Bill Self to lead 2018 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – On its quest for a fifth-straight gold medal in FIBA Americas U18 competition, the 2018 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team will be led by Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self(Kansas) with USA assistant coaches Anthony Grant(Dayton) and Danny Manning(Wake Forest University).
The USA will compete in the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men June 11-17 in St. Catherines, Canada.
“The leadership of Bill, Anthony and Danny will be instrumental in the development of the U18 national team,” said Matt Painter, head coach at Purdue University and chair of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee, which is responsible for selecting the USA U18 staff and athletes. “They are outstanding leaders that get the most from the players they coach and will be able to continue the success that the U18 team has experienced on the global level.”
Now in his 15th season at the helm of the University of Kansas, Self will tackle his first USA Basketball coaching assignment. Previously, he served as a member of the 2005-08 USA Basketball Men’s Collegiate Committee.
With the Jayhawks, he has compiled a 443-95 record (all records are as of March 12) for an incredible 82.3 winning percentage.
Self has led Kansas to 14-straight Big 12 Conference regular season championships (2005-18), two NCAA Final Four appearances (2008 and 2012) and the 2008 NCAA national championship, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
He owns a career record of 650-200 (.765) in 25 seasons overall as an NCAA head coach, including four seasons at Oral Roberts University (1993-94 to 1996-97), three at the University of Tulsa (1997-98 to 1999-00) and three at the University of Illinois (2000-01 to 2002-03).
In 2017-18, Kansas is 27-7 and has earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for an eighth time in the past 12 years, which comes on the heels of winning a Big 12 Tournament title.
“It’s an honor to be selected to coach, and I look forward to working with Danny and Anthony and the young men that will represent the USA in the U18 competition,” Self said. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, and I’m really looking forward to it.
“I’ve worked with Danny (Manning) quite a bit, but I haven’t had a chance to spend a much time with him as of late, and I look forward to reconnecting,” Self added. “I’ve always thought he has a great basketball mind. I’m very excited about working with Anthony (Grant). He has spent a lot of time running his own programs but also has spent a lot of time with coach (Billy) Donovan at Florida and with the (Oklahoma City) Thunder. I think he will add some things to the staff that we can utilize and make us better.”
Grant returns to USA Basketball as a 2018 USA Men’s U18 National Team assistant coach after having served as an assistant for the 2008 USA Men’s U18 National Team, which finished 4-1 and with a silver medal.
In his first season as the head coach at his alma mater, the University of Dayton, Grant and his team finished 14-17.
Grant also served as head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University for three seasons (2006-07 to 2008-09) and at the University of Alabama for six seasons (2009-10 to 2014-15). His overall NCAA head coaching record is 207-127 (.620 winning percentage) over 10 seasons.
From the summer of 2015 until he was hired at Dayton in March 2017, Grant was an assistant coach for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder.
“It is truly an honor to represent our country as a member of the USA Basketball U18 coaching staff,” Grant said. “I look forward to working with coach Self and coach Manning and preparing our young men to qualify for next year’s U19 World Cup.
“I have tremendous respect for Bill Self and the success he has had at every stop in his career,” Grant said of the USA coaching staff. “I am excited about this opportunity to work with him and help us win the FIBA Americas Championship.
“I have known Danny for several years and what he has been able to achieve as a player and now a coach is admirable. I respect him as a man and a coach, and look forward to being on this staff with him.”
Manning enters his third USA Basketball coaching assignment. He previously helped USA Basketball to a bronze medal at the 2017 FIBA U19 World Cup and served as a court coach at the 2014 USA Men’s U18 National Team training camp.
As a USA Basketball athlete, Manning won a bronze medal with the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team, recording 11.4 points and 6.0 rebounds a game; he was named the 1987 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year after posting a team-leading 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game with the 1987 U.S. Pan American Games Team, which captured the silver medal; and he won gold medals with the 1985 U.S. Olympic Festival North Team and the 1984 USA R. William Jones Cup Team.
Now in his fourth season at Wake Forest University, Manning owns an overall a career head coaching record of 92-102, which includes two seasons at the University of Tulsa (2012-13 and 2013-14).
In 2016-17, Manning led Wake Forest to a 19-14 record and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010.
Following a 15 year NBA career, Manning spent nine seasons on Self’s staff at his alma mater Kansas. Manning served as director of student-athlete development/team manager for four seasons (2003-04 to 2006-07) and was an assistant coach for five seasons (2007-08 to 2011-12), aiding the Jayhawks to the 2008 NCAA national championship.
“I feel very fortunate and blessed to be a part of USA Basketball and have this opportunity to be a part of this staff,” Manning said. “To have a chance to be an assistant on Bill’s staff again is something I am really excited about.
“There will be a lot of familiarity with coach Self after working with him for so many years, and he is a very good friend of mine,” Manning continued. “I have gotten the chance to get to know Anthony over the years, and I am sure he will do a great job at Dayton. I am excited to spend time with Bill and learn from him again and also learn from Anthony and all his experiences.”
Training camp for the 2018 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team will be conducted from May 31 through June 2 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and finalists for the team are expected to be announced on June 2. Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens who are 18 years old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 2000).
The team will continue training June 3-8 in Colorado Springs until departing for the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
FIBA Americas U18 Championship
The 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship will feature eight national teams from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean, and the top four finishing teams will qualify for the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup.
Earning automatic berths from North America were Canada and the United States; Argentina, Chile and Paraguay punched their tickets by finishing in the top three of the 2017 South American U17 Championship; and Dominican Republic, Panama and Puerto Rico earned the three berths available from the 2017 Centrobasket U17 Championship.
Originally known as the FIBA Americas Junior World Championship Qualifier, the tournament was held every four years between 1990-2006. FIBA changed its calendar following the 2006 championship, and the tournament is now conducted every other year, followed in the next summer, for nations that advance, by the FIBA U19 World Cup.
USA men’s teams are 53-2 in the U18/Junior World Championship Qualifiers and won gold in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016, while capturing silver in 2008 and bronze in 2002.
Some of the most notable USA U18 alumni include: Carmelo Anthony (2002), Chris Bosh (2002), Markelle Fultz (2016), Quade Green (2016), Grant Hill (1990), Allan Houston (1990), Andre Iguodala (2002), Kyrie Irving (2010), Stephon Marbury (1994), Michael Porter Jr. (2016), Austin Rivers (2010), Kyle Singler (2006), Marcus Smart (2012), Deron Williams (2002) and Justise Winslow (2014).
About USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and chaired by retired Gen. Martin Dempsey, USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA national teams that compete in FIBA-sponsored five-on-five and 3×3 international competitions, as well as for some national competitions and for the development of youth basketball.
The USA Basketball Youth Development division is tasked with the development of youth basketball initiatives that address player development, coach education and safety, while promoting, growing, and elevating the game. USA Basketball is committed to providing youth throughout the country safe, fun and developmentally appropriate environments in which they can enjoy the game. Current USA Basketball youth initiatives include coach licensing and education; organization accreditation; coach academies; regional camps; youth clinics; open court programs; Women in the Game conferences; and the U.S. Open Basketball Championships.
Connect with USA Basketball at USAB.com and on Facebook (USABasketball and USABYouth), Twitter (@usabasketball, @USABYouth, @USAB3x3), Instagram (@USABasketball) and YouTube (therealusabasketball).
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