Every day is a good day to learn more about UC San Diego, but we've chosen a particular one to spread knowledge with our new feature called "Triton Tuesday." Each Tuesday, get the inside scoop with fun facts about Triton athletics, the UC San Diego campus and community, and our beautiful home of San Diego, California, in a Did You Know? format.

In our first installment, we're going back 28 years to 1992 when the U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Team, commonly known as the "Dream Team," practiced at our very own Main Gym before taking the Summer Games by storm in Barcelona, Spain.

The team's roster was made up of superstars that even someone who had never watched an NBA game had certainly heard of. Barkley. Bird. Ewing. Jordan. Magic. Stockton. It's no wonder why many considered the squad to be "the best team ever assembled."

Why Main Gym? Some say it was the perfect venue for the team to remain under the radar and practice with few distractions. Others claim Michael Jordan, an avid golfer, made the call because our campus happens to be across the street from the legendary Torrey Pines Golf Course.

Whatever the reason, they most likely could have practiced in a sand trap at Torrey and turned in a similar performance in Spain.

The Dream Team lived up to its moniker, ripping through the Olympic field undefeated at 8-0 to win a gold medal. The United States defeated its opponents by an average of 44 points, including a 68-point drubbing of Angola and a 32-point win against Croatia in the gold medal bout, which proved to be the closest tilt for the U.S. During its run, the team also earned victories against Germany, Brazil, Spain, Puerto Rico, and Lithuania, plus another win over Croatia in an early round match-up. 

Charles Barkley averaged 18.0 points per game, while Jordan went for 14.9. Patrick Ewing and Karl Malone each pulled down 5.3 rebounds per game, while Scottie Pippen dished out 5.9 assists per game, followed closely by Magic Johnson with 5.5.

The team, which was the first American Olympic team to feature active professional players from the NBA, was so stacked that only Jordan started all eight contests. 

Team Roster
Charles Barkley
Larry Bird
Clyde Drexler
Patrick Ewing
Magic Johnson
Michael Jordan 
Christian Laettner
Karl Malone
Chris Mullin
Scottie Pippen
David Robinson
John Stockton

Head Coach
Chuck Daly

Assistant Coaches
Lenny Wilkens, P.J. Carlesimo, Mike Krzyzewski

Eleven players and three coaches from the team were eventually inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2010, the team itself was inducted. The Hall calls the group "the greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet."

Many people forget that Main Gym played host to a rare Dream Team loss. On June 24, 1992, Jordan and company took on a team comprised of top NCAA players in a scrimmage on campus. The college players, including Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, and Bobby Hurley, defeated the Dream Team, 62-54. Chuck Daly, head coach of the Olympic team, initially limited Jordan's playing time, while assistant coach Mike Krzyzewski claimed that Daly "threw the game" to prove that the team could be beaten. The teams played again the following day, with the Olympians winning decisively.

UC San Diego's basketball and volleyball teams have since moved into RIMAC Arena on campus, while the fencing team still calls Main Gym home. The historic venue is forever etched in Olympic, NBA, and college basketball history. If you have the chance to visit, close your eyes and listen for the sound of Jordan dunking. Or swinging a golf club. 

MORE
• Dream Team documentary by NBA TV
• Footage from the Dream Team/College Select Team scrimmage at Main Gym
• San Diego Union-Tribune photo slideshow      
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program begins a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide more than 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. In addition, 83 Tritons have been named Academic All-Americans, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.