By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
USA assistant coach Jay Wright said that participating in the World Cup was “almost impossible” for the players that also want to compete in the 2020 Olympic Games.
“It was almost impossible for guys if they wanted to play in the Olympics to play this summer,” Wright told Forbes’ Adam Zagoria. “Two consecutive 45-day commitments. It’s really tough the way FIBA has it set up, back-to-back, it was really hard on the USA guys. And that’s why we were so appreciative of the guys that played. Some of those guys are going to be on the team next year, too.”
Before Wright, former NBA Commissioner David Stern made a similar statement, saying that FIBA’s decision to move the World Cup into odd years was a “mistake” that forces players to make a difficult choice between tournaments.
Team USA, that suffered from the absence of numerous stars, completed the World Cup at a historic-low 7th place.