Game 1: USA vs. Puerto Rico
Words. Aron Phillips
For our first game in the World Basketball Tournament, our opponent came from pretty close to home. While there were a bunch of people in the gym for the France/Canada game, everyone came out to watch the US.
As a custom in international play, both teams exchanged gifts prior to the game. But after that, there was certainly no love for one another once the game began. The starters were Ray McCallum (PG), Trae Golden (SG), Jordan McRae (SF), Tristan Thompson (PF) and Jared Sullinger (C), and this unit has all the facets to be extremely dangerous on the court.
Early on, both teams were settling for threes, but when Sullinger (21 points, 12 rebounds) took it in the post, he was unstoppable. After doing work on the block, Sullinger came down the next play and took a handoff from Justin Martin and threw it down for the and-one.
With top-level FIBA refs, the officiating was some of the best I’d ever seen. Couple rules to keep in mind: (1) You only get five fouls until you foul out and five fouls until the other team is in the penalty. (2) You can knock the ball off the rim as long as it’s not directly above the cylinder and it’s not goaltending. (3) You can only call timeouts when there is a stoppage of play.
As soon as Josh Hairston (17 points, 4 rebounds) checked in, he was getting to the rim at will and his stepback J was on point. His presence inside and out helped keep the US in the lead, as his game is extremely polished. Josh Selby (15 points) on the other hand is a scorer. While all the guys on the team can play, you can tell that Josh gets buckets on the regular back home, and must normally be his team’s first, second, third and fourth option - with the fifth option being pass the ball, and if they don’t have anything, look to get it back. He’s going to be perfect at Tennessee as he’ll probably become a scorer like Chris Lofton was for that squad.
Just as I suspected, despite quick guards from Puerto Rico, no one can hang with our speed. Nonetheless, perhaps with something to prove, Mike Rosario (33 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists) was an animal all night - taking it to the rack at will and getting to the free throw line early and often. By the end of the first half, with Puerto Rico charging back and unforced turnovers by the US, things got a little out of control.
Two things to keep in mind: (1) I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: this squad is young! While Puerto Rico’s facial hair game was on point, I doubt many guys on our squad even brought a razor with them. There is definitely a big difference between 16 and 19. (2) Along with their age, this squad came together in the last week, while many of these national teams have been playing together for years. After the tourney’s over, our guys will be heading back to the US to play AAU while the rest of the world will be heading to New Zealand for the FIBA U19 World Championships.
After Puerto Rico tied the game 64-64 with about four minutes to play in the third quarter, it went back and forth for the majority of the rest of the game. But then Rosario decided he wanted to make a name for himself on the world stage, hitting back-to-back threes. Answering was McRae who came back with a hammer dunk on Carlos Lopez (10 points, 5 rebounds) which had his former Findlay Prep teammates Thompson and Cory Joseph (5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) laughing. From there, the US closed out the third quarter strong, taking an 80-73 lead into the final period.
But before you knew it, the game was tied again at 82-82. While guys from the Puerto Rico squad kept fouling out (four in total), they managed to put together a run that the US just couldn’t recover from. At the end, despite a great game from Sullinger, Hairston and Golden (16 points, 3 assists), you could see the difference between a guy like Rosario and Jio Fontan (9 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds) who just finished their freshman year of college and a guy who’s about to enter his senior year of high school in the Fall. We’ll have to get that first W tomorrow…
Game photos will be coming later…
Great recap AP. This must be a great experience. What you think about Jio Fontan? That kid is a hell of a PG. Sucks that Fordham won’t give him a release.
Jio Fontan is nice! I was very impressed with his game. Did seem to have confidence in his shot and/or be looking for it, but his assist game was on point.
You Make Excuses For The U.S. Team in the Whole Article. Pease Enough of That Already. The Real Difference in Puerto Rico (a Small Caribbean Island), and ALL International Programs is That They Stress an OFFENSIVE ATTACK vs The U.S.’s Idea of Being a Defensive Team. Come On USA High School Basketball. Score Points, and Lots of Them. The Winner Always Plays Better Defense Because More Point Always Wins!
Remember, Puerto Rico Beat The USA’s Dream Team in the Olympics by 18 POINTS With OFFENSE NOT DEFENSE!
No excuses, just laying it all out there. Plus, the US definitely is not trying to be a “defensive team.” Sometimes the offense just isn’t there all night.
I Hear You. Right On.
John, John, John. Get a clue. Basketball is played on both sides of the ball. If you can’t stop someone you can’t win. You have to learn to stop a person or a team
Big Mo. All Good Offensive Teams are Naturally Good Defensively. Come On Big Mo, Of Course Matadors Never Win! How Do You Stop Your Opponent Defensively. WITH AN OFFENSIVE ATTACK. If You Don’t Have Offensive Firepower, Then Become a Defensive Team With a Slow Down Offense. Mo, Mo, Mo Offensive Strength Always Comes First, It Naturally Creates Good Defensive Team Flow. Thats The Defensive Secret. Thats Is The Reason Why We Are Losing The Game Internationally. Redemption Came With Coach K, and His Offensive Approach.
This is an Excellent Website. I Am New To It. Very Impressed!
Video of the Canadian, Kelly Olynyk…looks like he has some game…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RYfHUkEmG0
They will be ok trust me! good luck your next game