USA Basketball came from behind to defeat Canada 84-80 in the bronze medal match of the AmeriCup on Sunday. Gary Clark emerged as Team USA’s key player on the night, scoring 18 points and helping his team to take a crucial lead with a 26-10 run in just seven minutes in the final quarter of the game.

“I’m happy for our guys,” U.S. coach Alex Jensen said. “It was an honor to be a part of it.” This marks the ninth occasion in 11 appearances at the tournament that the United States has walked away with a medal. Previously, USA basketball won seven golds and one silver, making this the first AmeriCup bronze medal in the team’s history.

What also made this victory special was that it may have been the final match of NBA veteran Jodie Meeks, who spent 10 years in the NBA. Although he scored just once during the match, Meeks’ three-pointer was a crucial one, pulling the USA level at 71-71.

In Monday’s final, Argentina defeated Brazil to win the AmeriCup gold medal. Argentina shot into a 26-14 lead in the first quarter, and while Brazil clawed their way back, outscoring their opponents 13-8 in the final quarter, it wasn’t enough as the Argentinians edged out Brazil 75-73.

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Team USA’s roster for the Tokyo Olympics is getting stronger by day. According to the Excel Basketball agency, their clients Kevin Love and Kris Middleton have committed to play for the United States at the upcoming tournament.

Love will be playing at his second Olympics, after winning the gold with Team USA in 2012, while Middleton is making his debut.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday will also officially pledge to play in Tokyo in the following days. 

With these three players on board, Team USA’s 12-man roster now only has one spot left. USA Basketball previously got commitments from center Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), and Brooklyn Nets All-Star duo James Harden and Kevin Durant.

It’s unclear who might be the last addition, but reports say that Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George is thinking about adding his name to the list. George’s teammate Kawhi Leonard was also in the mix but will most likely withdraw his name due to health issues.

Several players already declined the invites, including the Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry, Phoenix’s Chris Paul, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, and the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell.

Lowry wants to focus on his free agency, while Curry explained his rejection with offseason commitments. Mitchell wants to focus on rehabbing from a recent injury, while fatigue is cited as the reason why Paul declined.

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Although numerous NBA stars decided to rest this summer, USA Basketball Men’s National Team roster for 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China will still be stacked if we are to judge by the preliminary roster list.

USA Basketball revealed the list of 20 players that will take part in the Las Vegas training camp in August, which will serve as the basis for determining the roster for World Cup. Only 12 players, however, will make the final cut.

The list of training camp invitees include All-Stars like Houston Rockets’ James Harden, New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, and Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard as well as the up-and-coming stars like Los Angeles Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma and Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell.

They will be joined by Harrison Barnes (Sacramento Kings); Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards); Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons); Eric Gordon (Rockets); Tobias Harris (76ers); Kevin Love  (Cleveland Cavaliers); Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors); CJ McCollum (Trail Blazers); Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks); Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers); Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets); Brook Lopez (Bucks); Paul Millsap (Denver Nuggets; Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) and P.J. Tucker (Rockets).

“I am excited about getting to training camp in August and working with all of the players that have been selected to attend the USA National Team training camp in Las Vegas,” – said USA Basketball head coach Gregg Popovich.  “We’ve got an excellent cross-section of veteran USA Basketball and NBA players, as well as some exciting younger players who possess amazing versatility.”

“The flexibility of positions and roles was very important, so you go through this roster you see a lot of ones who can be twos, threes who can be fours, fives can be fours, things like that,” – he added.

2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup will be held from August 31st to September 15th. The group stage of the competition has pitted USA Basketball against Turkey, Japan, and the Czech Republic.

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Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich is putting the final touches on the rest of his coaching staff and has decided to name Golden State Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr as his assistant on the team. This won’t be the first time they work together since Kerr played under Popovich in 2002–2003 NBA season at San Antonio Spurs.

USA Basketball confirmed the decision on Thursday revealing that Indiana Pacers head coach Nate McMillan and Villanova Wildcats head coach Jay Wright will also join in as assistants for 2019 World Cup in China and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

It is believed that Steve Kerr is one of the frontrunners to take the head coaching job at Team USA after Gregg Popovich and that his time as an assistant will prepare him for the challenges of coaching on an international level. Kerr was part of the Team USA while he was playing at the University of Arizona, participating in 1986 FIBA World Championship and winning a gold medal.

