- USA Basketball organization has selected 14 players for its Select Team
- The team acts as Team USA’s training camp opponents for the FIBA World Cup
- The Select Team includes top draft picks and potential future candidates for the national team
- Team USA will have five exhibition games before starting the World Cup in August
The USA Basketball organization has announced the selection of 14 players for its Select Team, which will act as the opposing team for Team USA during their upcoming training camp for the FIBA World Cup. This Select Team will also serve as a platform to identify potential candidates for future positions in the national team.
The Select Team comprises talented recent top draft picks who are seen as the next generation of players for Team USA. They will be under the guidance of Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley during the training camp, which will take place from August 3 to 6 in Las Vegas.
Among the notable players in the Select Team is Cade Cunningham, the top draft pick from 2021, who is set to make his return after missing most of the previous season due to a shin injury while playing for the Detroit Pistons.
2021 NBA Top Draft pick Cade Cunningham headlines the USA Basketball Select Team ahead of FIBA World Cup. | PHOTO: BR |
Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 draft pick from 2022 who missed the last season but made a comeback in some summer league games this year, will join his teammate Jalen Williams, who had an impressive Rookie of the Year voting performance. Other players from the 2022 draft class included are Keegan Murray from the Sacramento Kings and Jalen Duren from the Pistons.
Joining them are third-year players Trey Murphy and Herb Jones from the New Orleans Pelicans, Jalen Green from the Houston Rockets, and Quentin Grimes from the New York Knicks. Additionally, fourth-year veterans Payton Pritchard from the Boston Celtics and big man Naz Reid from the Minnesota Timberwolves will also participate. Any of these players could potentially be promoted to the first team if needed, which has been a common practice in the past.
The training camp will also include players who contributed to Team USA’s qualification for the World Cup in the six qualifying windows over the last two years. These players include NBA veterans Langston Galloway and John Jenkins, along with former G League Ignite player Eric Mika. The training camp is expected to attract the attention of numerous NBA scouts.
Assisting in coaching roles will be Jim Boylen, an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers who previously coached Team USA during the qualifying windows, and Matt Painter, the head coach of Purdue.
Following the training camp, Team USA will participate in five exhibition games in Las Vegas, Malaga, Spain, and Abu Dhabi before officially commencing their World Cup journey on August 26 against New Zealand in Manila, Philippines (8:40 a.m. ET, ESPN2).
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