OT: 2018-2020 USA Basketball Men's National Team - 2020 (2021) Tokyo Olympics Updated Schedule, Page 13

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Practice 4, Las Vegas:

Videos

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Summary

Intrasquad Scrimmage Awaits National Team as Las Vegas Training Camp Comes to a Close

With the fourth and final Las Vegas training session wrapping up Thursday at Mendenhall Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, all that’s left for the USA Basketball Men’s National Team in Las Vegas is tomorrow’s Blue vs. White intrasquad exhibition game.

But there was still plenty of work to do. Similar to the past couple practices, four sets of drills ran in the gym. Assistant coach Ime Udoka helped with post-ups, Steve Kerr worked with more assortments of motion offenses, Lloyd Pierce ran three-on-three pick-and-roll coverage while Jay Wright ran half-court sets for different types of down, drag, and flare screens.

The drills were more or less similar to the ones that were run all week. The focus of everything seemed to just get familiar with each other — a primary focus of camp. As the Select Team started filing in, the National Team players were partaking in more repetition with catch-and-shoot drills from the perimeter to floaters and mid-range.

The National Team coaching staff started the first scrimmage small going with Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and P.J. Tucker. The Select Team countered with Derrick White, Pat Connaughton, Torrey Craig, John Collins and Jarett Allen.

Within the first few possessions, it was evident that the defensive zone schemes that the coaching staff has been emphasizing with the players seemed to finally translate to actual game play. The National Team converted a string of consecutive defensive stops to create easy offense and jumped out to an early 6-0 lead.... Tatum then ended the first scrimmage with a fadeaway bank shot to help the National Team take the first scrimmage 25-19.

The National Team decided to go with a more traditional look to start the second and last scrimmage with Kuzma, Myles Turner, and Harris joining Mitchell and Fox in the starting lineup. Van Gundy and assistant coach Mark Few ran out the same starting five as they did in the first scrimmage.

As he’s done on several occasions around this brief week, Mitchell got his team firing on all cylinders as he was essentially the floor general that gave his team a nice 17-5 cushion at the midway part of gameplay. The drills that were run earlier came into full effort as the National Team guys ran fluid, efficient aspects of their motion offense with decisive and precise passes to open shooters on the wings and corners. A barrage of 3s soon followed and essentially wrapped up the final scrimmage for the National Team with a 31-19 win.

https://www.usab.com/news-events/news/2019/08/mnt-day-4.aspx

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Practice 4, Las Vegas:

Interviews (compilation, not all are from the fourth practice, but they're all before the Friday Blue vs. White game)

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Quotes, with some high praise for Derrick

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USA head coach Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)
I noticed in the scrimmage part we saw that some of the bigs were not playing:
We sat two yesterday and two different ones today. Just to be able to get a better look at everybody. Doesn’t mean anything....

How have you worked with the players in these sessions getting them used to the international game?
We are running drills and working at it. Like the shell drills we ran today we had to get everybody in the lane because we aren’t used to it. There isn’t any defensive three seconds, so you just drill it. Some things you don’t have an opportunity to take care of until you get there. Most things that we’ve seen in the past we will work on before we get there. We’ve all watched all the teams and all the games through the last Olympics. Coach Van Gundy is in charge of the scouting for right now, so he’s got people out looking at the teams now as they prepare, and we’ll be as ready as we can be.

Does he (Van Gundy) go to the exhibition games?
He’s like the central depository so to speak. We’ve got guys, somebody is in China, somebody in Australia to see games and to send reports back. He and Will Hardy will work on putting reports together on the opponent and they’ll give them to us, and the coaching staff will sit down and figure it out as best we can, and we’ll present to the team. That’s the process.

Jeff Van Gundy, USA Select Team head coach
Have you been told to throw certain things at the USA National Team?
Some zone, yeah. Just trying to give them an idea of what they’re going to be playing against a little bit. So, that’s the thing about international basketball, there are no illegal defenses. You face a lot more varying defenses (internationally)....

