Team USA savors World Cup berth
USA Basketball put together different rosters for all six World Cup qualifying windows, and coach Jim Boylen noticed the same two things with each of those groups.
One, every player beamed when putting on the “USA” jersey for picture day. Two, by the third or fourth day of practice, the players were coaching each other.
It took 52 players and more than a year, but the job is done – USA Basketball is going to the World Cup in the Philippines this summer. The US won’t have to sweat it out this weekend when the final spots in the 32-team field get claimed, after rallying to beat Uruguay on Thursday and clinching a berth.
“When they put on the USA jersey, the same jersey that LeBron James wore, the same jersey that Kobe Bryant wore, the same jersey of the senior men’s national team, there’s a joy from those guys unlike what I’ve ever seen,” Boylen said. “And then it clicks: They’ve reached a higher level of distinction and they’ve got to come together. That’s what happened.”
Boylen has led the US to a 9-2 record in qualifying, with one game left at Brazil on Sunday. It’s meaningless, on paper, for the Americans, but could decide whether Brazil goes to the World Cup or not.
His efforts were lauded Friday by Steve Kerr, who will coach the roster of NBA players that the US will take to the World Cup this summer.
“Jim Boylen has done a great job with that whole group and they all go unheralded, and I just want take the time to say ‘thank you’ as the coach of the team that will be playing in the World Cup this summer,” said Kerr, the Golden State Warrior coach. “My gratitude goes out to Jim and all the players.”
For many of the US players, Sunday could be the last time they play with “USA” on the front of the jersey. The World Cup roster will be filled by NBA players; the qualifying teams, with a handful of exceptions, were primarily players from the G League.
If the US finishes as one of the best two teams from the Americas region in the World Cup, they’ll also qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Americans are the four-time defending Olympic champions. Kerr will again coach the Americans in the Olympics if they qualify, assisted by Miami’s Erik Spoelstra, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Tyronn Lue and Gonzaga’s Mark Few.