Tag: Team USA

Lonzo Ball discusses the lowest moment in his basketball career

Lonzo Ball hasn’t had many low points in his career but did recently reveal the lowest moment of his basketball career.

As a highly-touted prospect in high school, one of the top picks in the NBA draft and a starting point guard throughout his professional career, there haven’t been many low moments in the career of Lonzo Ball. Aside from the poor shooting performance or multiple-game slump, Ball has had a productive basketball career.

That being said, though, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been any low moments. In a “Who’s Interviewing Who” video with Uninterrupted on Friday, Ball discussed with NBA legend Robert Horry and Pelicans teammate Jaxson Hayes the lowest point of his career.

“My lowest moment in basketball came after my freshman year in high school. My pops never let me play AAU or travel ball or nothing like that so I was just local kid nobody really knew about. But I got an invitation to the USA camp to make the team and I ended up getting cut and that kind of shaped my whole high school career from that because I was like ‘There’s no way I’m not one of the best 15 players in my class.’ I went from not even being ranked to I think I made it to No. 2 by the time I was a senior. It just gave me motivation just to chase all the guys in front of me that people thought were better than me.”

Ball is likely talking about the 2013 USA U16 National Team, though it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what team he is talking about. If it is that 2013 team, that roster comprised of Harry Giles, Thomas Bryant, Terrance Ferguson, Daniel Giddens, Josh Jackson, V.J. King, Malik Newman, Ivan Rabb, Devearl Ramsey, Diamond Stone, Jayson Tatum and Seventh Woods.

As Ball alluded to, he has clearly become a better player in the long run than everyone on that roster, save for Tatum. In fact, only a small handful of those players reached the NBA and only Giles, Bryant, Jackson and Tatum are on current rosters.

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Oregon’s Sedona Prince named one of 13 players to make Team USA

Oregon’s Sedona Prince has been named one of 13 finalists for Team USA ahead of the 2021 USA Women’s AmeriCup.

The Oregon Ducks are going to be represented this summer at the 2021 USA Women’s AmeriCup, with sophomore Sedona Prince being named one of 13 players to make the team.

This isn’t the first time Prince has worn the Red, White, and Blue. She won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, and she was a bronze medalist at the 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and the 2016 FIBA U17 World Cup.

In her first season at Oregon, Prince averaged 10.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor. It was her first active season as a college player after missing 2018-19 due to injury and sitting out 2019-20 because of NCAA transfer rules.

Prince had hoped to compete with the Ducks earlier, but the NCAA rejected her case to participate in 2019-20. So she had to wait yet another season to see the floor in Eugene. Once Prince was able to actually play for Oregon, her presence was felt. After some earlier leg injuries, Prince dominated the last half of the year.

Her efforts culminated with a career-high 22 points in a second-round upset win over 3-seed Georgia in the NCAA tournament.

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Oregon’s Sedona Prince accepts invite for Team USA tryout

Oregon’s 6-foot-7 center will travel to Columbia, SC to compete for the 12-person squad looking to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

Oregon Ducks women’s basketball is already on the map, and Sedona Prince is attempting to go global.

The 6-foot-7 center accepted an invitation to the upcoming 2021 USA Basketball Women’s AmeriCup Team trials. Prince is one of 20 collegiate athletes to accept invitations to the trials, which are set for April 18-21 at the University of South Carolina.

“The AmeriCup is a national level competition with some of the best players in the Americas,” said Jennifer Rizzotti, chair of the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Committee in a press release. “We need to bring the best players available and that’s who our committee has worked to identify. Because we are unable to bring WNBA players, we will rely on the best-returning college players.”

This isn’t the first time Prince has worn the Red, White, and Blue. She won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, and she was a bronze medalist at the 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and the 2016 FIBA U17 World Cup.

In her first season at Oregon, Prince averaged 10.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor. It was her first active season as a college player after missing 2018-19 due to injury and sitting out 2019-20 because of NCAA transfer rules.

Prince had hoped to compete with the Ducks earlier, but the NCAA rejected her case to participate in 2019-20. So she had to wait yet another season to see the floor in Eugene. Once Prince was able to actually play for Oregon, her presence was felt. After some earlier leg injuries, Prince dominated the last half of the year.

Her efforts culminated with a career-high 22 points in a second-round upset win over 3-seed Georgia in the NCAA tournament.

