The defensive three-second rule makes it too easy for players to get to the rim, so nobody has to work on their outside shot the way they used to. I would like to see more players who can shoot from outside but both the NBA and the WNBA have placed more importance on the "wow" factor. USA basketball has turned into an "individual" sport.
I think that is a fallacy - the three point shot has become more prevalent as the years go by - I think the defensive three seconds just prevents a defense from camping inside and allows post players a little more freedom of movement.
My personal feeling is that the men's game has outgrown the dimensions of the court - basket height should be raised so that the much greater leaping ability of todays athletes is adjusted for, and dimensions of the court should be expanded to compensate for the much greater length and quickness of modern athletes. Physically the women correlate pretty closely to what the men were like in the 60's in comparison to the court which is why old timers like me enjoy the women's game so much - Maya and Candace, and Breanna being the Dr. Js of their game.
Back to the OP - I think the problem with the expansion of AAU travel super-teams is that it has cut into HS and AAU practice time - when the AAU teams first formed most were truly local and could actually practice as a team locally and the number of real travel tournaments were pretty limited. HS players played with their teammates and practiced with them most of the year. As the big AAU teams formed and started drawing stars from further away they became more like playground teams where five strangers form up to challenge another five strangers. It is an issue with the development of team play, and it has also cut into the practice time for the HS teams as the stars are leaving town for AAU tournaments frequently. A player like Kyla Irwin who played local AAU may not have gotten the same exposure that she would have had she tried to sign on with the Philly Belles but she also probably got more consistent coaching and better integration in team concepts.
I don't think the US system is 'broken', this is still only a single age group that has failed to win gold though in both cases (U16/U17) they appear to have been the second best team in the competition. Not every age group in the US or in any other country is equally talented so 'off years' will exist. And not every coaching selection made by USA Basketball is great, nor do they always get selections to the teams perfect. If next years U16 struggles as well, maybe changes need to be contemplated along the lines of permanent staffing like the boys system has made. I like the fact that they have opened the selection process to more players beyond their invitees, but perhaps they have expanded it too far - i like the idea of regional gatherings with maybe 35 selections than being gathered in Colorado.
