Tag: 2024 olympic games

Five-star Duke basketball freshman Khaman Maluach back on campus after Olympic run

After representing South Sudan in the Olympic Games, Duke basketball freshman Khaman Maluach is back with the Blue Devils.

Five-star center [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] is back on campus and practicing with the rest of the Blue Devils.

While the rest of his 2024-25 teammates have been getting work in as a team and facing off in scrimmages, Maluach spent the first part of his summer in France representing South Sudan at the 2024 Olympic Games.

South Sudan took Team USA down to the final minute in an exhibition last month and picked up the country’s first Olympic win ever, but Maluach and his countrymen couldn’t advance to the quarterfinals.

The incoming freshman averaged 4.4 minutes per game between the three contests in group play, scoring 0.7 points and pulling down 1.3 rebounds per game.

One of four five-star signees in Duke’s esteemed 2024 recruiting class, Maluach is expected to be one of the sport’s best rim defenders from the first game. Some of his international contests and exhibition games show a few growing pains on offense, but he offers one of the best ceilings in the country and is a presumed lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Maluach makes his debut in front of Duke fans at the Countdown to Craziness on October 4.

Paolo Banchero nearly made Olympic roster for Team USA, The Athletic reports

According to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, former Duke basketball star Paolo Banchero nearly made the Team USA roster for the 2024 Olympic Games.

[autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] became the first Duke basketball alum with two gold medals in France this summer, but he nearly wasn’t the only Blue Devil on the Team USA roster.

According to a Monday report from The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, former Duke star [autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag] nearly made the American roster for the 2024 Olympic Games. Vardon said Grant Hill, another Blue Devils legend and the Team USA managing director, wants Banchero on future Olympic teams after the Orlando Magic star was under “serious consideration” for a roster spot.

Banchero led the Blue Devils to the Final Four in 2021-22, Coach K’s final season in Durham, before he won NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2022-23. The last of Duke’s five No. 1 NBA draft picks, Banchero averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists during his second season.

He even proved himself on the playoff stage, taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games during the opening round and putting together three 30-point performances in the process.

Banchero does have Team USA experience as he made the 2023 FIBA World Cup roster. The Americans finished fourth in that tournament, and Banchero averaged 8.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 15.2 minutes per game.

Steve Kerr calls former Kentucky star Team USA’s ‘unsung MVP’

Former Kentucky guard Devin Booker drew praise from Devin Booker for his performance in Team USA’s gold medal win over France.

Team USA secured a gold medal against France in Paris on Saturday, thanks in large part to a dominant fourth quarter from Steph Curry, who looked like his old self after hitting three three pointers in the closing minutes to put the game to rest and silence the home crowd.

Curry led the USA with 24 points on eight made three pointers, while fellow veterans LeBron James and Kevin Durant each had excellent games as well – giving Team USA’s older superstars an incredible curtain call.

After the game, understandably, most of the conversation was centered around Curry’s late game heroics or the play of James and Durant, but at the end of his postgame press conference head coach Steve Kerr made sure to give a special shoutout to former Kentucky guard Devin Booker for his play on Sunday and throughout the olympics.

“Devin Booker is an incredible basketball player,” Kerr said, per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. “Nobody asked about him. He was our unsung MVP. I just wanted to say that.”

Booker finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists in 28 minutes, while shooting 6-9 from the field.

His 28 minutes trailed only Curry, James, and Durant – a clear sign the 27-year-old is a critical future piece of Team USA going forward.

Team USA will attempt to defend its gold medal in Los Angeles in 2028, and while Curry, Durant, and LeBron are likely going to be done at that point, expect Booker, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, and others to pick up the mantle and keep USA Basketball thriving for years to come.

Jayson Tatum records first Olympic double-double during USA win over Puerto Rico

Jayson Tatum recorded his first double-double of this year’s Olympic Games on Saturday during Team USA’s victory over Puerto Rico.

[autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] recorded his first career Olympic double-double on Saturday, scoring 10 points and pulling down 10 rebounds during a 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico.

The former Blue Devils star only played 23 minutes and made four of his nine attempts from the floor. He tacked on three assists and two steals for his final box score.

After the Team USA coaching staff decided not to play Tatum during the opening game against Serbia, he appeared in the starting five against Puerto Rico. Over the last two games of group play, Tatum averaged 7.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.