The team is going to Anaheim and then to Australia before going got China. Would you say the heavy lifting will be done here or will there still be the spirited, strenuous practices?
It all depends on how far they come. Certainly, there is a lot of work to be done in LA so we will see. Pop will make those decisions on how hard we need to go depending on travel and things like that.

Kyle Kuzma (Los Angeles Lakers)
Have you picked up on a growth in the team over the past few days of scrimmaging?
Oh, for sure. Today was a bright spot for our team. Starting on the defensive end is where you can really see the cohesiveness and chemistry really building. Today we did a great job of trusting each other and that is going to continue to build over time....

Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers)
On many of the players coming up through the USA Basketball junior ranks:
It’s a rite of passage to be able to come up from high school to the select to the national and the Olympic group. It’s kind of a ‘pay your dues’ thing.

https://www.usab.com/news-events/news/2019/08/mnt-quotes-aug-8.aspx

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Practice 4, Las Vegas:

A highlight of this practice was the coaches and players meeting with members of TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors), a wonderful organization that cares "... for the families of America's fallen heroes" through resources, programs, and events.

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Gregg Popovich met with family members from T.A.P.S. (Tragedy Assistance Programs for Survivors) after practice. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images)

https://www.usab.com/basketball/media/galleries/2019/08/mnt-aug-8-practice.aspx

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Rosters Announced for USA White – USA Blue Exhibition Game in Las Vegas

Featured on the 15-member USA Blue Team are USA National Team World Cup training camp members Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat); Harrison Barnes (Sacramento Kings); Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics); Kyle Kuzma (Los Angeles Lakers); Brook Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks); Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks); Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz); Mason Plumlee (Denver Nuggets), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics); P.J. Tucker (Houston Rockets); Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers); Kemba Walker (Boston Celtics); and Thaddeus Young (Chicago Bulls). Additionally, USA Select Team members De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings) and Joe Harris (Brooklyn Nets) will suit up for the USA Blue, while USA National Team members Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors) and Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics) will attend but will not play due to injuries.

The 11-member USA White Team includes Select Team players Jarrett Allen (Brooklyn Nets); Marvin Bagley III (Sacramento Kings); Mikal Bridges (Phoenix Suns); Jalen Brunson (Dallas Mavericks); John Collins (Atlanta Hawks); Pat Connaughton (Milwaukee Bucks); Torrey Craig (Denver Nuggets); Jonathan Isaac (Orlando Magic); Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies); Mitchell Robinson (New York Knicks); and Derrick White (San Antonio Spurs). Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks) will miss the exhibition because of an eye-infection.

The USA National Team coaching staff features USA and San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. Serving as USA assistant coaches are Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce and Villanova University head coach Jay Wright.

Former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who served as head coach of USA Basketball’s six 2017-19 World Cup Qualifying Teams and the gold medalist 2017 USA AmeriCup Team, will serve as head coach of the 2019 USA Basketball Select Team. Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, who was head coach of the 2015 U.S. Pan American Games Team, will serve as the USA Select Team assistant coach.

Following Friday’s intrasquad exhibition, selected USA World Cup Team finalists will take a short break and will reassemble in Los Angeles to train Aug. 13-15 and play an exhibition contest versus FIBA’s No. 2 world ranked team, Spain, at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Aug. 16 (7 p.m. PDT).

https://www.usab.com/news-events/news/2019/08/mnt-blue-white-teams.aspx

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Day 5, Las Vegas (9-8-2019):

Blue vs. White Game Day!

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Prior to the game, TAPS members were honoured and treated to the courtside experience.

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Catching up, the Blue Team USA defeated the Select Team White handily, despite the Select team keeping it far closer during scrimmages before this tilt. In fairness, a couple of players from the Select Team - Fox and Harris - were switched to the Blue Team, this after the former had already lost Young to injury.

