December 25, (THEWILL) – Steve Kerr, the new coach of Team USA, America’s senior men’s basketball unit, has hinted that there may not be a training camp this summer, which would be a huge departure from how USA Basketball has operated in the past.
Kerr, who took over as Team USA coach from Gregg Popovich this week, said he and new managing director Grant Hill are thinking about organising a coaches’ camp this summer instead.
Hill said they were considering a number of changes to a USAB programme that is a three-time Olympic gold medalist but struggled in the previous World Cup and is facing a slew of challenges when it comes to fielding rosters made up entirely of NBA players when Kerr and Hill took the stage together in San Francisco this week.
“I’m in touch with Grant all the time and we’re discussing those things,” Kerr said on Saturday. “Obviously there is COVID complications as well, but with the World Cup not being until the following summer, there’s not a huge sense of urgency to get a bunch of players together.
“It’s more about getting the coaches together and really starting to put a foundation together.”
In 2023, the World Cup will be held in Southeast Asia, while the 2024 Olympics will be held in Paris. Getting two-year commitments from Team USA’s stars is one of the hurdles the team tackles in order to build consistency.
In previous years, Team USA compiled a big list of potential national team hopefuls and invited them to a short training camp in Las Vegas. Kerr and Hill would have to be making their list of guys to invite right now if Team USA were to have a camp this summer.
Kerr was in Phoenix on Saturday to face his newest Team USA assistant, Suns coach Monty Williams, as part of his day job as coach of the Golden State Warriors. And, Kerr had nothing but praise for Williams.
“He’s one of the most impressive people I’ve ever been around in terms of the way he handles his team, the way he handles himself,” Kerr said of the Sun’s manager.
“He’s a high character man of dignity and he’s also just really smart. Going back to his New Orleans days, every time we’ve played them his teams were well prepared, they run great stuff. You can see his demeanor on the sidelines, calm and confident.”
Williams formerly worked as a coach for Team USA under Mike Krzyzewski. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Gonzaga’s Mark Few are two of Kerr’s other coaches.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
