Team USA Basketball needs new blood with head coach Gregg Popovich’s retirement nearing. While the talent pool for USA basketball never reaches a shallow level, we’ve seen what happens when the wrong coach takes the helm. Jerry Colangelo set up the group for success with today’s hirings. Erik Spoelstra will lead the US Select Team.
Miami Heat head coach Spoelstra, along with Dallas Mavericks assistant head coach Jamal Mosley, and Gonzaga’s Mark Few round up the coaching staff for USA Basketball’s Select Team. All three coaches originate from respectable teams with a history of winning basketball.
Miami’s Erik Spoelstra, Gonzaga’s Mark Few and Dallas assistant Jamahl Mosley have been named as the coaching staff for the @usabasketball Select Team this summer that will work with Gregg Popovich’s senior national team.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 29, 2021
Despite his reputation as one of the best coaches in the game, Spoelstra is a rookie on the Olympic scene. Men’s National Team director Colangelo planted another seed in a younger head coach for the future.
Following the disappointing seventh-place finish in the 2019 FIBA tournament, the USA Select Team plays an essential role in fine-tuning the final Team USA roster. The aforementioned coaches will prep Team Select to scrimmage against Popovich and his unit.
Before the games in Tokyo, Spoelstra and the others will travel to Las Vegas for the scrimmage.
The COVID19 pandemic forced history’s hands in all facets of life. For the first time since the first World War, the Olympics succumbed to a postponement. Inspiration is necessary in such trying times. Winning gold for the USA bodes well for national morale.
