Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault's only previous experience with USA Basketball was a couple of stints as a video coordinator for younger-division teams more than a decade ago. And Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff has never been part of the national program.
That's all about to change. They're in line for trips to the Olympics.
Daigneault, Bickerstaff and Mark Few were formally named assistant coaches to serve on Miami coach Erik Spoelstra's staff for the
2027 Basketball World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, those nominations getting approved by USA Basketball's Board of Directors on Thursday.
“We’re really excited about it," said Spoelstra, who'll serve as the U.S. head coach for the first time. "We wanted to try to zero in on this a little bit earlier in the process so we can start to get more organized and start to have some level of communication and continuity. The earlier the better, so I'm really excited about that.”
Few, the Gonzaga coach and soon-to-be-enshrined Basketball Hall of Famer, also was an assistant alongside Spoelstra in the previous Olympic cycle under now-former U.S. coach Steve Kerr. Daigneault worked with the U.S. teams that won the U19 World Cup in 2013 and the U18 FIBA Americas crown in 2014. Bickerstaff is about to make his USA Basketball debut.
“I'm grateful," Daigneault said. "Even after being offered the position and accepting it, I can’t even conceptualize what it'll feel like because I’ve never been to an Olympics. For everybody involved, I think it’s a very humbling and overwhelming experience. I’m sure it’s going to be the same for me.”
Bickerstaff — a soccer dad — took note this summer of how the nation came together in support of the U.S. national team during the World Cup. And he can't wait to see what that feels like over the next couple of years.
“It just means the world to me," Bickerstaff said of the appointment. “Growing up, you knew you always wanted to be a part of it in some way or form — to be able to say that you got to fight for a gold medal.”
The picks were announced by USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director Grant Hill, who is going through his second Olympic cycle in that role. Hiring Spoelstra was the first step, hiring the staff was the second step, and now Hill will continue moving toward assembling a roster for next year's World Cup.
“This is a huge step in terms of putting together the leadership team," Hill said. "One of the really neat parts is watching these great minds work together, collaborate, problem solve and figure out this journey, which is not as easy as everyone might think. With Mark, with J.B. and with Mark Few, we've got talented people who happen to be good people as well. And so, I’m beyond thrilled.”
Few has a longstanding relationship with Spoelstra, and Hill felt having some continuity between the staff from the 2024 Olympics — where the U.S. men won their fifth consecutive gold — and these 2027 and 2028 events was important.
“It’s the highest calling you can have as a basketball coach and it was such an honor to serve with USA Basketball during the last cycle," said Few, who will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame next month. “To be asked to return is another tremendous honor. I’m humbled, I’m honored and I’m excited to get back to work alongside Coach Spoelstra and an outstanding staff.”
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