Team USA loses to Nigeria in Olympic basketball tune-up
Ain’t no thang
They made 20+ 3s. Other than that, this is USA basketball, right?
This isn't even our C team. This is like the D-minus team. They will not win gold, and it will all happen in an empty arena in Tokyo. This is going to be a really lame Olympics.
The explosion of basketball skill around the world these past 30 years has been remarkable.
True, but in this case only 3 of Nigeria's 15 players were born in Nigeria. 11 American born players, 1 Canadian born. Of the three Nigerian born players, 2 moved to the US for high school, 1 moved to Australia.
Are the rules pretty loose for what country you can represent? Or did all 12 of the non-Nigerian born players obtain Nigerian citizenship?
You buried the lede, OP! The story for us is that a former Michigan Wolverine is on the Nigerian team!
Epke Udoh plays for Nigeria! I can't find a box score, but he definitely played in the game. Epke is 34 years old now, and he's so old that he's actually a Tommy Amaker recruit. He played one year for Amaker and one year for Beilein and then transferred to Baylor for a year.
And today, Epke Udoh beat Kevin Durant. I might just have to start an Epke Udoh Appreciation Thread.
Udoh played 17 minutes, scoring 2 points (only 2 FGAs), with 5 boards and 3 assists. He has had a very solid career overseas, including being named the 2017 EuroLeague Final Four MVP as he powered Turkish club Fenerbahçe to the EuroLeague title.
I remember Udoh, and his pleading face every time a foul was called against him. By doing that be seemed to have put a target on himself and would get called for anything. Whining never works.
Here is a box score for you.
Three things that stuck out to me:
(1) It's an exhibition game
(2) Nigeria went 20-42 from 3. That's how an underdog keeps it close against anyone.
(3) Rebounding. This is where we'd normally win the game despite being shelled from 3. However, Nigeria outrebounded USA 46-34. We aren't exactly rolling out there with Shaq, Olajuwon, Ewing, Alonzo Mourning or David Robinson these days. If you can't control the paint, then any 3 point shooting team can wipe you out -- especially with FIBA rules.
Based on these numbers I am surprised the US only lost by 3 points.
I think your 3rd point is a great one. While the win is a tad fluky due to the first two factors, the USA center selection is remarkably weak and something to keep an eye on moving forward. Bam is great player, but he's definitely more in the mold of a modern big than the classic rim protector. The fact a 32 year old Kevin Love made the roster as the other big speaks volumes about the lack of options for the team.
Jokic, Embiid and Gobert, the 3 All-NBA centers are all international. Same goes for a lot of the next level down - Capella, Vucevic, Ayton. Karl Anthony-Towns is USA eligible but plays for the Dominican Republic. Crazy to think of how much international talent is flowing into the sport right now, particularly when it comes to centers.
Congratulations to Nigeria and Ekpe.
I am a USA Basketball Excellence Demander. After acknowledging injuries, exhibition game, dudes playing in the finals, and injuries to the select squad, this is still embarrassing. Nigeria has one NBA player. No excuse.
5. Nigeria had 5 players on NBA rosters at the end of the 2020-21 season. Plus at least 3 others with NBA experience.
Good.
Breaking News: This is what happens when the players don't give a shit.
This is a pretty soft roster. There's a stockpile of elite scorers (Durant, Dame, Beal, etc), but that's really the only substantial strength. The 4 and 5 talent is pretty soft. There really aren't any great wing defenders. Draymond and Jrue Holiday are the best defenders. In the middle you have a solid talent in Bam Adebayo, but then a washed Kevin Love and undersized Draymond left to play the 5. They're going to be forced to play small ball a lot, outshoot their opponents, and hope the talented European centers don't eat them alive. It'll be like the Nets. Outshoot the other team bc you aren't going to control the paint or defend anyone on the perimeter.
Just like I said. Nobody gives a shit so why be surprised by the lack of effort by these guys?
Why Love made the team is beyond me. While he used to be a ferocious rebounder in Minnesota, that version of him is long since died. I wonder if his spot was originally for Anthony Davis…
For all the shit he gets, taking Drummond over to the Olympics would have been solid as a big body that can rebound.
Some in the media made comments about Love going as the token white guy, and it's hard to view it as anything but that. The only other explanation is that it's a lifetime achievement award. Drummond is pretty terrible too in my opinion, but it's a disappointing collection of American big man talent to choose from. Outside of Bam, you're probably looking at Ayton and Jarrett Allen I guess? Or big time role players like Lopez, Mitchell Robinson, or Plumlee. That's assuming Embiid, Jokic, Vucevic, Porzingis, Steven Adams, Gobert, Capela, Valanciunas, Sabonis, KAT, etc are all either playing for other countries or not playing at all.
After being enamored with the 2008 Redeem Team, I can’t believe they couldn’t find someone other than Bam and Love for their bigs. Literally everyone you mentioned in your second suggestion is “foreign” as KAT played for the Dominican team as a 16 year old but was born in the US. I’d take Ayton and Lopez in a heartbeat and might even appreciate Allen as the 5 over those two. Other than that, it sucks not having the list of guys who don’t want to play or are injured. Like I said, that Redeem Team had Kobe, DWade, LBJ, prime Melo, CP3, Bosh and Dwight Howard. Can’t believe we can’t field something like that again, but the world is simply catching up and can play together better than we can.
I'm pretty sure that Ayton is a citizen of the Bahamas.
That is correct. Ayton only moved to the U.S. in high school for basketball opportunities. He is not a U.S. citizen, and thus not eligible to play for Team USA.
He played for The Bahamas national team in FIBA play in 2016.
Also, interestingly, his father is Nigerian!
I can never keep up with the rules and loopholes for playing for other countries. Like Olajuwon being born in Nigeria but playing for USA. I guess Ayton could actually play for USA, but not until later down the road. He'd have to become a citizen and then be granted an exception that FIBA allows (something about each country being allowed 1 naturalized player or something).
https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2021/06/22/suns-big-deandre-ayton-ideal-team-usa-2024-summer-olympics-paris/5307682001/
Oops.
Those Nigerians really know how to scam a win from unsuspecting Americans! Congrats to them.
We’re due. USA fails to take the gold in basketball every fourth Olympics.
1972
1988
2004
We’ve won the last three. Ergo, we’re due.
They went 20 - 42 from three-point land. If you can do that, you can stay close with, and beat anybody. I didn’t watch the game, so I can’t say with any confidence if team USA just went into the game and didn’t care or didn’t take it seriously, but I suppose it wouldn’t surprise me.
Team USA has a load of isolation guys and doesn’t play team basketball. As someone above mentioned it’s like watching the Nets. Just trading out Kyrie for Damian, Beal for Harden, and Love for Griffin. Durant had an off shooting night so they lost. Durant can’t play defense so when he isn’t shooting well he is essentially worthless. It’s crazy to me that some want to consider him an all-time talent. He is certainly an all-time shooter but that’s about it.
What are you talking about? He avg 1 steal and block a game for a career. He's a good defender.
His career stats are 27pt, 7 reb and 4 assists! To say he's just a great shooter is ridiculous. If he was just that, he'd be standing in corners for his whole career. He's 26th scoring ever and will pass A.I. soon. I can't believe I had to type this out.
As cavs fan the answer is simple.
I blame Kevin Love.