2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men

Saturday, July 1, 2006

GAME #3 (USA 92 v Canada 66)

Post-game quotes below

Contact: Mary Ullmann Japhet 210-414-9030

FIBA AMERICAS U18 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MEN - SEMIFINALS

SAN ANTONIO - The USA advanced to the gold medal game of the FIBA Americas U-18 Championships for Men Saturday with a 92-66 win over Canada.

USA (3-0) will meet Argentina (4-0) for the championship Sunday at 5 p.m. Central Time at St. Mary's University's Greehey Arena. Canada (2-2) plays Brazil (1-2) for the bronze medal at 3 p.m. Argentina beat Brazil 90-73 in Saturday's semifinals. The four teams have qualified for the FIBA U-19 World Championships to be held in July 2007 at a site to be determined.

In Saturday's elimination game, Uruguay defeated the Bahamas 79-60. Uruguay (1-2) tackles Puerto Rico (1-2) Sunday in the fifth and sixth-place game at 1 p.m. The Bahamas finished the tournament with an 0-4 record.

Six players scored in double figures for the USA, including guard Jerryd Bayless with 16 points. Bayless, who shot 5 of 12 from the field and hit 5 of 5 free throws, also pulled down seven rebounds and three steals. Forward Kyle Singler added 13 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Tayor King, a forward, scored 12 points, going 5 of 9 from the field, and getting five rebounds. Forward Michael Beasley was the team's leading rebounder with 10, along with scoring 11 points.

Guard Kristopher Joseph paced Canada with 12 points and forward Oluseyi Ashaolu added 11. Center Robert Sacre was the game's top rebounder with 11, along with seven points.

The USA shot 42 percent from the field and Canada hit 30 percent. A big difference was in rebounds, as the USA led Canada 62-37. The USA shot 31 percent to Canada's 16 percent in the three-point range.

Canada held a three-point lead early in the first period, but the USA racked up a lead by as much as 29 points.

FIBA AMERICAS U-18 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MEN

Semifinals

at St. Mary's University's Greehey Arena

San Antonio, Texas

USA 92, CANADA 66

USA - Flynn 2-3 1-2 6, Jerryd Bayless 5-12 5-5 16, Nolan Smith 5-11 0-0 11, Taylor King 5-9 0-1 12, Kyle Singler 5-11 3-4 13, Robinson 0-6 1-2 1, Thomas 1-2 0-0 2, Greene 1-3 0-0 2, Allen 0-0 0-0 0, DaJuan Summers 5-8 1-2 11, Michael Beasley 4-10 3-4 11, Hawes 3-10 1-2 7. Totals - 36-85 15-22 92.

FG% - 42%

3-PT.FG% - 31%

FT% - 68%

Canada - Myles 3-9 2-4 9, Kristopher Joseph 6-21 0-0 12, Lukasa 1-6 4-4 6, Imama 0-4 0-0 0, William 2-5 0-0 4, Malish 0-3 0-0 0, House 3-5 0-1 8, Oluseyi Ashaolu 3-14 5-10 11, Malumba 3-6 3-4 9, Sacre 3-8 1-2 7. Totals - 24-81 15-25 66.

FG% - 30%

3-PT.FG% - 16%

FT% - 60%

3-point goals - USA 5-16 (King 2-6, Flynn 1-1, Smith 1-2, Bayless 1-4, Singler 0-3), Canada 3-19 (House 2-4, Myles 1-3, Lukasa 0-1, Ashaolu 0-1, ).

Imama 0-2, William 0-2, Malish 0-3, Joseph 0-3,).

Total fouls - USA 23, Canada 19. Fouled out - none. Technicals - none.

Rebounds - USA 62 (Beasley 10), Canada 37 (Sacre 11).

Assists - USA 19 (Flynn 7), Canada 8 (Joseph, House, with 2 each)

Steals - USA 10 (Bayless 3), Canada 11 (Myles 4).

Blocked shots - USA 7 (Robinson, Hawes, with 2 each), Canada 3 (Ashaolu 3).

Turnovers - USA 19, Canada 17.

Officials - Arnoldo Dorame (Mexico), Fernando Serpa (Brazil), Frederick Brown (Bahamas).

OTHER SCORES

Semifinals

Argentina 90, Brazil 73

Elimination Game

Uruguay 79, Bahamas 60

Sunday's Schedule)

(times listed are Central)

1 p.m. - 5th/6th place - Uruguay vs. Puerto Rico

3 p.m. - Bronze Medal - Brazil vs. Canada

5 p.m. - Gold Medal - Argentina vs. USA

GAME #3 (United States 92, v. Canada, 66)

POST-GAME QUOTES

NAME: Jerryd Bayless #5

Player, USA

QUOTE:

Coach Romar told me to come out here and do what I do best. Coach Romar stresses just to come out and keep playing. That’s what we’ve been doing throughout this whole tournament just getting the lead and trying to keep a hold of it and hopefully we can do that tomorrow against Argentina.

We’ve been tested we’ve been doing this against ourselves everyday in practice. We are the best players in the U.S. Argentina is a good team too but we’ve been tested and we are ready and up for the challenge tomorrow.

Coach Romar, Coach Hewitt, and Coach Wainwright are all college coaches and they are showing us little things that are going to need to compete at the college level. They are really helping us out so we can play at the next level.

NAME: Michael Beasley #14

Player, USA

QUOTE:

It helps us a lot. Coming to a fast start gives us a little leeway.

It’s great playing with the best players in the USA. It’s a dream come true.

We approach [tomorrow] the way we approach every game, just come out and play the hardest we can possibly play.

NAME: Spencer Hawes #15

Player, USA

QUOTE:

We anticipate Argentina being a better team than anyone we’ve faced down here so far. We’d love to get a big victory tomorrow, but if that’s not the case I think we can win if we grind it out.

We realize what’s at stake, this is the gold medal, the US has only lost one time since this tournament has been put into place so we know what’s at stake and we don’t want to be the people known as the one’s who let it down.

We’ve got to be disciplined just like they are and execute they play so crisp and such a fundamental style of basketball and we’ve got to try to match that and also use our advantages and athleticism so that we can be successful.

We definitely have to adjust to their style of play it’s something we’re not used to so we’d love to say that we can just play our game and win but we’ll have to try to adjust to how they play the game of basketball.

NAME: Lorenzo Romar

Head Coach, USA

QUOTE:

These are some good kids that are coachable and want to do things right. They are unselfish, team guys, so it makes it a lot easier that way. A lot of these guys, maybe because they’ve been stars on their teams so maybe they haven’t been asked to really defend, but these guys have sacrificed their individual accolades for the betterment of the team and to win a gold medal game right now as a result.

I don’t think you can base anything off the margin of victory I think each team presents a different challenge.

We’ve made a number of references to the guys about going on to wherever they play in college to take some of the things we’ve worked on with them and implement them.

Effort, every drill, every possession, every quarter—maximum effort, you can’t do more than that. If you have the right focus and maximum effort and it doesn’t work out the right way you can’t complain because you did the best you could do.

In team sports, in basketball, you’re not going to go very far if you don’t look out for each other and it’s amazing what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit.