-- Erik Spoelstra to Undertake First USA Coaching Assignment –
Erik Spoelstra will serve as head coach of the 2021 USA Select Team.
Colorado Springs, Colorado (June 29, 2021) – The three-man coaching staff for the 2021 USA Basketball Select Team, assembled to help train against the USA Basketball Men’s National Team ‘s Las Vegas training camp today was announced by USA Men’s National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo.
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra will serve
as head coach of the 2021 USA Select Team. Gonzaga University head coach Mark Few, who served as an assistant coach with the 2019 Select Team and head coach of the 2015 USA Pan American Games Team, as well as Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Jamahl Mosley, who served as an assistant coach at the 2018 USA National Team minicamp will serve as assistant coaches.“We’re very fortunate to have highly regarded coaches like Erik, Mark and Jamahl accept the responsibility of coaching the 2021 USA Select Team and helping prepare our national team for the Tokyo Olympics,” said Jerry Colangelo, USA National Team managing director since 2005. “Erik has been extremely successful in Miami and won back-to-back NBA championships, and we’re excited to have him involved and become part of USA Basketball’s remarkable coaching legacy. It’s going to be really helpful to have all three coaches involved in this year’s Las Vegas training camp.”
For Spoelstra, this opportunity will be his first time serving as a coach in any capacity with a USA Basketball team. The USA Select Team athletes will be announced at a later date.
Erik Spoelstra
“I’m honored to serve and assist with the USA Select Team to help prepare the National Team for the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” said Spoelstra. “I want to thank Pop, Jerry and Sean (Ford) for the opportunity to serve our country and work with a great group of coaches and players.”
Spoelstra recently completed his 13th season as head coach of the Miami Heat and is the second-longest tenured head coach in the NBA, behind current men’s Olympic head coach Gregg Popovich (25 seasons with Spurs). Spoelstra is the winningest coach in Heat franchise history. He holds the franchise record for playoff wins (85), series wins (18) and playoff winning percentage (.594). He also holds records for regular season victories (607), games coached (1,031), and winning percentage (.589). He helped the Heat win NBA Championships in 2012 and 2013, becoming just the eighth coach in NBA history to win back-to-back championships. Since starting as head coach on April 28, 2008, Spoelstra has led his team to the playoffs 10 times, making it to the NBA Finals in five of those seasons, including four straight from 2010-11 to 2013-14. He has led the Heat to three 50+ win seasons, including a franchise best 66 wins during the 2012-13 season. Spoelstra has won Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors a franchise-record eight times, with his best month coming in March of 2013 going 17-1 (.944).
Before taking over as the sixth head coach in Heat history, Spoelstra had served Miami in a number of roles in his first 13 years, starting with the organization during the 1997-98 season. He originally was hired as video coordinator and over the years was promoted to assistant coach/video coordinator, assistant coach/advance scout and assistant coach/director of scouting before ascending to head coach. In his seven seasons as the Heat’s assistant coach/director of scouting, he helped the Heat win an NBA championship during the 2005-06 season, with a team led by former USA Olympic gold medalists Shaquille O’Neal (1996) and Dwyane Wade (2008). In 1992, Spoelstra graduated from the University of Portland, where he was a starting point guard for four years. After graduation, he spent two years as a player/coach for Tus Herten, a professional German team.
Mark Few
Few has served as the head coach at Gonzaga for the last 22 years (starting in 1999-00), advancing to the NCAA Tournament in all 21 of the team’s eligible seasons (2019-20 NCAA tournament canceled due to COVID-19). He also served as an assistant at Gonzaga in his previous 10 seasons (1989-99) before taking over as head coach on July 26, 1999. Gonzaga has won or shared 20 regular season league titles in his 21 seasons and taken home conference tournament championships 17 times. The Bulldogs won or shared 11 straight West Coast Conference regular-season titles from 2000-11, which was the longest streak in the nation at the time and the second-best streak all-time in the NCAA Division-I ranks. Few has led Gonzaga to two NCAA National Championship appearances (2017, 2021), four Elite Eight appearances (2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021), and 10 Sweet 16 appearances. (2000, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021).
Few currently is the winningest active NCAA Division-I coach by percentage at .834 (630-125), and in his last five seasons he has compiled a 164-14 record (.921 winning percentage). He was the third fastest collegiate coach in history to 200 career wins (247 games), tied for sixth fastest to 300 wins (347 games), fifth fastest to 400 wins (499 games) and third fastest to 500 wins (612 games). A native of Creswell, Oregon, Few started his coaching career right before graduating from University of Oregon in 1987 as an assistant coach for Creswell High School from 1986-88 and then as an assistant coach for Sheldon High School (Oregon) in 1988-89. He went to Gonzaga as a graduate assistant in 1990-91 and has remained at the institution ever since.
Jamahl Mosley
Mosley just completed his seventh season as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks and he also served as the head coach of Dallas' Summer League squad from 2017-19. Prior to joining the Mavericks, Mosley spent four seasons as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2010-14. Before joining the Cavaliers in July 2010, Mosley spent five seasons with the Denver Nuggets. His tenure began in player development and advance scouting before he became an assistant coach for his last three seasons with the franchise. The Nuggets reached the playoffs, winning 50 games or more, each of his final three years.
A native of Milwaukee, Mosley was a four-year letterman at University of Colorado (1997-2001). Named in 2000 All-Big 12 Conference third team, he is one of 33 players in CU history to score more than 1,000 points. Following his collegiate career, he played four seasons of professional basketball overseas, including two years for the Victoria Titans (Australia), one year with Baloncesto Leon (Spain) and one year in South Korea.
USA Basketball Men’s Select Team
Since the development of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team program in 2006, USA Basketball has selected and utilized five USA Select teams to help the USA National teams prepare for major international competitions.
The first USA Select Team was fielded in 2007 and featured up-and-coming players, such as Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson, David Lee and J.J. Redick. USA Basketball assembled another Select squad in 2008 that featured future NBA All-Stars LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant, Iguodala, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook . In 2010 to help prepare the USA for the FIBA World Cup, a 20-member Select Team was assembled and was comprised by top returning collegiate players. Among players on the 2010 roster were BYU guard Jimmer Fredette, Butler guard Shelvin Mack, Duke’s Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, UConn’s Kemba Walker and others. The 2012 Select squad featured future USA National Team members, DeMarcus Cousins, DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, and the 2014 Select Team included Harrison Barnes , Draymond Green, Doug McDermott, Victor Oladipo, Dion Waiters and Cody Zeller.
The 2016 USA Basketball Select Team featured standouts Devin Booker, Malcolm Brogdon, Zach LaVine, Jahlil Okafor, Oladipo, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell, Marcus Smart and Myles Turner. In 2019, the Select Team included notables like Jarret Allen, Mikal Bridges, De’Aaron Fox, Joe Harris, Derrick White and Trae Young.
The list of USA Select Team coaches includes Popovich, Wright, Jeff Van Gundy, P.J. Carlesimo, Chris Collins, Jeff Capel, Mike Hopkins, Jay Triano, Ime Udoka and Lorenzo Romar.
No comments:
Post a Comment