By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Many players withdrew from Team USA’s selection ahead of the training camp, though head coach Gregg Popovich does not think much about it, as he told usab.com.
“I don’t even worry about that [the absences]. I only care about who is here. I’ve got a fine group of guys and we are going to try and get them to form the best possible team we can”, Popovich mentioned.
As for the meaning of playing for Team USA at such a big stage as the China FIBA World Cup, Popovich added: “This is beyond playing for an NBA team. This is the highest level you can be, and it means so much for all of these guys down the road when they’re retired from all basketball. This is the most satisfying form of putting a bunch of guys together and them having empathy and love for each other to form the kind of team that they are going to have to have to beat some very good European teams”.
“It’s our responsibility to not only become the best team we can be but it’s the way we conduct ourselves and the USA on our shirt is what it’s all about. It’s beyond the Hawks and the Spurs and the Clippers and so on. That takes a backseat to this because we are representing a lot of people and we have a huge responsibility not only for the country, to do this in a classy manner, but to continue the success that USA Basketball has had for the last 12 years. That’s a big responsibility”, he concluded.