A newly crowned NBA champion, Tatum seeks his second consecutive gold medal after his turn on the victorious men’s basketball squad in Tokyo. He’d become the first Duke basketball alum with multiple gold medals.

He’s already made Blue Devils history by becoming the first Duke player with multiple All-NBA First Team selections after he made his third in a row this season.

The United States advanced to the quarterfinals with the victory, taking the No. 1 overall seed into the elimination bracket.

Jayson Tatum in Team USA starting lineup for final group stage game against Puerto Rico

The U.S. men’s basketball team takes on Puerto Rico for the final game of Olympic pool play on Saturday, andJayson Tatum made the starting lineup

The United States men’s basketball team concludes pool play at the 2024 Olympic Games on Saturday against Puerto Rico.

Ahead of the game, the team announced through social media that former Blue Devil [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] would make the starting lineup.

Tatum, who recently won his first NBA championship with the Boston Celtics, notably did not play in Team USA’s first game against Serbia. Social media questioned the decision, citing the Duke legend’s credentials at the age of 26, but coach Steve Kerr insisted he’d include Tatum later on in the Olympics.

In the Americans’ second game in Paris, Tatum scored four points and came away with five rebounds in a victory over South Sudan.

Tatum also won a battle of the Blue Devils in that game. Incoming Duke basketball star [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], a five-star 7-footer and a member of Jon Scheyer’s esteemed 2024 recruiting class, made the South Sudan Olympic roster, but he only played two minutes against Team USA.

NBA legends LeBron James and Steph Curry, former NBA MVP Joel Embiid, and Devin Booker started alongside Tatum.

RJ Barrett and Canada finish Olympic pool play undefeated after win over Spain

The Canadian men’s basketball team, featuring former Duke star RJ Barrett, defeated Spain on Friday for a third straight Olympic victory.

Former Duke basketball star [autotag]RJ Barrett[/autotag] and his Canadian teammates defeated Spain 88-85 at the 2024 Olympic Games on Friday, ending pool play with a perfect 3-0 record.

The undefeated Canadian team exploded with 30 second-quarter points, leading by double-digits at the midway point. Spain attempted to climb back, outscoring Canada by eight points over the last two quarters, but fell just short of the comeback.

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a 2023-24 NBA MVP finalist, made two free throws in the closing seconds to preserve the win.

Barrett, who led the Canadian team in scoring for both of its first two wins, scored 16 points against Spain. The former Blue Devil ended the three-game run through pool play with 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.

Canada now clinches a spot in the quarterfinals. With [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] and Team USA winning their first two games in Group C, Duke fans will have at least two different former Blue Devils to root for in Paris once the elimination bracket begins.

Incoming freshman [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], who plays for South Sudan, could join them in the final eight depending on his team’s result against Serbia on Saturday.

Former Gonzaga guard takes over for Canada in win over Spain

Andrew Nembhard led Team Canada to a victory over Spain with a dominant stretch in the fourth quarter.

It’s been a great year for Andrew Nembhard.

The Indiana Pacers guard first made headlines with an outstanding performance in the NBA playoffs, averaging 14.9 points and 5.5 assists including a pair of monster performances against the Boston Celtics when Tyrese Haliburton was sidelined.

The former Gonzaga guard parlayed that success into a lucrative extension with the Pacers, as well as a spot on Team Canada’s Olympic national team alongside star guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray.

On Friday he proved exactly what he can bring for Canada’s medal hopes, ensuring the country would go undefeated in group play with an outstanding performance in a win over Spain.

Nembhard finished with 18 points, second on the team behind Gilgeous-Alexander, while tacking on two assists and one steal.

He was a menace particularly out in transition, scoring back-to-back fastbreak layups in the fourth quarter and swinging momentum back Canada’s way at a critical juncture.

Nembhard was not just getting after it in transition, he hit a highly contested three point shot as the shot clock expired and finished 8-10 from the field. His facilitation skills opened up Canada’s offense, and proved he belongs on the floor for this team in close matchups.

Canada advances to the quarterfinals as they look to medal against strong competition in France, Serbia, and the United States.

Former Colorado guard shines for Team USA in win over South Sudan

Former Colorado guard Derrick White had a big game off the bench for Team USA in an Olympic win over South Sudan.

