Though much has been said about Team USA’s roster heading into this year’s FIBA World Cup, they remain the overwhelming favorites to win the gold medal in this year’s festivities.
The USA undeniably has the most talented roster among the rest of the field and the sole knock on them has been their youth. The Americans have the lowest average age in Group C and are the fourth youngest U.S. Men’s Senior team among the 15 that have been assembled since 1992.
What makes this team even more peculiar is that they are all rookies on the senior level of international basketball, making them the first U.S. team featuring NBA players to have this distinction. 28-year-old Bobby Portis is already the elder statesman among this group and he is also the lone player to have an NBA championship (2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks) on his resume.
However, Team USA makes up for this lack of experience with a star-studded coaching staff that is led by the Golden State Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr. The team around Kerr not only brings a wealth of experience to the table, but also have strong personalities that command respect.
Kerr, who has won four NBA titles as the Warriors’ head coach, is flanked by two other title-winning mentors in Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Ty Lue.
All-in-all, these three have won seven NBA championships as head coaches—all of which have come over the past 11 years—while Kerr (Five) and Lue (Two) have also won a combined seven as players. Aside from their impressive resumes, these three coaches are also among the most innovative minds in the game today which bodes well for USA’s chances.
Kerr, Spoelstra, and Lue are also joined on the bench by Mark Few of Gonzaga University. Few has been with Gonzaga for 24 years and has finished each season with a winning percentage of at least 67%. Furthermore, former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy is assisting with scouting duties for Kerr’s crew while renowned shooting coach Chip Engelland from the Oklahoma City Thunder is onboard as well.
Engelland is best known for his time with the San Antonio Spurs with whom he spent 17 years with as he is credited with helping Spurs stars Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard develop their perimeter shots. The 62-year-old is also well acquainted with Manila, having played with the Philippine Men’s National team from 1984 to 1986 in a stint that was highlighted by winning the 1985 William Jones Cup in Taiwan.
With a staff like this on the sidelines, Team USA’s place as the favorites in this World Cup is very much justified. They should rub off on their players which will only make them better.
Beyond the immediate result of this World Cup, it will be interesting as well to see if there are any relationships built during this offseason that leads to these young stars joining forces on Kerr’s Warriors, Spoelstra’s Heat, or Lue’s Clippers.
