West Division.

The Barons (24-45-2-2) are far removed from the playoff chase, but it did not stop them from putting forth a spirited attempt to play spoiler. The Barons are 13-21-1-1 at home.

Barons coach Roy Sommer has grown tired of perceived moral victories.

"We played a decent game, but we fell asleep in the third," Sommer said. "It was the same old [expletive]. We can't seem to concentrate for 60 minutes."

Eriksson broke free along the left wing, swooped to the middle and stuffed the puck against the pads of Barons goalie Nolan Schaefer. As Schaefer drifted into the cage, the puck went with him across the line.

"Our guys knew that one line does all their scoring, and the guy still got behind us," Sommer said. "There's no excuse for it. We have to know whom we're playing against."

Early in the third, the Barons failed to capitalize on a briefly vacated Stars net.

Midway through the second period, the Barons pulled ahead, 1-0. Shane Joseph, slicing across the top of the crease, flipped in a loose puck through traffic. Two minutes later, Schaefer made a great save to preserve the advantage.

The Stars tied it at 17:57 of the second, defenseman Nicklas Grossman converting a rebound moments after Schaefer had sprawled to disrupt a shot.

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