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Saturday, February 22, 2020

USA Men’s February 2020 AmeriCup Qualifying Team Announced


From our friends at USA Basketball...

USA to Play Home and Away Games Versus Puerto Rico on February 20 and 23

Featuring 11 players currently active in the NBA G League and including eight players owning NBA regular season experience, USA Basketball today announced the 12-man roster for the February 2020 USA AmeriCup Qualifying Team.

Confirmed for the team are: Jaylen Adams (Wisconsin Herd/St. Bonaventure); Justin Anderson (Long Island Nets/Virginia); Cody Demps (Stockton Kings/ Sacramento State); Kyle Fogg (Beijing Royal Fighters, China/Arizona); Abdul Gaddy (Oklahoma City Blue/Washington); Devon Hall (Oklahoma City Blue/Virginia); Jalen Jones (Capital City Go-Go/Texas A&M); J.P. Macura (Canton Charge/Xavier); Eric Mika (Stockton Kings/Brigham Young); Ivan Rabb (Westchester Knicks/California) Levi Randolph (Canton Charge/Alabama); and James Webb (Iowa Wolves/Boise State.)


Former NBA head coach Mike Fratello is serving as head coach of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team for the February 2020 FIBA AmeriCup qualifying games. Longtime NBA and college assistant coach Andy Greer and former NBA and USA Basketball athlete Othella Harrington are serving as USA assistant coaches.

The USA team will train February 14-17 at the University of Miami, February 18 at the Orlando Magic practice facility, February 19 in San Juan Puerto Rico, and the team will continue its training February 21-22 in Washington, DC. The USA will play a pair of games in the February FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying window, including a game versus Puerto Rico in San Juan on February 20 (7 PM EST) and a home game on Sunday, February 23 (3 PM EST) versus Puerto Rico at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, DC. The full AmeriCup Qualifying schedule is available at https://www.usab.com/mens/americup/game-schedule.aspx.

Tickets for the Feb. 23 USA-Puerto Rico game are on sale and range from $5 (plus Ticketmaster fees) for general admission to $72 (plus Ticketmaster fees) for courtside seating. For ticket information, visit www.ticketmaster.com or USAB.com/ACQ.

“We have tried to put players together that have the core values we believe in that lead to winning. That’s as important as the God-given talent that these individuals have,” said Fratello. “First thing is they are making a sacrifice by giving of their time and energy and efforts and bringing their competitive spirit to representing the United States and trying to take the first step in the qualification process for the 2023 World Cup.

“I think it helps to have people who have had some experience going into this type of thing, so if you can find that it goes on the plus column. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but if they’ve been through more contests, some of them have been through international competition, have had that experience, those are all things that you fall back on when you’re trying to put the team together.”

On what characteristic he wants this team to embody, Fratello said: “Play as hard as they possibly can and play unselfishly. Play for each other.”

• Anderson, Gaddy and Rabb boast of prior USA Basketball experience. Anderson helped USA Basketball teams win gold at the 2010 FIBA U17 World Cup and the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship. USA teams with Anderson a member have compiled a 13-0 record. Gaddy was a member of the USA U18 National Team that won gold and was part of the 2009 USA Junior Select Team that played in the Nike Hoop Summit. Rabb was a member of the gold medalist 2013 U16 and 2014 U17 World Cup USA team and was part of the 2015 USA Junior Select Team that played in the Nike Hoop Summit. Rabb also as a member of USA Basketball’s 2012-14 Developmental National Team program.

• Eight of the U.S. players have NBA regular season experience, including Adams (34 NBA regular season games with the Atlanta Hawks); Anderson (219 NBA regular season games - 3 games with the Brooklyn Nets, 48 games with the Atlanta Hawks, 62 games with the Philadelphia 76ers and 106 games with the Dallas Mavericks); Hall (5 NBA regular season games with the Oklahoma City Thunder); Jones (32 NBA regular season games - 12 games with the Dallas Mavericks, 4 games with the New Orleans Pelicans and 16 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers); Macura (2 NBA regular season games with the Charlotte Hornets), Mika (1 NBA regular season game with the Sacramento Kings); Rabb (85 games with the Memphis Grizzlies);  and Webb (10 NBA regular season games with Brooklyn Nets).

• Six of the USA players have played internationally - Fogg (China, Spain, Germany, Finland and Belgium); Gaddy (Germany, Italy and Latvia); Hall (Australia); Jones (Spain); Mika (China, Germany and Italy); Randolph (Italy and France); and Webb (Germany.)

• Eleven players are active in the NBA G League in 2019-20: Adams (Wisconsin Herd); Anderson (Long Island Nets); Demps (Stockton Kings); Hall (Oklahoma City Blue); Jones (Capital City Go-Go); Macura (Canton Charge); Mika (Stockton Kings); Rabb (Westchester Knicks); Randolph (Canton Charge); and Webb (Iowa Wolves.)

• Fogg, who spent 2012-13 playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, is playing in 2019-20 in China for the Beijing Royal Fighters.

FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying:
The 2020-21 FIBA AmeriCup qualifiers feature 16 teams from the Americas zone divided into four groups of four teams. The top three finishing teams in each Group will earn a qualifying berth in the FIBA AmeriCup 2021 (site and dates TBA).

FIBA AmeriCup qualifying will consist of three windows, and each window will feature two games. The first window is Feb. 20-24, 2020. The USA will open play against Puerto Rico in San Juan on February 20, then play a rematch versus Puerto Rico on Feb. 23 in Washington, DC.

After February games, the next two windows of AmeriCup qualifying play are November 26-30, 2020, and February 18-22, 2021.

The USA in window two will host the Bahamas on Nov. 27 and Mexico on November 30 in Washington, DC. And, the Americans will close out AmeriCup qualifying play in window three, playing at the Bahamas on February 18 and at Mexico on February 21.

The official draw for the FIBA AmeriCup 2021 Qualifiers was held in July 2019, and the USA was drawn into Group D with Bahamas, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Group A consists of Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela; Group B includes Brazil, Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay; while Group C features Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic and U.S. Virgin Islands.

The FIBA AmeriCup 2021, considered the FIBA Americas zone championship, will feature 12 nations from North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America.

The USA men’s won the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup with a 5-0 record, and in its next most recent participation in 2007, the U.S. rumbled over its opposition in Las Vegas and finished 10-0 to win gold and capture one of the FIBA Americas zone's two qualifying berths for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Overall, USA Basketball officially has fielded teams in nine AmeriCups (formerly known as FIBA Americas Championships) and has won seven gold (2017, 2007, 2003, 1999, 1997, 1993 and 1992) and one silver medal (1989), while compiling a 65-10 win-loss record.

About USA Basketball:
Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA Basketball, chaired by ret. General Martin E. Dempsey, is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men’s and women’s basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA-sponsored international competitions, as well as for some national competitions, and for the development of youth basketball initiatives that address player development, coach education and safety.

For further information about USA Basketball, go to the official website of USA Basketball at www.usab.com and connect with us on facebook.com/usabasketball, twitter.com/usabasketball, instagram.com/usabasketball and youtube.com/usab.