Playing alongside soon-to-be Arizona guard Allonzo Trier, and under then-Arizona coach Sean Miller, guard Jalen Brunson picked up MVP honors in the 2015 U19 Basketball World Cup after leading the Americans to a gold medal.
Then an incoming freshman at Villanova, Brunson wasn’t even guaranteed to start, much less dominate. UA athletic trainer Justin Kokoskie, who served as trainer for Miller’s crew, said Miller’s staff was leaning toward starting another top prospect, Isaiah Briscoe, in the backcourt before he was injured.
But Brunson stepped in, averaged 14 points and six assists, then went on to a memorable college career that included two national championships and beating out UA’s Deandre Ayton and others for consensus 2018 Player of the Year honors.
Now a veteran guard for the New York Knicks, Brunson said that U19 memory still sticks with him today, among the motivations that prompted him to forfeit a huge chunk of his NBA offseason to play for USA starting Saturday in the Basketball World Cup.
USA team head coach Steve Kerr, right, and assistant coach Erik Spoelstra, center, gather their players during a practice session.
“Whenever I get to be a part of the USA Basketball, it’s an honor. It’s a blessing,” Brunson said last week in Abu Dhabi, where USA was holding an exhibition showcase. “I do my best not to take it for granted, and when I get these opportunities I want to play to the best of my ability.”
He was not alone in that sentiment. In fact, USA coach and former Wildcat great Steve Kerr said it was pretty much a prerequisite for players to be picked for Team USA.
“Almost by definition because of that,” Kerr said. “I mean, if they’re here, they’re excited. Nobody had to be coerced into coming. Every single guy was ... like ‘Hell yeah, let’s go.’”
Guys like Jazz center Walker Kessler, the 21-year-old Utah Jazz center out of Auburn.
“It was a no-brainer,” Kessler said of his decision to play. “To get the opportunity to represent your country and play the sport you love and to be an ambassador for the sport of basketball is just, I mean, it’s unbelievable. It’s like a dream.”
Grant Hill, the former Duke star and longtime NBA standout who is now USA Basketball’s managing director, said it helps that the current generation has watched past iterations of USA Basketball teams find success.
“They understand it’s a distinction, and it’s an honor to do it,” Hill said.
Team USA head coach Steve Kerr, second from left, gestures beside assistant coach Erik Spoelstra during a practice session Thursday in Taguig, Philippines, ahead of the FIBA World Cup.
So, looking first for enthusiasm and fit, USA Basketball ended up with a young roster full of rising NBA talent but not necessarily the most recognizable names. But putting the team together wasn’t so much about collecting all-stars as much as building the best possible team, Hill said.
“It was quite the process,” Hill said. “I think as you start assembling a roster, as you get one commitment, you want to complement skill sets, but also personalities and really put together a team.
“It’s not just like ‘let’s just get the best players.’ It’s really was important to put together a team that has balance and has the skill sets that translate to success in the FIBA game, which is a very, very different game than our game in the NBA.”
Once the team was assembled, it was Kerr’s job to make it work. That’s a somewhat weird thing for Hill to watch over, since he played for the Suns when Kerr was Phoenix’s GM from 2007-08 to 2009-10.
“He was my boss,” Hill said. “Now, I guess, I’m technically his boss.”
Team USA head coach Steve Kerr, center, gestures during a practice session Thursday.
So far, it’s working out. Since leaving the Suns, Kerr has gone on to win four NBA titles as the Golden State Warriors coach, after all.
“Steve’s been great,” Hill said. “He’s just a top-shelf quality person, a great communicator, just has a way of emphasizing importance and significance, the sense of urgency and then also keeping it loose. I think that is in large part why he’s had great success.”
Kerr has the Americans on a roll heading into the World Cup. They went 5-0 during their exhibition run, with close tests against defending World Cup champion Spain 98-88 in Malaga, Spain, on Aug. 13 and then beating Germany 99-91 on Aug. 20 in Abu Dhabi.
“It’s going really well,” Kerr said between those two games, during a relaxed post-practice interview at NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus. “We’ve got some last things to iron out and keep working on but I’m really pleased with the team, the way this staff is clicking and everybody seems to be enjoying themselves. A lot of guys have family members here.”
There have been bumps. Kerr acknowledged that adjusting to FIBA rules and interpretations had been a challenge, and a story in the Athletic this week quoted Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards saying he “wasn’t cool” with Kerr’s suggestion early in camp that he might need to come off the bench.
Edwards didn’t start an early scrimmage while the coaching staff weighed options, but wound up starting all five exhibition games, and Kerr has since said he’s “unquestionably the guy.”
So on Saturday, Edwards is expected to join Brunson — along with Brooklyn forward Mikal Bridges, New Orleans forward Brandon Ingram and Memphis center Jaren Jackson Jr. — in the starting lineup for the first game of USA’s World Cup effort.
For Brunson, it will be yet another USA run under a coach who is tied to Arizona, too.
He’s looking forward to it.
“It’s a great opportunity playing for him,” Brunson said of Kerr. “He’s a very detail oriented guy and he’s a competitor. He knows how to get his message across and he knows how to get best out of players. It’s been fun with him so far.”
