Tag: USA Basketball

Joel Embiid has a heartwarming reason why he chose to play for Team USA in the Olympics

The 2023 NBA MVP could have also played for France or Cameroon in the Olympics.

Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid will officially represent Team USA during the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Embiid had the unique option to represent the United States, France, or Cameroon (though they have not yet qualified). Even though France is the host nation and he is originally from Cameroon, the 2023 NBA MVP will headline a strong roster for Team USA.

The big man said that he had a simple reason why he chose to accept the offer from United States men’s basketball managing director Grant Hill and play for head coach Steve Kerr on Team USA.

According to Embiid, he made the decision for his son, Arthur.

Embiid said the following last year (via Associated Press):

“I’ve been here for such a long time,” Embiid said in Fort Collins, Colorado, where the 76ers are having training camp — and where Embiid met with Hill this week. “For the past few years, every decision I’ve made has been based on just family. My family, my son, and having the chance to represent a country like the U.S., with my son being born here … I love my home country, but I really wanted to play in the Olympics.”

That is a great reason for his decision! When he officially received his jersey, Arthur was there with him to celebrate.

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Caitlin Clark comments on Big3 league, USA Basketball Olympic camp opportunities

Ahead of Iowa’s Sweet 16 date vs. Colorado, Caitlin Clark commented on her Big3 league and USA Basketball Olympic camp opportunities.

Caitlin Clark is focused solely on the task at hand. Right now, that’s trying to top the Colorado Buffaloes for the second season in a row in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.

With a player of Clark’s stardom and caliber, though, great opportunities have a way of presenting themselves at all times.

Earlier this week, Ice Cube confirmed that he and the Big3 league had made Clark a $5 million offer to join the league.

“We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship. But I won’t deny what’s now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3.

“The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men’s pro team, and she won the championship in her first year. Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes,” Ice Cube wrote on X.

Then, on Thursday, the news broke that Clark had earned an Olympic training camp invite from USA Basketball.

That’s certainly fantastic news all around. There is one catch for Clark and Iowa fans with the USA Basketball Olympic camp invite, though.

The Olympic training camp is slated for April 3-5. Clark and Iowa obviously hope they’re still playing in the NCAA Tournament and gearing up for the Final Four instead. The Final Four dates are April 5 for the national semifinals and April 7 for the national championship game.

Iowa (31-4, 15-3 Big Ten) battles Colorado (24-9, 11-7 Pac-12) inside MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y., on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ABC.

As Iowa’s battle with the Buffs nears, Clark met with the media to discuss a variety of topics. Naturally, she was asked about the Big3 league offer and the USA Basketball Olympic camp opportunity.

“Yeah, to be honest, I found about the Big3 thing at the exact time you all did, and my main focus is just on playing basketball. I think that’s the biggest thing.

“Like you said, USA Basketball is my, that’s your dream. You always want to grow up and be on the Olympic team. But, lucky for me, I have the opportunity of possibly not doing that because I want to be at the Final Four playing basketball with my team,” Clark said.

If Iowa does unfortunately bow out of the NCAA Tournament in either the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight, Clark plans to attend the Olympic camp.

“But if not, that’s where I’ll be. People that are on that roster are people that I idolize and have idolized growing up. Just to be extended a camp invite is something you have to be proud of and celebrate and enjoy.

“But more than anything, my focus is on winning these two games, and that’s exactly how it should be. I honestly don’t talk about those things with really anybody. I have other people that deal with it, and they haven’t said a word to me about it. My main focus is on this team and helping us find a way to beat Colorado and hopefully win another one after that,” Clark said.

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Iowa’s Caitlin Clark earns Olympic camp invite

U-S-A! U-S-A!

In a move that has long been speculated as a possibility, Caitlin Clark did indeed receive an invite from USA Basketball for its Olympic training camp in Cleveland on April 3-5.

Of course, that’s smack dab in the midst of the women’s NCAA Tournament. If everything goes according to plan for top-seeded Iowa (31-4, 15-3 Big Ten), the Hawkeyes will be off to Cleveland already for the Final Four.

Clark is no stranger to USA Basketball. The 6-foot senior has earned three gold medals with USA Basketball junior national teams, most recently with the 2021 USA Women’s U19 National Team.

