Dylan Harper: Rutgers basketball has been there since my freshman year

Five-star guard Dylan Harper gives Rivals an update.

Dylan Harper doesn’t have a decision timetable set, but the Rutgers basketball recruit is inching his way towards a decision.

In a recent interview with Rivals, the five-star guard from Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey) said he will make a decision when his gut tells him so. Harper is the top player in New Jersey and the second-best recruit in the nation according to ESPN.

At a United States basketball camp practice at last week’s minicamp, Harper talked with Krysten Peek about where things stand in his recruitment. Harper was asked about where things stands with Indiana and Duke before being asked about Rutgers.

“When I went there, they tell me all the time: They’re not recruiting me for my brother, my family background or because I’m from Jersey – they’re recruiting for me,” Harper said in his interview with Rivals.

“I think they’ve been there truly since my freshman year all the way up till now. Their overall pitch to me is that we’re recruiting you for you, no one else.”

Saying he is focused on his high school team, he wouldn’t give any hints about his decision timetable.

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“Recruiting-wise, it stays in the back of my head, But when the time comes right, I’ll know when,” Harper said.

He was also asked about what skills he was hoping to showcase last week at the minicamp. It has been an offseason of development and growth from Harper.

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“Mostly leadership I think first and foremost. I can go out there, run my team, run my offense, talk, make sure everyone is in the right position,” Harper said.

“Besides from that, I think my defense, my ability to make shots off the dribble. My ability to pass.”

 

 

 

Jimmer Fredette: ‘I was definitely probably a little bit ahead of my time’

Drafted 10th overall by the Sacramento Kings, Jimmer Fredette spent the first five years of his career trying to find his footing in the NBA. The sharpshooter went overseas to China, and learned to adapt his entire mindset to building a career …

Drafted 10th overall by the Sacramento Kings, Jimmer Fredette spent the first five years of his career trying to find his footing in the NBA. The sharpshooter went overseas to China, and learned to adapt his entire mindset to building a career outside the NBA.

Now in the twilight of his career, the 2011 National Player of the Year is hoping to add a new accomplishment to his resume: a gold medal in the Paris Olympics playing 3-on-3 basketball. Fredette recently returned to Sacramento to play in the 3-on-3 International Cup. He sat down with HoopsHype to discuss his time in Sacramento, playing overseas in China, when he decided to give up his NBA dreams, and more.

Joel Embiid intends to play in the Olympics and may make his national decision within a few days

Joel Embiid would change everything for Team USA.

Joel Embiid, the NBA’s MVP, is the biggest wild card for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He has four options about his plans for next summer.

Embiid has citizenship in three different countries. First, he can play for Cameroon, where he was born. Cameroon is slated as one of the 24 national teams that will compete for one of the final four spots in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July 2024.

Second, the big man can also play for France, which earned an Olympic berth as the host nation in the tournament. Third: He can suit up for the United States, which earned their qualifications during the FIBA World Cup.

Embiid can also skip out on the Olympics altogether, but that seems unlikely. Here is what he said during Philadelphia’s media day about his looming decision (via Olympics.com):

“My goal is to play in the Olympics,” Embiid said. “I love all three options. Cameroon — I [was] born there. I’m from there, and I always want to represent my country. … If we had a chance or if we were qualified for the Olympics, that would be an easy decision, but that’s still up in the air. … And then the USA, obviously they’ve been struggling the last couple of years, trying to get back on the top. And you’ve also got France, who’s up and coming.”

Fans won’t have to wait long for Embiid to make his choice, though.

According to the big man, he will make his decision sooner rather than later:

“I’m just thankful that I’m able to be in that situation. It is a tough choice, but I’m probably going to make that decision in the next few days.”

Even if Embiid does not decide to play for Team USA, there are several other NBA stars who have pledged to take the trip to Paris.

Some of those players include LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum.

Embiid and Anthony Davis are likely the top priorities at center for Team USA. But if Embiid decides not to play, it isn’t the end of the world. Other options include Bam Adebayo, Draymond Green, Evan Mobley and Kevon Looney.

Team USA had a disappointing finish during the FIBA World Cup, though, and would assuredly get a tremendous boost if Embiid decides to play for them in Paris.