The Blue Team started a bit slow, falling behind early in the game. But as competitive juices flowed, Blue scored in waves, especially in the second quarter; after a quick first quarter lead, White had a difficult time scoring for much of the game. Despite some stages of the game in which the O was not yet flowing in the cohesive way it will be - some ISOs that stopped player movement, some erratic passes, and a lot of misses by both in the third, the defensive intensity was steady throughout. Guys got after each other which was good to see.

Although the team concept is being instilled in every practice, some players stood out: Fox was a blur, and Tatum had a really nice overall game with great offensive impact from the 3 and on creative drives. They're going to be dangerous in this tournament. Overall, I liked the competitive nature. It's early days and line-ups aren't even set yet (nor the team itself for that matter), but it's good to see the players buying in.

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Highlights

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Box score - https://www.usab.com/news-events/live-stats/2019/mnt/box-score-mnt-white-blue-game.aspx

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Derrick had nice stats, but it frankly wasn't his best showing.

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Some of it was lack of familiarity, guys not expecting passes. Other times it was pressure on him as a PG that contributed to his game-high seven turnovers. Still, at this stage of the game, and with his defensive instincts and familiarity with Pop's system, I think he has a fighting chance to stick with the team.

Shortly after the game, Derrick and Bagley (who has since decided to leave) were chosen for Team USA to be among the finalists competing for a spot.

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Game interviews

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Quotes

Team Blue Beats Team White 97-78 To Cap Off Men’s National Team Training Camp
National Team players got to show the progress they’ve made in a week of training camp in front of fans at T-Mobile Arena

After a week of closed practices, the USA Basketball Men’s National and Select Teams were finally able to showcase some of their talent in front of the fans in a White vs. Blue intrasquad game at T-Mobile Arena — with Team Blue prevailing 97–78....

The final score of 97-78 maybe makes the contest look a little closer than it was, as Team Blue outscored Team White 78-48 after three quarters. Naturally, the intensity dropped down a bit in the fourth quarter, with Team White outscoring Team Blue 30-19.

Team White did manage to outrebound Team Blue 45-37, something that has been a constant issue throughout the week of training camp, much to the chagrin of Joe Harris.

“We have to take a little more ownership of keeping guys off the glass,” Harris said postgame. “Making sure we get a body every time down because we are so talented offensively as long as we get the ball and get out in transition we’re going to allow ourselves to get some easy buckets.”

Kemba Walker finished with 14 points and 4 assists, on 6-11 shooting in 16 minutes. With Walker being one of the leaders, it makes sense to limit his minutes in preparation for the games that officially count at the World Cup in China.

“I think I played pretty well,” he said. “Thought the team did a great job of helping me get open. As far as a team I think we got better. From day one of practice to the second day to the third day we got better. We are trying our best to teach each other as much as possible as fast as possible. I think we are on a great pace right now.”

With his college coach and past USA National Team mentor Mike Krzyzewski looking on, Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 17 points on 6-8 shooting with four rebounds and a game-high plus-20 while he was on the court. The Boston Celtic thought that at times the consistency of playing at a high level without being penalized was something the team needs to continue to work on.

“One thing I know we can work on is not fouling so much,” he said. “We fouled a little bit too much tonight. The more time we spend with each other the better we’ll get.”

https://www.usab.com/news-events/news/2019/08/mnt-blue-white-game-recap.aspx

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Full Blue vs. White game

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Post-game press conference

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Catching up on the sequence of events, Team USA traveled from Las Vegas to Los Angeles for a series of practices that culminated in an exhibition game versus Spain.

Practice 1, Los Angeles (13-8-2019):

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Will Hardy sighting



https://www.usab.com/basketball/media/galleries/2019/08/mnt-aug-13-practice.aspx

Video of players doing weave drills after messing up Pop's instructions (I remember doing these in high school. We also did suicide drills or laps after missed free throws at the end of practice ooof).

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Practice 1, Los Angeles:

Interviews

Pop on patriotism and Kaepernick - eventually there's a broader social context commented on. Good.

