By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
USA Basketball announced the national team roster for the upcoming AmeriCup games and it includes the 2017 EuroLeague champion James Nunnally, as well as the NBA veterans in Joe Johnson and Isaiah Thomas. All three are currently free agents.
Per the USA Basketball:
Highlighted by NBA veterans and all-stars Joe Johnson (Free Agent/Arkansas) and Isaiah Thomas (Free Agent/Washington), USA Basketball today announced its 14-man roster for the USA team that will compete in the third and final window of FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying.
In addition to Johnson and Thomas, named to the February 2021 USA AmeriCup Qualifying Team were Paul Atkinson (Yale University); Cat Barber (Free Agent/North Carolina State); Josh Boone (Free Agent/Connecticut); Chris Daniels (Free Agent/ Texas A&M Univ.–Corpus Christi); Will Davis II (Free Agent/UC Irvine); KJ Feagin (Free Agent/San Diego State); Treveon Graham (Free Agent/VCU); Ra’Shad James (Orasi Ravenna, Italy/Northwood); Dakota Mathias (Free Agent/Purdue); James Nunnally (Free Agent/UC Santa Barbara); Jordan Sibert (Free Agent/Dayton); and Tre’Shawn Thurman (Free Agent/Nevada).
Former NBA coach Joe Prunty will serve as the USA head coach. Assisting Prunty are experienced USA Basketball coaches Othella Harrington and Yale University head coach James Jones.
“Sean (Ford) and the USA Basketball staff have assembled a very talented and balanced roster with a combination of youth and veteran players,” said Prunty. “Joe and Isaiah have the most NBA experience, but there are several players with valuable professional experience to prepare them for this competition, including on the international level. It will be exciting to watch them come together as a team to represent the USA.”
Johnson, who was a member of the bronze medalist 2006 USA World Cup Team, brings to the USA roster 18 seasons of NBA experience, 1,276 NBA regular-season career games, and career statistics of 20,405 points (16.0 ppg.), 5,059 rebounds (4.0 rpg.), 5,001 assists (3.9 apg.) and 1,071 steals. Thomas has played nine NBA seasons and 525 NBA regular-season career games, accumulating 9,508 points (18.1 ppg.), 1,288 rebounds (2.5 rpg.), 2,600 assists (5.0 apg.) and 464 steals.
The USA (4-0) will train daily Feb. 13-18 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and will play Bahamas (1-3) on Feb. 19 and Mexico (2-2) on Feb. 20. The full 2019-20 FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying schedule is available at https://www.usab.com/mens/americup/game-schedule.aspx. Due to COVID-19 precautions, no spectators or media will be permitted to attend the games. All games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Five of the 14 USA players boast of prior USA Basketball experience. Davis II was a finalist for the 2017 USA Basketball Men’s AmeriCup Team and participated in the team’s August 2017 training camp; Graham was a member of the 2013 USA World University Games Team; James was a finalist for the 2017 USA Basketball Men’s AmeriCup Team and participated in the team’s August 2017 training camp; Johnson was a member of the 2006 USA National Team and the bronze medalist 2006 USA World Cup Team, 2006 USA National Team, 2000 USA World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team and the 1999 USA Nike Hoop Summit Team; and Thomas was a member of the 2018 USA Basketball Men’s National Team and attended the team’s minicamp.
Seven of the U.S. players have NBA regular-season experience, including Boone (256 NBA regular-season games); Graham (180 NBA regular-season games); Johnson (1,276 NBA regular-season games); Mathias (8 NBA regular-season games); Nunnally (28 NBA regular season games); Sibert (1 NBA regular-season game); and Thomas (525 NBA regular-season games).
Eight of the USA players have played internationally – Barber (Israel and Italy); Boone (Australia, China, Estonia, Philippines, Russia and Turkey); Daniels (Argentina, China, Korea, Lebanon and Philippines); Davis (Canada, Cyprus, Greece and Romania); James (Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, South Korea and Turkey); Mathias (Spain); Nunnally (China, Greece, Italy, Israel, Puerto Rico, Spain and Turkey); Sibert (Germany and Greece).
Eleven players boast of NBA G League experience: Barber (2016-17 Greensboro Swarm and Delaware 87ers, 2017-18 Greensboro Swarm, 2018-19 Erie BayHawks and Greensboro Swarm and 2019-20 College Park Skyhawks); Boone (2012-13 and 2013-14 Iowa Wolves); Daniels (2011-12 Erie BayHawks and 2012-13 Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Santa Cruz Warriors); Davis II (2016-17 Reno Bighorns, 2017-18 Windy City Bulls and Reno Bighorns, 2018-19 Long Island Nets); Graham (2015-16 Idaho Stampede and 2018-19 Long Island Nets); James; (2013-14 and 2014-15 Reno Bighorns and 2015-16 Westchester Knicks); Mathias ( 2019-20 Texas Legends); Nunnally (2012-13 Bakersfield Jam and 2013-14 Bakersfield Jam and Texas Legends); Sibert (2015-16 and 2018-19 Erie BayHawks and 2019-20 College Park Skyhawks); and Thurman (2019-20 Grand Rapids Drive).