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Ranking: The oldest NBA players in Team USA history

With rumors of LeBron James interested in joining Team USA for the Paris Olympics, we thought it would be nice to look back at the oldest players to suit up for USA Basketball. If he plays, James, who turns 39 at the end of this year, would be the …

With rumors of LeBron James interested in joining Team USA for the Paris Olympics, we thought it would be nice to look back at the oldest players to suit up for USA Basketball. If he plays, James, who turns 39 at the end of this year, would be the eldest player to compete for Team USA by a mile.

Take a look at the oldest players to represent the red, white, and blue.

(All ages at the start of FIBA tournaments).

Ranking the Top 10 big men for Team USA if Joel Embiid declines invitation to Paris Olympics in 2024

Anthony Davis is the top option but there are some interesting sleepers, too.

After shockingly failing to medal during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Team USA has lots of questions to answer before the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

One of the reasons why Team USA struggled to even earn a bronze medal was due to a lack of size in the frontcourt. They struggled on the defensive end of the floor and had a massive deficiency when it came to rebounding the ball.

This is a team that will need legitimate big men in order to compete with tough international talent in the post such as Serbia’s Nikola Jokic as well as France’s Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama.

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr was asked about what changes may come before the Olympics and he mentioned that the team needed to have very specific intentions when it came to the types of big men they would target for the roster (via The Athletic):

“I think it’s a worthwhile point of discussion, but the discussion has to go to, ‘OK, then who is that?” […] “You can’t just say, we’re going to have size for size’s sake. You have to have players who are going to help you win, and you have to determine who those guys are. It’s not just the size, it’s the way the game is played. […] But I don’t think it’s as simple as saying it’s just size. I think you have to examine who you’re talking about if you go down that path.”

Of course, the first name that comes to mind is Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. He could join the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, who helped lead Team USA to win a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta after he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

The six-time All-Star is an international free agent who is eligible to play for Team Cameroon (after they clinched a spot to compete in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament) as well as Team France and Team USA.

Team USA managing director Grant Hill said Embiid “knows our desire” to have him on the team. According to Brian Windhorst, however, it’s too early to assume that the league’s reigning MVP will decide to actually suit up for the Americans at the 2024 Olympics in Paris (via ESPN):

“Team USA has done some recruiting of Joel Embiid, who holds both United States and French citizenship, but the Philadelphia 76ers star has thus far been noncommittal.”

So if Team USA is not able to successfully recruit Embiid, here are the other top options that they could consider:

What could Team USA look like at the 2024 Olympics?

HoopsHype predicts what guards, forwards and big men could represent Team USA Basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Although the 2023 basketball World Cup was an exciting affair that saw Germany take home the gold medal for the first time in the country’s history, this was merely an appetizer before the main international basketball competition.

What we’re talking about, of course, is the Summer Olympics, which take place in 2024 in Paris.

Today, we’re going to discuss what Team USA might look like at the 2024 Olympics. What guards, forwards and big men are going to represent USA Basketball in Paris 2024? Might we see some roster carryover from this year’s World Cup roster to the Olympic roster?

After yet another extremely disappointing showing for the Americans at a FIBA World Cup, it could be time for changes in roster management strategies. Let’s dive in below.

Austin Reaves did the three to the head celebration for Carmelo Anthony, who saluted back on Twitter

Austin Reaves and Carmelo Anthony were teammates on the Lakers.

During the 2023 FIBA World Cup semifinal match between Team USA and Germany, Austin Reaves had a perfect celebration after a 3-pointer.

After connecting on a shot from beyond the arc, Reaves hit the “three to the head” celebration popularized by Carmelo Anthony. The two players were teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers when Reaves was a rookie in 2021-22.

Anthony, who was captain of Team USA during the FIBA World Cup in 2006, was at the game in Manila. He was attending the tournament in the Philippines as FIBA’s World Cup Global Ambassador. Other ambassadors include Pau Gasol (Spain) and Luis Scola (Argentina).

Right after the 3-pointer connected, the three-time Olympic gold medalist was shown on the TV broadcast.

Anthony clearly saw the tribute from Reaves and he saluted back with a post on Twitter.

