Being a world power isn't easy.(College Basketball)

The one problem with Kelvin Sampson's zeal to take on the world is the world isn't available this summer. The United States team he will coach is charged with conquering only the Western Hemisphere.

Sampson, whose day job is coaching Oklahoma, is responsible for the 20-and-under players who will attempt to qualify for the 2005 World Championship for Young Men. There will be eight teams from the Americas competing in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the end of July, and the U.S. must finish among the top three to qualify for next year's main event.

That seems simple enough. The United States finished first or second in three previous qualifying tournaments. Sampson wants more than the minimum, though. He wants this country to "reassert itself as a world power." Punch up FIBA.com, the website for basketball's international governing body, and you see the U.S. is ranked second, behind Yugoslavia. Yep, we're No. 2.

Grabbing the Olympic gold medal this summer might help change things, though that goal appears more distant every day. Winning this qualifying tournament--and establishing a tone for next year--can be Sampson's contribution, and he is working to make it happen. But it's not as easy as grabbing the 12 best college players and dressing them in red, white and blue.

There are three areas of concern for Sampson:

Attitude. Chemistry has been one of the primary problems for U.S. teams in recent competitions. Anyone who watches the American game recognizes the challenge of getting players to accept roles. Even poor shooters want their share of 3-point attempts. Now, imagine trying to keep peace on a team filled with players who are primary scoring options for their colleges. The U.S. needs to find players who can be useful and content if they're not getting significant minutes.

"It wouldn't take my confidence down any if I didn't play a lot" says versatile Villanova forward Curtis Sumpter. "I'd tell myself, 'At least you made the team. A lot of guys can't say that.' "A lot more wouldn't say that. The team needs more Sumpters.