The USA Men's Senior National Team opened training in Jacksonville at University of North Florida to begin final preparations for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Only 76ers guard Allen Iverson, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and New Jersey's Richard Jefferson remain from the team that qualified for the Olympic berth last summer in Puerto Rico.

"I wouldn't trade this experience for the world. I'm blessed to be on this team,” Iverson said after the first practice session. “I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to play for my country, the greatest country in the world. I want to give something back to a country that has given me the opportunity to make a living playing a game I love. It's a tribute to my high school coach, Mike Bailey, my college coach, John Thompson, to Larry Brown, to all the coaches and all the teammates I've ever had. Most of all, it's a tribute to my wife and kids, who always keep me mentally strong when things aren't going so well. And it's a tribute to myself, too, after everything I've been through."

The team will train for 20 days under head coach Larry Brown, who was reunited with Iverson for the first time since last summer’s qualifying games. Iverson, at age 29, is the elder statesmen for the USA squad which features such young guys as Lebron James (19), Carmelo Anthony (20) and Dwayne Wade (22) along with Amare Stoudemire (21), Carlos Boozer (22), and Richard Jefferson (24). The average age of the 12-man squad is just 23.6 years old.

"I've never been the oldest guy on a team before,” Iverson lamented. “I look around, see guys like Carmelo (Anthony) and LeBron (James) and I think, 'Man, I'm getting old.' It feels great, though."

Iverson, who wore his Team USA shirt throughout the practice and had the tongues of his sneakers adorned with American Flags, was happy after Brown named him and Duncan team captains and was looking forward to winning a gold medal.

"Coach named me captain today, and that felt good. He told me to just play the way I play, work hard on defense,” Iverson said. “We have so much talent on this team that I don't have to worry about double and triple teams. It should be fun.

"The main goal is winning the gold. It makes you nervous, not scared, but a little nervous. That will work for us, because when you're nervous, you play better. We're going to play hard, play together, and try to make our own mark as a team."

The USA Olympic teams have captured a gold medal in 12 of the 14 Olympics, while compiling a 109-2 win-loss record in Olympic play for a .982 winning percentage. Since NBA players were added to the Olympic mix, Team USA is 24-0 since making their first appearance at the 1992 Olympics. The U.S. has won the last three Olympic titles when NBA players have participated (1992, 1996, 2000).

While winning a gold medal is certainly Iverson’s immediate goal, winning an NBA championship is his ultimate dream.

"All I've ever wanted was to win a championship in Philadelphia. I want to win it when I'm the team leader, when it's my team. I want to win it with Blue (Aaron McKie), and before he got traded, with Eric (Snow). That's what it's all about,” Iverson said. “Philadelphia has been the greatest place for me. It turned me from a young man into a grown man. I know I've still got a lot of growing up to do, but I'm content knowing that I'm doing everything I can to win a title."

After last season’s injury filled campaign in which the Sixers guard missed a career high 34 games, Iverson is feeling fine and looking to put 2002-03 behind him.

"I'm fine. Right now, I'm physically exhausted, tired and weak because I'm not used to the pace. But, my knee is strong and feels good,” Iverson reported. “Last year was one of the worst years that I've ever had as an athlete. For the first time in my life, I had a knee injury and couldn't do the things I was used to. That was tough. It bothered me more than I can tell you. Then, going through different coaches and making decisions that 50 percent of the people thought were wrong ... it was terrible.

"I'm putting it all behind me and I'm going to play every game like it's my last. We're going to get back to playing Sixers basketball this season.”

When Iverson does return to the Sixers, he will find a team that has begun to transform its roster, most notably at the head coaching position.

"I'm excited about playing for a new coach (Jim O’Brien), a coach who clearly wanted to coach me,” Iverson said. “He doesn't want to try to change who Allen Iverson is. That meant a lot to me. I'll miss E (Eric Snow), but I'm excited about playing more minutes at point. It gives us an advantage because we'll run a lot more, run on made and missed baskets. That puts a lot of pressure on the defense. We're going to get up and down."