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Former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy had an appreciation of G League players when he began coaching the U.S. basketball team that had to qualify for the 2019 FIBA World Cup while NBA players were not available.
Through the 12-game qualifying process, Van Gundy’s admiration only grew.
Van Gundy answered the call to coach the qualifying team while Gregg Popovich, who will coach the U.S. in the World Cup and 2020 Olympics, focused on the San Antonio Spurs, and he led the team to a 10-2 record and a spot in this summer’s World Cup in China.
USA Basketball used 54 players — most of them from the G League — in qualifying, and in its last game of the qualifying tournament, it beat Argentina 84-83 on a last-second shot by Reggie Hearn. While both teams had qualified for the World Cup, the U.S. finished atop Group E with the victory.
Van Gundy spoke with USA TODAY Sports about coaching the team, what it meant to him, qualifying for the World Cup (which will feature NBA players), and what’s next.
Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Q: What did it mean to beat Argentina?
A: Argentina is so good, so well-coached, so mentally and physically tough that they’re either going to bring the best of out of you or the worst out of you. Down the stretch, it brought the best out of our players. Reggie Hearn, so fittingly because he’s played with us the most, makes the game-winning shot, and Travis Trice, who’s been with us two straight (qualifying windows), makes two huge 3s down the stretch, and Michael Frazier, who I can’t understand why he’s not on an NBA roster, was our best player.
It was great to win, but what I hope it does also is gets those guys more recognition for how good they are. We had a guy, Cam Reynolds, pulled up on a 10-day (NBA contract) right after the game.
We want to win, but we also want to help these guys and put them in a position to help their careers. Often, these guys are so good, but they go unnoticed.
Q: I know you had an appreciation of G League players when you began coaching this team. How has the appreciation grown?
A: My appreciation for the G League life is immense. The amount of frustration they have to deal with … here they are, great at their job, but the economic disparity between these top-flight G League players who could all be on NBA rosters, and the guys who make it on an NBA roster, is immense.
Every time someone gets called up (from the G League to the NBA), the guys I’ve coached, they all can say, “Why not me?” because they’re all capable. To live that frustration, I see the strain it puts on them. That’s why their attitude needs to be right, and it’s so important. They bounce back and keep going. It’s so admirable. They’re so good at their jobs.
If someone says to you, “You’re a top 600-, 700-, 800-person at your job in the world,” in any other profession, you’d say, “Wow.” I worry about how they look at themselves, that they’ve somehow failed because they haven’t gotten there. My whole thing is yet. Yet.
So much of it is, there’s a lot of guys who could be on rosters, but there are a finite amount of spots. It’s a beauty is in the eye of beholder type of thing or a need thing that a team may have. There are many things that go into it. They’re not easy decisions. It’s just hard.
For Frazier, I can make the case that if he was given the rotation minutes of some other guys in the NBA, he would be as effective. I believe that. I believe he is an NBA player.
Q: How will this U.S. team be remembered?
A: First of all, the general public won’t remember them. But the people within USA Basketball will always remember them because we went into this learning and trying to put together teams at different points of the year and different availabilities. (USA Basketball men’s national team director) Sean Ford, (USAB CEO) Jim Tooley, (USAB chairman) Martin Dempsey, (USAB board member) Jerry Colangelo, Gregg Popovich, those five that are the power brokers of USA Basketball, they have an incredible appreciation for every one of the players who participated, and not only that they qualified the U.S., but how they represented the country and USA Basketball.
As far as my appreciation, the guys I’ve coached multiple times, there is a bond (that) won’t be broken because once you are in the crucible of competition, sometimes you have disappointment, sometimes you have success, but through it all, you’re tied together. I’ll always remember how they came up their biggest when they needed it the most.
No one will have a greater win this year at any level of basketball than those players had against Argentina. It doesn’t mean anyone else will remember it, but they will.
Q: If the U.S. medals at the World Cup, will it feel like a medal for those who helped qualify?
A: No, it’s a different event. Those players can take pride knowing that they played a huge part in the ultimate success. It’s just not the tournament leads to a medal. It’s everything that came before it, too.
Those players, we’ve had a number who have improved their careers. The one thing is, they get to frame that USA Basketball jersey. They got to know what it was like to put on the same jersey that Jordan and Durant and Curry and all the greats who have played have done, and now they did it. I don’t think they necessarily thought it would happen for them, but this system provided them an opportunity to do something significant for their country and USA Basketball, and it’s deeply appreciated.
Q: Did coaching do anything to alter how you felt about coaching full-time again?
A: Nothing’s changed. I was always open to coaching before and I remain so. But I also know what a great job I have (ESPN/ABC NBA analyst) right now. Everything’s about fit in life, particularly as you get older like I am. That’s why this for me was perfect. I knew it was a fit because I was going to work side by side with Sean Ford. He’s one of the finest leaders I’ve ever had the privilege of watching over a long period of time. You talk about servant leadership, humble leadership, Sean Ford is the epitome of that.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt
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