“This is an incredible opportunity and one I’m extremely grateful for,” – said Kerr in a statement. “I had the good fortune to participate in our USA Basketball program as an amateur, and to have the chance to return to the world stage three decades later and work under Pop, one of my former coaches and a mentor, is a tremendous honor.“

Nate McMillan has a longtime history of working with USA Basketball, having been an assistant under coach Mike Krzyzewski from 2006 to 2012. Jay Wright, on the other side, previously served as a head coach of Team USA at 2005 World University Games and 2007 Pan Am Games.

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USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo revealed on Friday the names of 35 players who will be part of the pool for 2018-20. LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors), James Harden (Houston Rockets), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) and others on the list will be expected to attend the USA Men’s National Team mini-camp that will take place in Las Vegas from July 25 to July 27. The Las Vegas mini-camp will also be the first time that Gregg Popovich will meet with the team as the new head coach.

Most of the players on the list have been part of the pool or roster on previous occasions, except the newcomers Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Isaiah Thomas (Los Angeles Lakers), CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers), and Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers). A notable exception from the list is Carmelo Anthony (Oklahoma City Thunder) who said he will retire from USA Basketball Men’s National Team after winning his third gold medal at 2016 Olympics in Rio.

“While we do not have an official competition that we need to prepare for in 2018, the selection and announcement of our new pool of national team members and this year’s July minicamp are important first steps in our preparations to defend the FIBA World Cup and Olympic titles we won during the last two quadrenniums,” – said Colangelo after announcing the list.

The rest of the players who found themselves on pool for 2018-20 are: Harrison Barnes (Dallas Mavericks); Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards); Jimmy Butler (Minnesota Timberwolves); Mike Conley Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies); DeMarcus Cousins (New Orleans Pelicans); Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans); DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors); Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons); Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder); Eric Gordon (Houston Rockets); Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors); Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons); Tobias Harris (Los Angeles Clippers); Gordon Hayward (Boston Celtics); Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics); DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers); Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs); Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers); Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers); Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors); Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers); Chris Paul (Houston Rockets); Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors); Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets); and John Wall (Washington Wizards).

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USA Basketball came from behind to defeat Canada 84-80 in the bronze medal match of the AmeriCup on Sunday. Gary Clark emerged as Team USA’s key player on the night, scoring 18 points and helping his team to take a crucial lead with a 26-10 run in just seven minutes in the final quarter of the game.

“I’m happy for our guys,” U.S. coach Alex Jensen said. “It was an honor to be a part of it.” This marks the ninth occasion in 11 appearances at the tournament that the United States has walked away with a medal. Previously, USA basketball won seven golds and one silver, making this the first AmeriCup bronze medal in the team’s history.

What also made this victory special was that it may have been the final match of NBA veteran Jodie Meeks, who spent 10 years in the NBA. Although he scored just once during the match, Meeks’ three-pointer was a crucial one, pulling the USA level at 71-71.

In Monday’s final, Argentina defeated Brazil to win the AmeriCup gold medal. Argentina shot into a 26-14 lead in the first quarter, and while Brazil clawed their way back, outscoring their opponents 13-8 in the final quarter, it wasn’t enough as the Argentinians edged out Brazil 75-73.

The post Team USA Wins Bronze Medal at AmeriCup as Argentina Clinches the Gold appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Team USA’s roster for the Tokyo Olympics is getting stronger by day. According to the Excel Basketball agency, their clients Kevin Love and Kris Middleton have committed to play for the United States at the upcoming tournament.

Love will be playing at his second Olympics, after winning the gold with Team USA in 2012, while Middleton is making his debut.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday will also officially pledge to play in Tokyo in the following days. 

With these three players on board, Team USA’s 12-man roster now only has one spot left. USA Basketball previously got commitments from center Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), and Brooklyn Nets All-Star duo James Harden and Kevin Durant.

It’s unclear who might be the last addition, but reports say that Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George is thinking about adding his name to the list. George’s teammate Kawhi Leonard was also in the mix but will most likely withdraw his name due to health issues.

Several players already declined the invites, including the Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry, Phoenix’s Chris Paul, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, and the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell.

Lowry wants to focus on his free agency, while Curry explained his rejection with offseason commitments. Mitchell wants to focus on rehabbing from a recent injury, while fatigue is cited as the reason why Paul declined.

The post Kevin Love and Khris Middleton to Play for Team USA at the Olympics appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Although numerous NBA stars decided to rest this summer, USA Basketball Men’s National Team roster for 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China will still be stacked if we are to judge by the preliminary roster list.