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On the talent of this team and what it needs to get the job done.

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On identifying talent, getting the most out of it; on earlier west coast NBA games.

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Quotes

Are you going to go easy on Patty Mills down in Australia given that you have inside information on him?
I’m going to take him out to eat. Get him drinking and eating stuff that he’s never eaten before and just fill him up. I know what he doesn’t like. I’m going to fill him up. And try to make him fat while we’re there so he can’t move around so quickly.

What do you think about the Spanish team?
It’s a very good team. I know coach [Sergio] Scariolo very well and he’s a great coach. They’re a team that’s experienced. They’ve got good talent. They’ve played together a long time and they’re going to be very formidable. It’s a heck of a program and it’s been that way for a long time.

I understand that you talked about patriotism when you got together in Las Vegas. In your experience, these are young guys, does that grow as they get older and play on the national stage?
I think they first understand it when they look at their jerseys and it says USA. It’s a level above what we do in the NBA. Those are our teams but this involves a lot of other people. We’re responsible for protecting the game that we started. We’re responsible to all of the other players and coaches in the league, to the people in our country. And everybody feels the same way about their country. It’s a higher level of commitment and a bigger challenge and that can bring greater satisfaction than our regular NBA teams.

https://www.usab.com/news-events/news/2019/08/mnt-quotes-aug-13.aspx

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Practice 2, Los Angeles (14-8-2019):

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Chip Engelland sighting



Videos of Team USA vs. Select Team scrimmage

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Practice 2, Los Angeles:

Interviews

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Quotes

Joe Harris (Brooklyn Nets)
How has the team progressed over the past week and a half?
We’re still trying to figure stuff out here and there. We’re putting in a little bit more stuff from more of a tactical perspective. We’re changing up the offense a little bit, some of the sets that we’re doing. A lot of the stuff that we did last week was pretty rudimentary and basic. So, we’re trying to implement a lot of things on the go. We’re not putting in a ton of stuff, but it’s enough in a short amount of time where you’re really having to focus on it. We had a little quiz this morning on the terminology to get everyone on the same page. So, we’re still working out some kinks that way, working out some kinks of knowing the personnel, knowing who you’re playing with. But, collectively we’ve gotten better every day and a lot of it has to do with great coaches and smart players who are able to figure it out on the fly.

How much does chemistry play into winning mindset?
It’s huge. Pop hit it on the head from the get-go. He talked about how a lot of these other teams, Australia, Serbia, Lithuania, you name it. They all love each other; they’ve all played together for a long time. We have a short amount of time to get a group of guys who might not know each other that well, to get super close and start playing with that sort of continuity and chemistry. So, we’re trying to get bought into it, figure it out, making the effort to get to know each other better off of the court so that we can play with more chemistry when we’re on it.

Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
After two weeks of this are you starting to feel like it is a team unit?
It is coming along, I mean, we are all new faces to each other, strangers in some ways but Pop and the guys around here have made a huge emphasis to get to know each other, create a bond because it is going to be a special bond at the end of the day. To go through what we are about to go through as a team we need to have that chemistry, that bond, that love for one another.

How have you guy gone about forging that bond?
We have the group text going already and just in practices, constantly talking to each other that’s one thing we have always known. The bus rides, the breakfast meetings, there’s no phones, just talk to each other, just get to know each other and see what they are all about see how they are, just get to know them.

When you came back here did it hit you that this is going to be the family for the next 40 days?
It hit me definitely in Vegas. You look at that schedule and what’s ahead, look at what could be ahead of us, but it is a special group of guys that you want to play with and play for.

https://www.usab.com/news-events/news/2019/08/mnt-quotes-aug-14.aspx

[Pipp33]

I've got to say my love for Coach Pop has always been big, but his time in Australia and really shown him, to those outside of the NBA fanship, to be a fantastic human being. Humble, gracious and ever respectful of the game and the world.

