USA Basketball has officially announced the 12-man roster that will represent the United States at this year’s AmeriCup tournament, which will take place from August 22-31 in Managua, Nicaragua.
The roster is as follows:
- Langston Galloway, G
- Jerian Grant, G
- Elijah Pemberton, G
- Jahmi’us Ramsey, G
- Javonte Smart, G
- Speedy Smith, G
- Tyler Cavanaugh, F
- Jarell Eddie, F
- Cameron Reynolds, F
- Robert Baker II, F/C
- Jack Cooley, F/C
- Zach Auguste, C
While it’s not exactly the sort of star-studded roster you’d expect from Team USA at a higher-profile event like the FIBA World Cup or the Olympics, eight of the 12 players representing the U.S. have NBA experience, with Galloway (452 regular season games) and Grant (279 games) leading the way. Pemberton, Smith, Baker, and Auguste are the only players on the roster who haven’t appeared in an NBA regular season game.
The group also has a good deal of experience in international competitions. Galloway, Pemberton, Ramsey, Smart, Cavanaugh, Reynolds, and Baker have all played for Team USA during past AmeriCup or World Cup qualifiers, while Pemberton suited up for the U.S. at the 2022 AmeriCup, earning a bronze medal with that group.
Former Rockets head coach Stephen Silas will coach Team USA during the AmeriCup and will be joined on the sidelines by veteran NBA assistants Patrick Mutombo and Brad Jones.
The U.S. has been drawn into Group A alongside Brazil, Uruguay, and the Bahamas and will play its round-robin games from August 23-26. The other two four-team groups feature Canada, Venezuela, Panama, and Puerto Rico (Group B) and Argentina, Colombia, Dominican Republic, and host Nicaragua (Group C).
Eight of 12 teams will advance to the single-elimination stage of the AmeriCup based on the results of those first three games. The quarterfinals will be held on August 28, followed by the semifinals on Aug. 30 and the final (and third-place game) on Aug. 31.
Some players will be elated…some will be crushed…