This was an awesome moment for Reaves, who has played well for Team USA during the tournament.

Reaves finished with 21 points but Team USA ultimately was upset by Germany, 113-111, and will not advance to the World Cup championship game.

Instead, Team USA will face Canada for a chance to win the bronze.

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Here are the 8 teams that qualified for the 2024 Olympics in Paris at the 2023 FIBA World Cup

USA and Canada men’s basketball have both qualified for the Olympics.

Although each national team wants to win the tournament, the FIBA World Cup also helps determine what nations will qualify for the Olympics.

Only a dozen teams will compete in Paris and we already know six of those nations, which we will review below. The placements thus far are based on universality, to ensure each continent is represented, and performance at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

The host nation (France) automatically earns a bid to play in the tournament. Two teams from the Americas, two teams from Europe, one team from Asia, one team from Africa and one team from Oceania will also get placement as well.

If a team is listed in bold, that means they have officially punched their ticket and will compete in the 2024 Olympics.

Three asterisks next to the nation indicate that the team made it to the final phase of the tournament before elimination but still qualified for a wildcard spot via the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July 2024.

Similarly, two asterisks next to the nation indicate that the team made it to the second round of the tournament before elimination but qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament as well.

One asterisk next to the nation indicates that the team did not make it to the second round of the tournament but also managed to qualify for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in the class of 17 – 32.

Meanwhile, a strikethrough on the team name suggests that based on their performance during the FIBA World Cup, the team did not qualify for any of the four Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.

The four winners of the four Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, meanwhile, will join the followng eight teams in Paris at the 2024 Olympics.

Nikola Vucevic, Montenegro gave Team USA the biggest scare of the FIBA World Cup thus far

Nikola Vucevic had a MONSTER performance in a tough loss for Montenegro.

Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic nearly led Montenegro to a massive upset over the United States at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Montenegro led Team USA, 39-38, at the end of the first half. But they did not have quite enough left in the tank to secure the victory in what finished as an exciting second-round game between the two national teams.

USA eventually won the game, 85-73, after an especially strong second half from Anthony Edwards.

Vucevic, however, still made a remarkable effort in this solid performance. He finished with 18 points (8-of-19 FG, 1-of-3 3P) and 16 rebounds with 2 blocks and just 1 foul after more than 26 minutes of action.

It was arguably the best match any individual player has had against Team USA at any point during the tournament thus far.

Montenegro (2-2) has a game scheduled against Greece (2-1) at 4:40 AM EST on Sept. 3 as well. Team USA (4-0) will next face off against Lithuania (3-0) at 8:40 AM EST on Sept. 3.

Among those four teams, the two with the top overall record after two rounds will advance to the quarterfinals at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

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Top NBA coach compares Anthony Edwards to Dwyane Wade

USA basketball coach compares former Georgia guard Anthony Edwards to NBA legend Dwyane Wade.

Miami Heat head coach and USA basketball assistant coach Erik Spoelstra thinks highly former Georgia Bulldogs basketball guard Anthony Edwards. In fact, Spoelstra has compared Edwards to NBA legend Dwyane Wade.

Spoelstra, who is one of the most well-respected coaches in basketball, coached Dwyane Wade for several seasons. The duo won a pair of NBA titles together with the Miami Heat.

Tom Crean coached both Anthony Edwards and Dwyane Wade in college. He helped develop both players, which is part of the reason why they are similar.

Erik Spoelstra was asked if a USA player reminded him of Dwyane Wade.

It’s hard not to look at Anthony Edwards and see Dwyane Wade in him.

Dwyade Wade is 6-foot-4 and weighs 220 pounds. Anthony Edwards is 6-foot-4 and weighs 225 pounds. The similarities don’t stop there. Both Wade and Edwards are athletic shooting guards. They are both are capable of being the star player and top scorer on their respective teams.

Edwards is having an outstanding campaign with USA basketball. He scored 37 points against Germany on over 60% shooting in the final exhibition before the FIBA World Cup.

Edwards threw down a monster dunk in the win over Germany.

Team USA begins the FIBA World Cup against New Zealand on Aug. 26 at 8:40 a.m. ET.

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