Spurs are blessed to have him as their leader

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Practice 2, Los Angeles:

Derrick with some well-deserved recognition as he progresses.

Spurs Guard Derrick White Looking To Make The Most Of Next Stop On Basketball Journey – National Team Training Camp

Derrick White’s basketball journey has definitely not been your traditional trip....

White is one of 15 players vying for 12 spots on the USA Basketball Men’s National Team that will compete in the 32-team FIBA World Cup in China from Aug. 31-Sept. 15.

“Yeah, it's been crazy,” the 6-foot-5 White said after Wednesday’s practice at the Los Angeles Lakers’ practice facility. “I mean, the whole basketball journey has been pretty crazy. So I'm just enjoying it and going along with it.”

“I guess it is an advantage,” White said. “I'm new to the team, but I probably still know (Popovich’s style) better than everybody else. ... Just being familiar with the system and terminology know that, you know, a little bit can go a long way.”

White had already been in camp in Las Vegas, but was with the USA Select Team, a group of players brought in to scrimmage the National Team. Following Friday’s nationally televised game between the two teams — in which he had 12 points, eight assists, three rebounds and two steals in 24 minutes — White was elevated to the National Team.

“He’s doing great,” Popovich said Tuesday.

The whole experience appears to be a bit surreal for White. During his rookie season, he was part of the group of G League players that helped the U.S. qualify for the World Cup. But he is soaking it all in while bolstering his game.

“I just have to be able to adapt to everything that's going on and being thrown at me, different teammates, different rules, different ball, so just to adapt and figure things out on the fly,” said White, who started 55 of the 67 games he played in this past season for the Spurs after appearing in just 17 games as a reserve during his rookie year....

“It'd be amazing,” White said of potentially making the 12-man World Cup roster. “I mean, special to be a part of a team that's going to chase for a gold medal and chase for a medal. For me to dream of stuff like this — especially to wear those three letters for a game.”

https://www.usab.com/news-events/news/2019/08/mnt-aug14-recap.aspx

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Practice 3, Los Angeles (15-8-2019):

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This practice had visits from Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and DeMar

More photos here - https://www.usab.com/~/media/ed75d4d3df1942bea47c537ba3acac15.ashx?la=en


Videos

Shooting drills

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Scrimmage

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Practice 3, Los Angeles:

A special feature of this practice was another meet-up with family members of TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) who watched it and then spoke to the coaches and players.

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https://www.usab.com/~/media/ed75d4d3df1942bea47c537ba3acac15.ashx?la=en

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Practice 3, Los Angeles:

Interviews

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Trick shot towards the end

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Quotes

USA assistant coach Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors)
How difficult is it having a long season and then committing to the USA National Team for six weeks?
Everybody has to assess their own circumstances. A lot of guys dropped out because this is a pretty big commitment – six weeks in total. It ends two weeks before regular training camp starts. A lot of guys assessed it and said ‘No, I need rest’ or ‘I need to get a head start with my new team’ or whatever it was. These young guys, the guys that are here, I think are looking at it as what a great opportunity to improve their games, to play for their country, to play for Gregg Popovich. And that’s how I’m looking at it as a coach. I never worked for Pop, I played for him for four years, but to coach with him is a whole new deal. To see him behind the scenes. So, I’m doing it for the experience. I think it’s fun – the travel, the comradery, and also to learn and try to become a better coach.

Derrick White (San Antonio Spurs)
On being out for a second week with USA Basketball:
It’s been great. I’m here with some of the best coaches around the NBA, around basketball, so as much as I can learn and soak up from the coaches, the players, I’ll use it to my advantage.

On the team’s comradery:
It’s going well. Everybody’s getting to know each other off the court, learning what they like to do on the court. It’s been good. Everybody’s joking around on the bus and stuff like that. It’s been real good.

https://www.usab.com/news-events/news/2019/08/mnt-quotes-aug-15.aspx

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Exhibition Game 1 – Team USA vs. Spain, Los Angeles (16-8-2019):

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