2011 USA Men’s Pan American Team To Be Comprised Of D-League Personnel


From our friends at USA Basketball:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 27, 2011)— With the 2011 Pan American Games less than three months off, USA Basketball and the NBA Development League today announced plans that call for the USA Men’s Pan American Games Team roster to be comprised of coaches and players from the NBA Development League. USA Basketball also announced that Tulsa 66ers head coach Nate Tibbetts has been selected to serve as the USA’s head coach and that 66ers assistant coach Dale Osbourne will fill one of the team’s two assistant coach positions. One additional assistant coach and the players who will contend for roster positions will be announced at a later date.

The coaching selections were made by the USA Basketball Men’s Pan American Games Committee, approved by USA Basketball’s Board of Directors and are subject to approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee Chief Executive Officer. The Pan American Games Committee, chaired by USA Basketball Men’s National Team Director Sean Ford, is charged with the coach and player selections for the 2011 USA Pan American Games squad.

“USA Basketball is excited to join forces with the NBA Development League to field the 2011 USA Pan American Games Men’s basketball team,” stated Ford. “Nate is one of the best coaches in the NBA D-League, he will bring great leadership and experience to the team. The fact that Nate and Dale already have a successful working relationship is a real benefit.”

“We’re excited about the opportunity for players and coaches from the NBA Development League to represent their country on an international stage,” said NBA D-League President Dan Reed. “This is another testament to the world-class basketball talent we’re attracting and promoting to the NBA, and we’re very pleased to partner with USA Basketball to go for the gold!”

The Pan American Games, held every four years in the year prior to the Olympics, are being held Oct. 13-30 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The men’s basketball competition, which features eight teams, is being conducted Oct. 26-30.

The USA men were drawn into Group B for the Pan American Games and are joined by national teams from Brazil, Dominican Republic and Uruguay. Competing in Group A are Argentina, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. The men’s basketball preliminary round play is scheduled for Oct. 26-28, semifinals action will be played Oct. 29, and the finals will be contested on Oct. 30.

Training camp for the 2011 USA Basketball Men’s Pan American Games Team will held Oct. 14-22 at a site TBA. The 12-member USA Men’s Pan American Games Team will be announced before the team departs for the competition in Mexico on Oct. 23. The list of athletes participating in the USA Team training camp will be announced at a later date.

USA Basketball also announced that two players from the 2011 USA Pan American Team will be selected to be part of USA Basketball’s 2012 USA Select Team that will train against the U.S. National Team when it trains in the summer of 2012 for the ‘12 London Olympic Games.

In addition to Ford, the 2011 USA Basketball Men’s Pan American Games Committee is comprised of Tibbetts, 2000 Olympic gold medalist Steve Smith, NBA Development League Vice President of Basketball Operations & Player Personnel Chris Alpert, and NBA Development League consultant Gordon Chiesa.