Nine former Olympians will be taking part in the Cleveland camp. That group features five-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury; Brittney Griner of the Mercury; Ariel Atkins of the Washington Mystics; Chelsea Gray, A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces; Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm; Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty.

Each of the past two No. 1 overall picks, Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever and Rhyme Howard of the Atlanta Dream, are also among those that have earned Olympic camp invites.

No dates have been announced for when the women’s U.S. Olympic 5-on-5 and 3×3 teams will be named for the Paris Games, which are July 26 to August 11. The Americans are seeking their eighth consecutive 5-on-5 gold medal, and they won the inaugural 3×3 Olympic tournament at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

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Micah Shrewsberry selected as assistant for U.S. junior national team

Congrats, Coach!

[autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] is trying to remake Notre Dame into a winner, and he’s going through a tough road in doing so. But don’t think his coaching abilities haven’t gone unnoticed, specifically by USA Basketball. His reputation is solid, and it likely was among the many reasons he has been picked as an assistant coach for this year’s U.S. men’s junior national team.

Shrewsberry will be part of the staff to lead the U.S. during this year’s FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup, the date and location of which have yet to be determined. Leading the staff will be Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, and Shrewsberry’s fellow assistant is Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland.

This is Shrewsberry’s first experience as a coach for a U.S. national team. He was a court coach with the U19 team a year ago. That team included Vanderbilt forward Ven-Allen Lubin, who transferred from Notre Dame after one season.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Texas A&M alumnus Alex Caruso selected for Team USA player pool ahead of 2024 Olympics

The Chicago Bulls eighth-year combo guard and Aggies alumnus was among the 41 players selected to the Team USA player pool on Tuesday.

For years, former Texas A&M men’s basketball player Alex Caruso has been making Aggies fans around the nation proud, now he has an opportunity to do it on the biggest stage in front of the world.

The Chicago Bulls eighth-year combo guard was among the 41 players selected to the Team USA player pool on Tuesday afternoon. From that pool, 12 players will be chosen to represent the United States of America in men’s basketball at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.

Basketball Hall of Famer Grant Hill now serves as the managing director of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team. According to Hill, having to cut down this group from 41 to 12 is a good problem to have.

“We’re in a great position,” Hill stated. “We have the chance to have a very special group. A team that has a lot of star power, but also a team that has a lot of balance, versatility and will give us an opportunity for our ultimate goal of winning a gold medal in Paris.”

Caruso was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team as a junior in 2015. He received second-team All-SEC honors following his last season in College Station. Caruso solidified himself as one of the best defenders in the world by earning an NBA All-Defensive First Team selection in 2023.

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Predicting the 2024 Paris Olympics roster for Team USA women including Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson

Predicting a 12-player roster with so many stars is HARD, but here’s our best guess.

After a successful pair of exhibition games in November of 2023 following a training camp in Atlanta, the USA Basketball Women’s Olympic Team is poised to assemble a stacked roster ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The USA Basketball National Team Committee will have its hands full trying to decide what athletes will be part of the 2024 Olympic roster. In the coming weeks, 18 players will attend an additional training camp in New York. A final roster of 12 players will represent the United States at the 2024 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament on February 8-11 in Belgium.

When the Paris Olympics arrive in July, USA Basketball will be playing for a chance to win its eighth consecutive gold medal.

With so many phenomenal athletes, there will be some tough cuts. Here are the 12 players we project to make the roster:

Three former Notre Dame players on U.S. team training camp roster

Keep a lookout for this year’s Olympic roster.

With the 2024 Olympics in Paris only months away, now is the time for USA Basketball to plan its teams. That includes a women’s 5-on-5 team that can keep the gold medal in the U.S. Sure, the U.S. has won nine of the past 10 golds, but one never can be too certain.

Out of the 18 players on the U.S. training camp roster, 12 will be selected for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament. It should be noted that the U.S. is participating in the tournament despite automatically qualifying for the Paris Olympics by virtue of taking the gold in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics. The next few weeks will serve as player evaluation more than anything else.

