LAS VEGAS (AP) – USA Basketball assembles what it calls a select team to practice with and scrimmage against its national team before big events like the World Cup and the Olympics, while hoping those games become a real test.
Mission accomplished. Let’s be clear: The “games” on Friday were 10 minutes long, the national team was trying a whole slew of combinations and USA coach Steve Kerr wasn’t exactly treating a three-point deficit in the final minute the way he would if a medal was at stake. He wasn’t calling time-out to set up plays, never even got out of his seat until the final buzzer sounded.
But that said, the select team did beat the USA World Cup team in a pair of those scrimmages on Friday, the second day of camp in Las Vegas. Kerr seemed completely unbothered afterward, noting he had seen similar results before the 2019 World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics two summers ago.
“That’s a time-honoured tradition in USA Basketball,” Kerr said.
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham was a particular standout for the select team. Camp continues today, with the USA playing its first tuneup game ahead of the World Cup on Tuesday in Las Vegas against Puerto Rico.
