2019 United States FIBA Basketball World Cup team

The United States men's national basketball team is currently competing in the qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. After rule changes by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) in 2015, the U.S. no longer automatically qualified for the World Cup despite winning the Olympics in 2016. Changes in timing also resulted in the qualifying rounds overlapping with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) season. Consequently, USA Basketball decided to deploy squads of players mostly from the NBA G League, the NBA's development league. Coached by Jeff Van Gundy, they are tasked with qualifying the U.S. for the World Cup, when the Americans plans to switch to a team of NBA players coached by Gregg Popovich. Team USA has won the past two World Cups in 2010 and 2014.[1]

Background

Gregg Popovich (pictured) replaced Mike Krzyzewski as the U.S. head coach.

In 2015, FIBA changed the World Cup qualification process into a two-round tournament of home-and-away round robins over 16 months,[2] which was similar to FIFA World Cup's process for soccer.[3] Olympic gold no longer resulted in an automatic World Cup bid.[4] The U.S. is in the Americas group of 16 teams battling for 12 spots in the second round of the qualifying stage and finally for seven World Cup berths.[5] To be eligible for the World Cup, the U.S. first had to participate in the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup. The United States had not played in the FIBA Americas tournament since 2007; they had been exempt from qualifying, having won every prior Olympics and world championships.[6]

Players for the qualifying squads are chosen by a USA Basketball qualification committee.[7] Their teams are made up of players primarily from the NBA G League,[8] since FIBA had changed the World Cup qualifiers from summer to year-round,[9][10] most of which conflicted with the seasons of top professional leagues such as the NBA and the EuroLeague.[11][12][13] Unlike in soccer, there is no culture for leagues to schedule in-season breaks for players to compete for their national team.[11] The coach for the qualifiers is Jeff Van Gundy, who is a basketball analyst for ABC and a former NBA head coach who coached in the NBA Finals.[7] He made his national team coaching debut in the 2017 Americup.[6] Van Gundy and his squads are tasked with qualifying the U.S. for the World Cup, when the U.S would switch to a team of NBA players coached by Gregg Popovich.[8] The five-time NBA champion Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs took over the national team from Mike Krzyzewski, who won three Olympic gold medals and two World Cups for the U.S.[14]

Qualification

First round

Jeff Van Gundy is the U.S. coach during the World Cup qualifiers.

In the first round of qualification, games were played in three windows in November 2017 along with February and June 2018.[15] The November team included four players from the U.S. squad that went 5–0 to win the AmeriCup.[3] Only two players—forward Travis Wear and guard Larry Drew II—returned for Team USA in their second qualifying window.[16] The final window was also the first that was not during the NBA season. While some NBA players joined their national teams, the U.S. continued playing with G League players.[17] Trey McKinney-Jones and Marcus Thornton joined the Americans after needing to withdraw in February on account of 10-day contracts they had signed with NBA teams.[18] On June 28, 2018, the U.S. lost 78–70 to Mexico. It was the Americans first loss under Van Gundy and just the second defeat in 30 games against Mexico.[19] It was also Team USA's first loss at the national-team level since 2006.[20] The Mexico squad had just four players from its November team that lost by 36 points to the U.S. They added players from various professional leagues who were unavailable earlier, including former NBA player Gustavo Ayón, who was coming off a EuroLeague championship with Real Madrid.[8] The Americans advanced after finishing the round 5–1.[21]

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 United States 6 5 1 506 396 +110 11 Second round
2  Puerto Rico 6 4 2 516 479 +37 10
3  Mexico 6 3 3 439 463 −24 9
4  Cuba 6 0 6 380 503 −123 6
Source: FIBA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.

Second round

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 United States 8 7 1 698 501 +197 15 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup
2  Argentina 8 7 1 703 549 +154 15
3  Puerto Rico 8 5 3 682 658 +24 13
4  Uruguay 8 5 3 552 616 −64 13 Possible qualification for 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup
5  Mexico 8 3 5 573 604 −31 11
6  Panama 8 3 5 557 605 −48 11
Updated to match(es) played on 17 September 2018. Source: FIBA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.

World Cup roster pool

Should the U.S. qualify for the World Cup, their 12-man squad is expected to be selected from the pool of 35 players that they named in April 2018.[22] The list includes 11 members from their 2016 Olympic gold-medal team,[lower-alpha 1] and five players who have won nine of the last 10 NBA Most Valuable Player Awards.[lower-alpha 2][14] The U.S. held its first minicamp in July 2018, which 23 of the 35 players attended. In the past, USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo had mandated that players attended camps or risk disqualification; however, rules were relaxed in recent years.[10][24]