Three players on the roster will be familiar to Notre Dame fans because they all played for the Irish. While none of these names are surprises, it still is nice to see them have this opportunity. Here they are:

Hannah Hidalgo is USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year

Congrats, Hannah!

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] only has played college basketball for a month, but the Notre Dame freshman phenom already is making an impact. She’s the nation’s leader in steals (6.0 a game) and one of its top scorers (23.6 points a game). But that doesn’t begin to describe what she’s done overall this year.

Hidalgo has won the prestigious USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year award for how well she did in international play this season. During the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup, she averaged 10.7 points and 5.4 assists a game to help the U.S. win the gold medal. Joni Taylor, her coach from that tournament, said it best:

“Hannah Hidalgo is a name you will not forget.”

In winning this award, Hidalgo is joining elite company in more ways than one. She is only the fourth player to win it before beginning her collegiate career, joining Paige Bueckers, Brianna Stewart and Janelle Bailey.

Many women’s basketball legends, some of which remain active and others are enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, have won this award since it was first given out in 1980. These include Diana Taurasi, Teresa Edwards, Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, Cheryl Miller, Katrina McClain, A’ja Wilson, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Katie Smith, Natalie Williams, Ruthie Bolton, Chamique Holdsclaw, Seimone Augustus and Lynette Woodard.

If that list is any indication, Hidalgo is on her way to becoming not only an Irish legend but a legend of the sport. It probably wouldn’t surprise her either because she indicated such when Fighting Irish Wire asked her about it after the Irish’s win over Lafayette:

“No, I’m not surprised at all. I think I know what God has blessed me with, and so, it’s a lot easier when I have teammates like the ones that I do. That makes the game just so much easier.”

Here’s to the latest of what should be many more honors for someone who’s just getting started.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Joni Taylor to be named USA Basketball’s 2023 5-on-5 Junior National Team Coach of the Year

Joni Taylor to be named USA Basketball’s 2023 5-on-5 Junior National Team Coach of the Year

Texas A&M head Women’s basketball coach Joni Taylor had a strong summer campaign as the head coach of the USA basketball U19 team that took home the 2023 FIBA World Cup while in Spain.

Her efforts in leading the young group of women to that gold medal resulted in USA Basketball naming her USA Basketball’s 2023 5-on-5 Junior National Team Coach of the Year. USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley explained why they believe Coach Taylor earned the honor:

“Joni led an inspiring USA Women’s U19 National Team to the gold medal in Madrid by defeating host country Spain in the gold medal game…..The game went down to the wire in front of a raucous crowd but Coach Taylor’s team showed poise to secure the victory. We are grateful for Joni’s commitment to USA Basketball over the years. She is very deserving of this honor.” 

Congratulations to Coach Taylor. We are already seeing the dividends of her hard work, as her team is just a few wins away from matching her season total from a year ago. We are excited to have her in Aggieland and to watch this team grow as the season progresses.

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Brittney Griner is proud to represent U.S. women’s national team

Griner was met with thunderous applause when she was announced as a starter for the national team in their exhibition against Tennessee.

Before she discovered basketball, WNBA player Brittney Griner thought she would be in the military or a police officer. After all, her father served in Vietnam as a Marine and later became a sheriff’s officer in Texas. She has always loved her country even while peacefully protesting injustices she observes and has experienced.

“My dad was law enforcement 30 years, military Vietnam ’68-69 Marine, so I mean, being able to represent my country means a lot,” Griner said last week. “Before ball, I actually wanted to actually go into the military, before I found basketball, so this is my way of still representing USA.”

So anytime she can represent her country, whether that be on the Olympic team or starting for the U.S. women’s national team exhibition game, she is all in for Team USA. On Sunday, Griner was met with thunderous applause when she was announced as a starter for the national team in their exhibition game against Tennessee.

“I actually talked to people that said they were coming specifically to see her and to watch her play,” Tennessee coach Kellie Harper said. “And they had become fans throughout her challenges in the last year or so, and I was really happy for that team to feel that from our fans.”

The national team’s next exhibition game will be at Duke on Nov. 12. This begins the preparations for the team’s 2024 Paris Olympics run. They are chasing their eighth straight Olympic gold medal.

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