He Could Only Watch : KGB Kept Gomelski Away From ’72 Glory

The KGB put Alexander Gomelski there, imprisoned in a Moscow apartment in front of a television, while his team pursued basketball immortality.

Munich, 1972. No country had defeated the United States’ basketball team in Olympic competition, but with only six seconds remaining, a great victory was within the Russians’ grasp.

Gomelski, the best basketball coach in the Soviet Union, sat silently in his chair far away. Happy, but sad.

“My boys,” Gomelski said in recalling that glorious day, that biting memory. “It was my right to be there.”

The gold medal game turned. Two free throws by Doug Collins gave the United States a 50-49 lead with three seconds to play, and now Gomelski was on his feet in defiance. “This was the weakest American team in history,” he said. “They had to lose. They overestimated their capabilities and forgot that basketball was on the rise around the world. They thought it was their game, and just because it was their game, they would win it.”

Three seconds, two seconds, confusion. Time ran out, the United States won--and then it didn’t. Confusion. Three seconds were put back on the clock, Ivan Edeshko tossed a court-length pass to Alexander Belov, and Belov scored over two fallen Americans. The Soviet Union won, 51-50.

Gomelski cried. He sank deep into his chair and wept before pouring himself a glass of vodka to cap the most exciting and most disappointing moment of his life.

“It is something I have had to live with,” said Gomelski, who works as consultant to the San Diego-based High Five America basketball team. “It is the biggest scar on my heart.”

Gomelski would return to prominence and lead the Soviet Union to the gold in 1988, but 20 years ago he was denied his place in history.

“The KGB wanted to break me,” he said. “If the KGB does not take away my visa, I am coach in 1972.

“I meet people, I travel, I know what is going on and Russia is closed country. Russian propaganda tells people that communism is best system. But I see what is real, and I talk about this.

“I talk about this in my home with my friends and family. I talk to the players. I know how much money American players have, and I know how much my players are paid. I know USA is great country, and KGB worry that I travel and not come home.”

The KGB placed listening devices in his apartment. They bugged his telephone. Informers stalked him. But the KGB tolerated Gomelski’s anti-communist talk and his Jewish heritage as long as he won basketball games.

“All my life I know if I lose competition, I return home to airport and KGB or government people waiting for me,” Gomelski said. “Other coaches can lose, I cannot. I expect customs people to find drugs, narcotics or something in my luggage and then have this big scandal. All possible.

“In 1970 we lost competition in World Championships and we took the bronze. For my government this is big problem, a big mistake. When I returned to the airport I have $100 and declaration documents, but KGB not interested in my documents. They are interested in breaking Gomelski.

“You can be great coach, great family man, but in Soviet Union if team flops once, coach is in big trouble. In America and in Europe a coach has a contract, and he gets his money if he is let go. In Russia, it’s goodby, and you don’t have a job or money to support your family.”

Gomelski was no longer the Soviet Union’s national team coach, but his basketball expertise continued to serve him. Instead of being banished to Siberia, he resumed coaching the Central Army Sports Club basketball team.

Many of the country’s finest basketball players joined Gomelski. His team won the Russian championship, and when it came time for the Olympic Games in 1972, his players were summoned.

Gomelski, however, was not allowed to leave the Soviet Union.

“KGB thought I would go to Israel . . . I saw documents that showed KGB believed I would leave,” he said. “In Israel I was very popular. Not many Israel coaches have same results as Gomelski, and KGB knew this. KGB does not like Jewish man coaching Russian national team. Government does not like Jewish men. I have lots of enemies.”

The Soviet Union, however, also did not like to be embarrassed in international competition. Jewish or not, Gomelski knew basketball.

“The 1976 team lost the Olympic Games and afterward government remembered Gomelski,” he said. “Five times I come back after being let go. If team wins, coach is allowed to continue working. If team loses, OK, bring back Gomelski.”

Gomelski was coming and going. He was assistant coach at the 1956 Olympic Games, gone in 1960, but back again as head coach in 1964 and 1968. Gone in 1972 and 1976 and back in 1980.

“You see all this,” he said, while pointing to his white hair. “I earned it.”

White hair indeed. Imagine being the Soviet Union’s basketball coach for the 1980-hosted Moscow Games--and losing. The Soviets finished third, behind Yugoslavia and Italy.

“Not a very happy time in my life,” he said. “American team not come (because of boycott), and I am not very serious about preparations and I think there is no possible way we lose. But we do, and government breaks me this time, too.”

But he continued to win Russian championships with his Central Army Club team, and when the national team failed to impress, Gomelski was back on the job. His strategy was brilliant. His team’s execution nearly flawless. He had his gold medal.

His reaction: “I had not lived my life in vain.”

The United States has brought in NBA stars in reprisal.

“The president of the Russian Basketball Federation called recently,” Gomelski said, “and said, ‘Alex, please return and take national team. We have problem in preparation.’ But there is no reason for me to take this team. I am Olympic champion.

“In Seoul we had one strong Russian team. Today we have four teams--Estonia, Lithuania, Russia and Latvia. Only four teams in Europe are going to the Olympics, and there are seven or eight good teams, including Italy and Spain, in pre-Olympic qualifying tournament.

“I win Russian competition 15 times. Three world championships. I coach five Olympic teams and win gold. I don’t want to lose my good name. Today there is little chance to get to Olympics and zero chance to win Olympic Games.

“When we play in Seoul I have team that has worked together for five years. I teach Arvidas Sabonis, Rimas Kurtinatis and Sarunas Marciulionis. These are great players. Every week we work minimum five days. We have special tactics. They are different from college style, but not that different from NBA.”

The John Thompson-coached U.S. team took the court in 1988 with players such as David Robinson and Danny Manning.

“Thompson is good coach and this is very nice team that he has,” Gomelski said. “People not believe it possible we win--only me. But I understand this is my last Olympic time. I have many Olympic competitions, but I have no gold. Before each game my boys watch Americans and the Americans crush opponents.

“Even the best Russian players are saying we are never going to cross the center line. The Americans have very good press defense . . . it is a good Thompson press defense. But Thompson had an idea in his mind on how the game was going to go, based on what happened in games before that.

“He didn’t want to change this. He went straight ahead without adjusting. The coach has to feel how the game goes. That’s what coaching is all about . . . I have written a book about it.”

He has written a dozen books on basketball, but unfortunately for Thompson and his American counterparts, they are all in Russian.

Thompson’s team, after trailing by 10 at halftime, lost to the Soviets, 82-76, in the semifinals.

Gomelski, 64, has come to the United States now to provide his son, Kirill, who is a junior-to-be at Rancho Bernardo High, a first-class education and to further his own basketball career.

“My dream,” he said. “My boy finish at American college, and his future looks very, very nice.

“This is also first time that Russian and American players compete together in friendship. I bring five Russian boys, and they practice and play with five Americans. It is first step, and if successful, I wish to become more involved in basketball in America.”

Last October, Gomelski joined Rle Nichols, the driving force behind High Five America, a basketball team that travels nationally and internationally with an anti-drug and alcohol message.

“Communication has become a tremendous challenge,” Nichols said. “First you have to get him to understand, and then get his players to understand, and then you don’t know if he’s telling them what I told him or not.”

Gomelski smiled in understanding. He remains his own man. He has had a wonderful career, and while the Olympic spotlight will no longer shine on him, he can daydream.

“We had awesome players in Seoul,” Gomelski said. “If I could have same team that I had in Seoul, it would be very close game against NBA players. Very tough game.

“It is good time for the NBA players because Russian team, Yugoslav team and best teams in Europe are not at their full strength. No question that USA is going to win.”