USA Basketball revealed the list of 20 players that will take part in the Las Vegas training camp in August, which will serve as the basis for determining the roster for World Cup. Only 12 players, however, will make the final cut.

The list of training camp invitees include All-Stars like Houston Rockets’ James Harden, New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, and Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard as well as the up-and-coming stars like Los Angeles Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma and Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell.

They will be joined by Harrison Barnes (Sacramento Kings); Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards); Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons); Eric Gordon (Rockets); Tobias Harris (76ers); Kevin Love  (Cleveland Cavaliers); Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors); CJ McCollum (Trail Blazers); Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks); Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers); Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets); Brook Lopez (Bucks); Paul Millsap (Denver Nuggets; Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) and P.J. Tucker (Rockets).

“I am excited about getting to training camp in August and working with all of the players that have been selected to attend the USA National Team training camp in Las Vegas,” – said USA Basketball head coach Gregg Popovich.  “We’ve got an excellent cross-section of veteran USA Basketball and NBA players, as well as some exciting younger players who possess amazing versatility.”

“The flexibility of positions and roles was very important, so you go through this roster you see a lot of ones who can be twos, threes who can be fours, fives can be fours, things like that,” – he added.

2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup will be held from August 31st to September 15th. The group stage of the competition has pitted USA Basketball against Turkey, Japan, and the Czech Republic.

The post USA Announces Preliminary Roster for 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich is putting the final touches on the rest of his coaching staff and has decided to name Golden State Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr as his assistant on the team. This won’t be the first time they work together since Kerr played under Popovich in 2002–2003 NBA season at San Antonio Spurs.

USA Basketball confirmed the decision on Thursday revealing that Indiana Pacers head coach Nate McMillan and Villanova Wildcats head coach Jay Wright will also join in as assistants for 2019 World Cup in China and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

It is believed that Steve Kerr is one of the frontrunners to take the head coaching job at Team USA after Gregg Popovich and that his time as an assistant will prepare him for the challenges of coaching on an international level. Kerr was part of the Team USA while he was playing at the University of Arizona, participating in 1986 FIBA World Championship and winning a gold medal.

“This is an incredible opportunity and one I’m extremely grateful for,” – said Kerr in a statement. “I had the good fortune to participate in our USA Basketball program as an amateur, and to have the chance to return to the world stage three decades later and work under Pop, one of my former coaches and a mentor, is a tremendous honor.“

Nate McMillan has a longtime history of working with USA Basketball, having been an assistant under coach Mike Krzyzewski from 2006 to 2012. Jay Wright, on the other side, previously served as a head coach of Team USA at 2005 World University Games and 2007 Pan Am Games.

The post Gregg Popovich Names Steve Kerr His Assistant on Team USA appeared first on SportzBonanza.

USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo revealed on Friday the names of 35 players who will be part of the pool for 2018-20. LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors), James Harden (Houston Rockets), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) and others on the list will be expected to attend the USA Men’s National Team mini-camp that will take place in Las Vegas from July 25 to July 27. The Las Vegas mini-camp will also be the first time that Gregg Popovich will meet with the team as the new head coach.

Most of the players on the list have been part of the pool or roster on previous occasions, except the newcomers Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Isaiah Thomas (Los Angeles Lakers), CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers), and Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers). A notable exception from the list is Carmelo Anthony (Oklahoma City Thunder) who said he will retire from USA Basketball Men’s National Team after winning his third gold medal at 2016 Olympics in Rio.

“While we do not have an official competition that we need to prepare for in 2018, the selection and announcement of our new pool of national team members and this year’s July minicamp are important first steps in our preparations to defend the FIBA World Cup and Olympic titles we won during the last two quadrenniums,” – said Colangelo after announcing the list.

The rest of the players who found themselves on pool for 2018-20 are: Harrison Barnes (Dallas Mavericks); Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards); Jimmy Butler (Minnesota Timberwolves); Mike Conley Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies); DeMarcus Cousins (New Orleans Pelicans); Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans); DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors); Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons); Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder); Eric Gordon (Houston Rockets); Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors); Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons); Tobias Harris (Los Angeles Clippers); Gordon Hayward (Boston Celtics); Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics); DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers); Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs); Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers); Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers); Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors); Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers); Chris Paul (Houston Rockets); Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors); Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets); and John Wall (Washington Wizards).

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