The last player added to Team USA’s roster showed he more than belonged with an outstanding performance off the bench in a 103-86 win over South Sudan on Wednesday.

Derrick White, who replaced an injured Kawhi Leonard a few weeks before the Olympic Games began, scored 10 points while adding three steals, one rebound, one assist, and one block on perfect 3-3 shooting – all coming from beyond the arc.

White, who is coming off an NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics, doesn’t exactly have the career many would expect for someone named to the 12-man Team USA roster.

He’s never been an All-Star or an All-NBA player, his career averages of 12.3 points and 4.1 assists are good but not great, and he has just two All-Defensive Second Team nods to his name.

However, the former Colorado guard’s defense and outside shooting provided a boost for Team USA in the second quarter, and his understanding of his role as a 3-and-D guard provides a perfect compliment to the more ball-dominant players on the roster – like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Edwards.

White spent one year in college with the Buffs, averaging 18.1 points, 4.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.2 steals in 2016-17. That led to him getting selected 29th overall in 2017 by the San Antonio Spurs, eventually making his way to Boston in 2021 and making back-to-back All Defensive Teams and finishing eight in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2023-24.

Team USA will play Puerto Rico on Saturday, August 3 at 11:15 AM ET in the final game of group play.

Jayson Tatum, Team USA dispatch Khaman Maluach and South Sudan at the Olympics

In a battle of Duke basketball stars past and future, Jayson Tatum and Team USA battled past Khaman Maluach and South Sudan on Wednesday.

In a battle of Duke basketball stars, the elder statesman got the better of the incoming freshman on Wednesday.

[autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] and Team USA dispatched [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] and South Sudan in the second game of Olympic men’s basketball group play, winning 103-86.

Tatum, the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, is already making a strong case as the best men’s basketball player in Duke history at 26 years old. He won his first NBA title with the Boston Celtics earlier this summer, and a victory in Paris would give him his second Olympic gold medal.

After Tatum notably didn’t play in Team USA’s opening victory over Serbia, he finished with four points, five rebounds, and two assists on Wednesday.

While South Sudan didn’t get the better of the Americans on Wednesday, Maluach and his teammates recorded the country’s first win in Olympic history when they beat Puerto Rico in the opening game.

Maluach, one of four five-star signees in Duke’s 2024 recruiting class, didn’t score any points for his country on Wednesday after he tallied two points and two rebounds in the first game.

Tatum and Team USA locked up a place in the quarterfinals with the second group stage victory while Maluach and South Sudan will play Serbia on Saturday for second place in Group C. The top two teams from all three groups clinch a spot in the final eight with two other spots available for the top remaining teams.

Former Duke star thriving for Team Canada in Olympic Games

Former Duke star RJ Barrett is leading Team Canada in scoring in the early stage of the 2024 Olympic Games in France.

College basketball fans who tune in to Team Canada during the 2024 Olympic Games will be treated to quite a few familiar faces.

Whether it’s a trio of former Kentucky stars in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, and Trey Lyles, a pair of former Zags in Kelly Olynyk and Andrew Nembhard, or other prominent CBB alumnus like Dillon Brooks (Oregon), Lu Dort (Arizona State) or Dwight Powell (Stanford), the Canadian roster is chalk full of former college stars.

Perhaps the most electric college basketball player suiting up for Canada is R.J Barrett, who was a consensus All-American with the Duke Blue Devils as a freshman in 2018-19, teaming up with Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish to create a formidable three-headed monster under coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Barrett has had an up-and-down NBA career since going No. 3 overall in the 2019 NBA draft, but he has risen to the occasion for Team Canada so far in France – leading the country in scoring in each of their first two games, a win over Greece on Saturday and a win over Australia on Monday morning.

The 6’7 forward dropped 23 points with four rebounds and three assists on 8-13 shooting in an 86-79 win over Greece, who got 34 points from superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Then on Monday, Barrett once again paced the Canadiens – this time dropping 24 points with seven rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals in a 10 point victory over Australia.

Barrett’s aggressive maneuvering with the ball in his hands works well in FIBA rules, helping him to thrive in this setting despite having an MVP candidate and All-Star caliber guard alongside him in the backcourt in SGA and Murray.

Canada will face Spain in the final group-stage matchup on Friday, August 2 at 11:15 AM ET.