Prince was also an internet sensation when she went to her Instagram to point out the disparities over the “weight room” that consisted of a few dumbbells in comparison to what the men were afforded. Her post went viral and prompted the NCAA to act appropriately.

USA National Team head coach Dawn Staley, who is also the coach at South Carolina, will serve as head coach of the USA AmeriCup Team and will be assisted by University of Arizona head coach Adia Barnes and Rizzotti, 2021 USA National Team assistant coach.

Ten nations from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean will take part in the 2021 AmeriCup, held June 11-19 in Puerto Rico. The top four finishing teams will advance to compete in one of four 2022 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournaments in hopes of earning one of the 12 spots in the 2022 FIBA World Cup field.

Boston’s Brown, Tatum, Walker ’21 Olympic finalists; Smart opts out

Team Shamrock may ride again as Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker make the 57-man list of finalists for the U.S. Olympic Team — while Marcus Smart sits out.

The days of Team Shamrock — as the cadre of Boston Celtics players who suited up for Team USA the summer before last were often called — feel like they were in another century at this point, but the participation of Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker paid off.

The foursome reportedly made the final cut for the 2021 U.S. Olympic team, joining a total of 57 such finalists, though The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports that Smart will eschew the honor. Reportedly citing injury concerns derived from playing late into back-to-back seasons and an abbreviated offseason this summer, the Flower mound native makes sense given his recent calf tear.

Smart’s decision means Team Shamrock will be reduced by 25% in the final distribution of players vying for one of the roster spots on the U.S. Olympic team.

Wall, Gordon, Oladipo, Wood among finalists for U.S. Olympic team

John Wall, Eric Gordon, and Christian Wood are newcomers to a list that already included Victor Oladipo. In all, there are 57 finalists.

Houston Rockets guards John Wall and Eric Gordon, as well as center Christian Wood, were officially added Thursday to the 2021 USA National Team roster. Within months, the 12-member U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team will be selected from among those 57 finalists.

Veteran guard Victor Oladipo was already on the list of finalists from 2020, which was named prior to the Olympics’ postponement. All finalists will be invited to a summer training camp, at which USA Basketball coaches and executives will begin making their roster judgments.

One benefit to the chances of the Houston group could be the struggles of their NBA team. The Rockets entered Thursday with the NBA’s third-worst record (11-23), which makes it very unlikely for them to play in the 2021 playoffs. Because of the league’s delayed start to the 2020-21 season, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, players on teams that play deep into the playoffs — which will run well into July — likely won’t be available for the Tokyo Olympics, which will also start in July.

Here’s a look at average per-game statistics in the 2020-21 NBA season for the four Rockets on the list of finalists:

John Wall: 21.0 points, 6.0 assists
Christian Wood: 22.0 points (55.8% FG, 42.1% on 3-pointers), 10.2 rebounds, 1.5 blocks
Eric Gordon: 17.8 points, 2.7 assists
Victor Oladipo: 19.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.4 steals

Only the Brooklyn Nets, with six players listed on the U.S. announcement, have more players among finalists than the Rockets (four).

The complete list of finalists can be viewed below.

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https://twitter.com/usabasketball/status/1370044967423332356

This is the full roster for Team USA at 2021 FIBA Americup Qualifiers

USA Basketball announced its roster for the upcoming 2021 FIBA Americup Qualifiers. Joe Johnson and Isaiah Thomas are the two biggest names.

USA Basketball announced its roster for the upcoming 2021 FIBA Americup Qualifiers. Joe Johnson and Isaiah Thomas are the two biggest names.

The qualifiers will feature sixteen countries from North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America all competing to earn a spot in the 2022 FIBA Americup.

Johnson and Thoms are two of the five players on this roster who have experience on an NBA roster. Meanwhile, seven players on this team have already played for Team USA in some capacity before this tournament.

Led by head coach Joe Prunty, Team USA begins training in San Juan, Puerto Rico later this month. They will face Bahamas (Feb. 19) and Mexico (Feb. 20) on ESPN+.

Notre Dame’s Alex Steeves Up For Hobey Baker Fan Vote

Notre Dame and Team USA Hockey forward Alex Steeves is up for a national award in the collegiate ranks.

Notre Dame star hockey forward Alex Steeves is up for a national award based on fan voting.  Details can be found the University of Notre Dame’s official release below:

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Junior forward Alex Steeves has been selected to Phase One of the Hobey Baker Award’s fan ballot.

To vote, visit the website www.hobeybaker.com.