Player pool[22]
Player NBA Team
Harrison BarnesDallas Mavericks
Bradley BealWashington Wizards
Devin BookerPhoenix Suns
Jimmy ButlerMinnesota Timberwolves
Mike Conley Jr.Memphis Grizzlies
DeMarcus CousinsGolden State Warriors
Stephen CurryGolden State Warriors
Anthony DavisNew Orleans Pelicans
DeMar DeRozanSan Antonio Spurs
Andre DrummondDetroit Pistons
Kevin DurantGolden State Warriors
Paul GeorgeOklahoma City Thunder
Eric GordonHouston Rockets
Draymond GreenGolden State Warriors
Blake GriffinDetroit Pistons
James HardenHouston Rockets
Tobias HarrisLos Angeles Clippers
Gordon HaywardBoston Celtics
Kyrie IrvingBoston Celtics
LeBron JamesLos Angeles Lakers
DeAndre JordanDallas Mavericks
Kawhi LeonardToronto Raptors
Damian LillardPortland Trail Blazers
Kevin LoveCleveland Cavaliers
Kyle LowryToronto Raptors
C. J. McCollumPortland Trail Blazers
Khris MiddletonMilwaukee Bucks
Victor OladipoIndiana Pacers
Chris PaulHouston Rockets
Isaiah ThomasDenver Nuggets
Klay ThompsonGolden State Warriors
Myles TurnerIndiana Pacers
Kemba WalkerCharlotte Hornets
John WallWashington Wizards
Russell WestbrookOklahoma City Thunder

Notes

  1. ↑ The other team member, Carmelo Anthony, retired from the national team after winning his third Olympic gold medal in 2016.[23]
  2. ↑ LeBron James (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013), Kevin Durant (2014), Stephen Curry (2015, 2016), Russell Westbrook (2017), James Harden (2018)[22]

References

  1. ↑ Golliver, Ben (July 26, 2018). "Building USA Basketball's Dream Team for the 2020 Olympics". SI.com.
  2. ↑ Long, Stephen (August 22, 2017). "FIBA World Cup & Olympic qualifying FAQ: Understanding the new format". Sportsnet.ca.
  3. 1 2 Zillgitt, Jeff (November 22, 2017). "U.S., Jeff Van Gundy set to play first FIBA World Cup qualifying games". USA Today.
  4. ↑ Wojarnowski, Adrian (August 25, 2017). "Jeff Van Gundy dusts off whistle, pours himself into Team USA bid". ESPN.com.
  5. ↑ Winderman, Ira (November 22, 2017). "Heat G League prospect Larry Drew working with U.S. national team". Sun-Sentinel.
  6. 1 2 "US men's basketball enters a new world – without its stars". NBC Sports. Associated Press. August 17, 2017 – via Yahoo! Sports.
  7. 1 2 Johnson, Joe (November 14, 2017). "Amile Jefferson was a national champion. Can he add a world championship?". The Herald Sun.
  8. 1 2 3 "Mexico stuns US in World Cup qualifying, 78–70". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. June 29, 2018.
  9. ↑ Helin, Kurt (July 5, 2017). "It's official: Jeff Van Gundy to coach Team USA in AmeriCup 2017, World Cup qualifying". NBCSports.com.
  10. 1 2 Windhorst, Brian (July 26, 2018). "Answering common questions leading into the Team USA minicamp". ESPN.com.
  11. 1 2 Stein, Marc (November 22, 2017). "Basketball Mimics Soccer's World Cup Qualifying (Minus the Stars)". The New York Times.
  12. ↑ Loung, Steven (August 22, 2017). "FIBA World Cup & Olympic qualifying FAQ: Understanding the new format". Sportsnet.ca.
  13. ↑ Barkas, Aris (July 7, 2018). "Τhe young wolf who was the face of the third FIBA window in Europe". Eurohoops.net.
  14. 1 2 Anderson, Mark (April 6, 2018). "USA Basketball announces roster for Las Vegas minicamp". Las Vegas Review-Jornal.
  15. ↑ Peck, Jared (February 22, 2018). "Former Cats make USA Basketball roster for two televised World Cup qualifiers". Lexington Herald Leader.
  16. ↑ Seimas, Jim (February 23, 2018). "Team USA crushes Cuba in FIBA Americas World Cup qualifier in Santa Cruz". Santa Cruz Sentinel.
  17. ↑ "US picks G League roster for Basketball World Cup qualifiers". Union Bulletin. Associated Press. June 26, 2018.
  18. ↑ "USA Men's World Cup Qualifying Team Roster Announced". USA Basketball. June 25, 2018.
  19. ↑ Simelton, Joshua (June 29, 2018). "Mexico upsets USA Basketball in FIBA World Cup qualifying". Sporting News. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018.
  20. ↑ "U.S. tops Cuba to conclude FIBA World Cup first-round qualifying". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 2, 2018.
  21. ↑ Reynolds, Tim (July 27, 2018). "All over but the qualifying for USA Basketball". The Spokesman-Review.
  22. 1 2 3 "USA Basketball Announces 35 Player Roster For 2018-20 Men's National Team". USA Basketball. April 6, 2018.
  23. ↑ "James, Durant in 35-player US Olympic basketball team pool". USA Today. Associated Press. April 6, 2018.
  24. ↑ Smith, Sekou (July 30, 2018). "World Cup in 2019 – not 2020 Olympics or NBA – is the main focus of USA Basketball". NBA.com.
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