Journey to 2020 Olympics starts with Uruguay contest
For the second time in three months, USA Basketball has turned Las Vegas into its temporary home.
In July, USA Basketball held a three-day minicamp in town, and for the past week, the USA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team has been training in Las Vegas.
This time around, it’s not the standout names — the Jameses, Currys and Durants of the world — but a roster mostly comprised of G-leaguers and younger NBA players. Still, what they do in Las Vegas will have larger implications for USA Basketball down the road.
Team USA, led by Jeff Van Gundy, will host Uruguay on Friday night at Cox Pavilion in a FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifier; a victory would go a long way in advancing to next year’s World Cup in China. There, the U.S. will be looking to defend its 2014 title and qualify for the 2020 Olympics. Here are three things to know heading into Friday’s game:
Roster shakeup
The 14 players who came to Las Vegas comprise a vastly different roster than the one in June when the qualifying team last played games with Reggie Hearn (Grand Rapids Drive) the only holdover.
Jameel Warney (Texas Legends) also played on a World Cup qualifying team in November.
Otherwise, it’s a different set of players.
“It’s good to have Reggie (Hearn) and Jameel (Warney) back, they’ve already experienced how tough these games are,” Van Gundy said via USA Basketball. “And by looking to players who have played in the NBA and internationally, I’m hoping we have the experience required to win and qualify the United States for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.”
Van Gundy coaching
Perhaps the biggest name around is Van Gundy, who had a successful coaching career in the 1990s and 2000s with the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets before transitioning to television, where he is a regular color commentator for ESPN.
Van Gundy returned to the sidelines with USA Basketball last year and coached the team, again mostly G-leaguers, to a 2017 FIBA Americup championship.
Since then, he has been leading the U.S. in the qualifiers while keeping his broadcasting duties.
If the Van Gundy guides the U.S. to the World Cup, as expected, national team coach Gregg Popovich then will take over for the tournament.
Qualifying positioning
The United States cannot clinch a spot or be eliminated Friday, but the game is an important contest that could make the path to China much easier.
Both the United States and Argentina sit at 5-1 atop Group E in the second round.
Only three teams of six qualify, and a win over Uruguay — currently the fourth-place team — would put USA two games in front of fourth place with five games left.
“It’s going to be like a FIBA national team game against the U.S.,” Van Gundy said. “It’s going to be physical, it’s going to be fierce, and it’s going to be hard. We have to be prepared for how competitive it is going to be, and I think these guys have done a good job getting themselves ready. But now it’s time to perform against a terrific opponent.”
Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Betsyhelfand on Twitter.