Awarded annually to college hockey’s top player, the Hobey Baker award includes candidates exhibiting the exceptional character traits of the award’s namesake, Hobey Baker, with consideration given to scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.

Steeves has scored nine goals and added six assists for 15 points in 18 contests this season for the Irish, including a six-game point streak from Dec. 4 – Jan. 9. Steeves’ nine markers lead the team and are currently tied for the third-most in the Big Ten. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native has earned at least one point in 13 of 18 games in the 2020-21 campaign.

The Fan Balloting (Phase I) of the Hobey Baker award calendar will continue until March 7. On March 17, the Top 10 Finalists will be announced, at which time Phase II Fan Balloting will begin and run through March 28, 2021. The Hobey Hat Trick Finalist Announcement will be made on April 1. The 2021 Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced from a field of three Hobey Hat Trick finalists on Friday, April 9, 2021.

Up Next For The Irish

  • Notre Dame stays on the road to take on Big Ten foe Ohio State this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 5-6) in Columbus, Ohio.
  • Friday’s contest is set for 4:30 p.m. ET before the teams wrap up the weekend series on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET.
  • Both games will be televised on BTN.

—ND—

Isaiah Thomas to play for Team USA in February AmeriCup qualifiers

The former Boston Celtic will be representing the U.S. under coach Joe Prunty.

It might not be with an NBA team, but former Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas will soon be back in uniform playing games on a hardwood court.

He’ll be doing it for Team USA in the AmeriCup qualifying tournament taking place between Feb. 19 and 20 that will take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico according to ESPN senior writers Adrian Wojnarowski, who notes it will be an ideal “opportunity for Thomas to make a case for a return to the league after offseason procedure on his hip.” Thomas will be coached by former Milwaukee Bucks NBA head coach Joe Prunty.

IT spent the pandemic lockdown getting his hip surgically repaired, which had dogged him ever since he hurt it playing for the Celtics in 2017, bouncing around the league while trying unsuccessfully to play through the pain.

Hopefully the King in the Fourth leverages the opportunity to another shot in the NBA — if anyone deserves one, it’s him.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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USA Basketball considering Houston center Christian Wood for 2021 Olympics

After a strong start to the 2020-21 NBA season, Christian Wood is among USA Basketball’s invitees for the 2021 Olympics player pool.

New Houston Rockets center Christian Wood is atttracting attention from around the world for his fast start to the 2020-21 NBA season.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the 25-year-old’s list of admirers includes the leadership of USA Basketball, which is in charge of putting together a roster for the 2021 Olympics in Japan. Those Olympics were supposed to be held in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused a delay.

“The selection process at center will be interesting for this team, a problem-area for Team USA in 2019 World Cup,” Woj tweeted. “Miami’s Bam Adebayo and Houston’s Christian Wood — one of the league’s success stories in 2020-2021 — are among invitees to fill those roles.”

Team USA, which typically is the world’s best team on the international stage, finished in a disappointing seventh place during the 2019 World Cup. Many of the NBA’s biggest names did not participate.

But the Olympics often incentivize greater participation by the NBA’s best players, and it appears that Wood is considered to be in that mix. In his first season as a consistent starter, the 6-foot-10 big man is averaging 23.5 points (52.8% FG) and 10.8 rebounds per game with the Rockets.

The 2021 Olympics are currently scheduled to be held between July 23 and August 8, which could potentially conflict with the 2021 NBA Finals and lead to players from those teams declining to participate in Tokyo. But after the recent trade of superstar guard James Harden, the Rockets (5-9) generally aren’t viewed as a championship contender this season. In turn, that will likely make Wood available as a potential selection.

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Landon Slaggert Wins Gold With Team USA at World Junior Championship

Landon Slaggert is in the middle of his first season at Notre Dame, and it’s already been memorable.

Landon Slaggert is in the middle of his first season at Notre Dame, and it’s already been memorable. As thrilling as skating for the Irish is, his greatest success this season has not come in South Bend. That’s come with Team USA, which won gold at this year’s World Junior Championship. The last Notre Dame player to medal in this event was Andrew Peeke, who helped the U.S. earn a bronze in 2018.

Slaggert, a South Bend native and recent Chicago Blackhawks draftee, did not score any points in seven games for the U.S., but he attained 12 penalty minutes. With the Irish, he has one goal and two assists through six games. That’s a far cry from the six goals apiece he scored in his last two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. Perhaps his most recent experience will allow him to finish his freshman season in a big way.