USA coach Jeff Van Gundy optimistic but respectfully cautious about task ahead in Mexico and Cuba

FIBA

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USA coach Jeff Van Gundy optimistic but respectfully cautious about task ahead in Mexico and Cuba image

FIBA spoke with USA head coach Jeff Van Gundy as his team broke training camp and prepared to leave for their games in Mexico City on June 28 and Havana, Cuba on July 1. The USA is currently 4-0.

Your final squad for the third window was just announced before you left for Mexico. How do you feel about the team?

We're happy with our roster. We know the incredible challenges we're facing going to Mexico and Cuba. We like our team and we're excited about playing on the road and seeing how we can hold up.

Mexico sold all 5,000 tickets for the USA game in less than an hour. What does that tell you about the importance of this game to them?

That's great for this World Cup Qualifying tournament. It's great for the Mexican National Team. It's great for us too, to get to test yourself at altitude, on the road, against a terrific team in a sold-out environment. For many of our players, this will be the most significant game since they left college.

In Mexico City, your team must face a reinforced Mexican team, the home crowd, and the altitude over 7,300 feet (2,225 meters). What will it take to succeed there?

Mental toughness. That's what it's going to take. It's going to take all 12 and a mentally strong team. We'll have a chance to show it or we'll crumble. I can't wait to see which one happens.

 

 

 

You will have three veterans with AmeriCup experience that included playing in front of boisterous crowds against Uruguay in Montevideo and Argentina in Cordoba. Will that experience help in Mexico City and Havana?

We were very fortunate to win both of those games. We were down 11 early to Uruguay. We were down 20 in the third to Argentina. We were as ready as Uruguay and Argentina were (in those games). Our players underestimated the passion, the intensity, their quickness to the ball, how much ball pressure they were exerting, how physical they were. We were getting our head handed to us and credit to our team that they found a way back.

If we think we can go to Cuba or Mexico and do the same thing, fall behind early and hope for a late rally, we're making a huge mistake.

I'll know if that experience helps after these two games.

Mexico will have Gustavo Ayon and some other key players who did not play against the USA in November.

In Greensboro, (North Carolina, site of the November game) they did not have all their guys, their very best. They didn't have Ayon, didn't have Perez, Cruz or Jorge Gutierrez. They had talent on that team but you take Durant, Curry, Thompson and Green off the Warriors and they're certainly not as good.

We have studied Ayon. This guy's a hell of a player we have studied these guys. We know how good they are.

 

 

 

What is the most important take-away for your players in these games?

I hope those players and the entire team can learn from the passion and intensity it takes right off the bat, not to ease into the game but to explode into the game as these teams are going to do.

We know we're vulnerable. It's an incredible challenge these guys are taking upon themselves. That's why I have so much respect for them. They are putting so much into this trying to get other people qualified.

The Mexico players, they know that if they qualify, they are the ones who are going to go (to the World Cup). Our players know that if we get qualified, they are not going. For them to commit their time, their energy, their passion to do this is incredible.

We could easily not qualify. It's going to be very difficult and we've got to not underestimate what we are up against.

While other countries are bolstering their teams with NBA and other top-tier professional players, USA Basketball is sticking with the G League players who have been winning so far.

We are so proud of that. We told them four things before each of our competitions. We want it to be good for them, good for their career, win the games that they play, and wanting to do it again if they are available. We are so proud of those guys who have achieved (NBA) call-ups, two-way (contracts), all of those things.

You're not the guy we want if you don't feel different putting that jersey on. The passion these other players have for putting on their nation's jersey, if you don't feel the same way, you're going to be out-competed. - Jeff Van Gundy

American basketball fans are still learning how good the rest of the world is in the sport but the previous Olympic and World Cup success may be deceiving. The USA soccer team is watching the FIFA World Cup from home now even though they were highly favored to be in Russia.

You've got to win. We need these games desperately.

Other teams know my lack of experience in coaching at this level, that we've been together a short time comparatively to them. We're not underestimating all the challenges and how hard it is going to be to qualify. We know we have a long way to go.

FIBA