After an exhilarating and draining ride through the 1997-98 college basketball season, Trajan Langdon wanted to take the summer off to relax and collect himself for his senior season.
So much for planning.
Langdon relaxed his way through a four-week basketball boot camp in Europe, but the Alaskan native was rewarded with a bronze medal for his efforts in the FIBA World Championships of Basketball, held in Athens, Greece, in early August.
The lone collegian on the United States team, Langdon and his 11 pro teammates compiled a 7-2 record and routed host Greece 84-61 to claim the bronze medal.
"I don't think [the Greek fans] thought we were going to be as good as we were," Langdon said in a press conference last week. "They didn't think we had a chance to medal. But as the tournament went on and we started winning, a lot of people thought we were going to win the tournament. I think we turned some heads and surprised a lot of people over there and in the United States."
After the Dream Team squad originally assembled to participate in the event withdrew due to the NBA lockout, U.S.A. Basketball and the pre-selected coaching staff, led by Houston Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich, quickly patched together a 12-man team that included CBA and overseas players and top collegians to represent the U.S. in the tournament.
Langdon, ironically, did not make the final 12-man roster initially. During the final stages of the team's training session in Monte Carlo, Langdon was told his services would no longer be needed.
In the U.S.'s final exhibition tune-up against Italy, however, Michigan State guard Mateen Cleaves suffered an ankle injury, necessitating Langdon's return to the team.
"In Trajan, we're getting a guy back who really didn't deserve to be cut," Tomjanovich told the Houston Chronicle at the time. "He was real close [to making the team before it was trimmed from 15 to 12 players]. I'm completely comfortable with having him back, and I think he understands how we feel about him."
Langdon, who had barely been in the States for 48 hours before receiving the call to return to Greece, hopped on the next flight back to Athens, arriving at 10:00 a.m. local time and heading straight to practice.
"Personally, it was a great experience," Langdon said of the chance to compete for the U.S. at the World Championships. "I was invited to try out for the Goodwill Games teams but decided to take the summer off, give my body a rest.
"But once the opportunity came to try out for the World Championship team, I couldn't pass on it. It's an opportunity that just doesn't happen often and probably won't happen to me again. It was the chance of a lifetime."
Tomjanovich recognized Langdon's work ethic and shooting capabilities and felt his return would alleviate some of the difficulties caused by losing Cleaves, the team's backup point guard.
Langdon did not waste any time proving himself worthy of Tomjanovich's confidence. In the U.S.'s tournament opener against Brazil, Langdon came off the bench to drill two three-pointers just before halftime, giving his team some breathing room en route to an 83-59 win.
"It was a good feeling to get a chance to come in and help," Langdon said. "I kept telling myself I was going to be on the bench for a while. But when I got in there, if I got my looks, I wanted to take them."
Although he saw very limited game action for the remainder of the tournament, Langdon still found ways to contribute.
In the bronze-medal game against Greece, Langdon saw his most extensive action in the tournament, scoring seven points on a three-pointer and four free-throws in 13 minutes.
"I felt like I could compete," Langdon said. "It was difficult [to sit on the bench]. It was the only time I'd ever sat the bench in my life, but it was a great experience. Now I know how it feels and why people transfer.
"I was definitely humbled. But I just wanted to do everything I could to contribute. I felt like I was respected by the guys on the team."
Despite not getting the amount of playing time the All-American is accustomed to, Langdon maintained the chance to practice with his teammates and compete at the top level of international basketball was highly beneficial.
"We ran a lot of pro sets, and a lot of the defenses were the way they run it at the next level," Langdon said. "Obviously, I wasn't going to get much playing time in Athens, but in practice time, in Chicago (site of the try-out camp), as well as in Monte Carlo, I learned a whole lot that will help me this year... and at the next level."
Duke fans, however, are mostly concerned with just this year, when they hope Langdon can lead a richly talented squad back into the Final Four for the first time in five years.
The Wooden Award candidate is only too happy to oblige.
"I feel ready to go and I'm looking as forward to this season as any since I've been here," Langdon said. "We've got a great nucleus and I think we'll be a great team again. A lot of our players have been doing different things [to get ready], and I'm anxious to see how they're doing."
One Duke player who Langdon did get a chance to see over the summer was center Elton Brand. Langdon's World Championship squad scrimmaged Brand's Goodwill Games squad, comprised of top collegians, twice while the two teams' paths crossed in Chicago.
Showing no signs of a broken metatarsal in his left foot that sidelined him for 15 games last season, Brand played brilliantly in all five Goodwill contests in New York. The sophomore led the team in rebounding (7.6 rpg), was second in scoring (17.0 ppg) and walked away with a gold medal, adding to Duke basketball's summer gem collection and pointing to a season that could be just as glittering.
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