McCaw, Cole, Meeks among USA Basketball AmeriCup invitees
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer
NBA champions Patrick McCaw, Norris Cole and Jodie Meeks are among the 15 players who have been invited by USA Basketball to training camp for the FIBA AmeriCup tournament.
The camp starts Tuesday in Las Vegas. The AmeriCup, the FIBA Americas region championship tournament that was last held in 2017, takes place Sept. 2-11 in Brazil.
Cole won two rings as a member of the Miami Heat. McCaw has been part of three championships — two with Golden State and another with Toronto — while Meeks was with the Raptors team that won a title in 2019.
Also invited to the camp: Zylan Cheatham, Gary Clark Jr., Derek Culver, Will Davis II, Orlando Johnson, Anthony Lamb, Frank Mason III, Jeremy Pargo, Elijah Pemberton, Kendall Smith, Craig Sword and Stephen Zimmerman.
Of the 15 invitees, 11 have appeared in the NBA. Meeks (539 games), Cole (360), McCaw (199), Clark (170) and Johnson and Mason III (103 apiece) have the most NBA experience among those on the training camp roster.
“Our goal is to always put together a roster of athletes who are ready to play the international style of basketball at the highest level,” USA Basketball men’s national team director Sean Ford said. “These players have a mix of USA Basketball and professional experience that will help us achieve that goal.”
Alex Jensen will coach the team in the AmeriCup, assisted by Mike Williams, Steve Wojciechowski and Nathan Peavy.
The U.S. is the defending AmeriCup champion and has won the event seven times overall, more than any other nation. It will face Mexico on Sept. 2, Venezuela on Sept. 4 and Panama on Sept. 5 in group play.
There are 12 nations that have qualified for AmeriCup, and they were split into three different four-team groups. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-place teams, will advance to quarterfinal play on Sept. 8. The semifinals are Sept. 10 and the championship game is Sept. 11.
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