Derrick White named to USA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team

Former Colorado Buffaloes guard Derrick White was named to USA Basketball’s official 12-man roster for the September games of World Cup Qualifying, per an announcement on Monday.

White played in 17 games as a rookie for the San Antonio Spurs in 2017-18, averaging 3.2 points and 1.5 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per game. He averaged 20.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 24 games with the NBA G-League Champion Austin Spurs.

The USA will continue its training through Sept. 13 at UNLV’s Mendenhall Center. The USA, playing in the first competition window of FIBA World Cup Qualifying second-round games, will meet Uruguay on Sept. 14 (8 p.m. MDT) at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion, then meet Panama on Sept. 17 in Panama City.

White Joins Bryce Alford (Oklahoma City Blue); Dwayne Bacon (Charlotte Hornets); Henry Ellenson (Detroit Pistons); Reggie Hearn (Grand Rapids Drive); Isaiah Hicks (New York Knicks); Dakari Johnson (Free Agent); Frank Mason III (Sacramento Kings); Ben Moore (Fort Wayne Mad Ants); Chasson Randle (Capital City Go-Go); Travis Trice (Milwaukee Bucks) and Jameel Warney (Texas Legends) on the USA roster.

Here’s the info on USA Basketball’s teams, via the official press release.

“Former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who led the USA to a 5-0 record and the gold medal at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup Championship and led the USA to a 5-1 record in the first-round of the FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifying, is again head coach of the USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team. NBA G League Westchester Knicks head coach Mike Miller, and former Georgetown University coach John Thompson III, are serving as USA assistant coaches.

Hearn and Warney return to the USA Team after previously playing with USA World Cup Qualifying Teams. Hearn played with the USA’s November 2017 and June 2018 World Cup Qualifying Teams, and started in all four games and averaged 12.3 points a game. Warney played for U.S. in the November World Cup Qualifier and averaged 11.5 points and 8.0 rebounds a game. Both players were also part of the USA AmeriCup Team that finished 5-0 to claim gold in August 2017. Warney, who was selected the 2017 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year, earned AmeriCup MVP honors after posting 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, while Hearn contributed 10.0 points a game.

Nine of the players earned NBA playing time in 2017-18, including Bacon (53 games with Charlotte Hornets); Ellenson (38 games with Detroit Pistons); Hearn (three games with Detroit Pistons); Hicks (18 games with New York Knicks); Johnson (31 games with Oklahoma City Thunder); Mason (52 games with Sacramento Kings); Moore (two games with Indiana Pacers); Warney (three games with Dallas Mavericks) and White (17 games with San Antonio Spurs). Additionally, Randle played 26 games in 2016-17 for the NBA New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers.

Eleven of the players own NBA G League experience, including nine who played in the NBA’s official minor league in 2017-18.

After finishing 5-1 and first in Group C in first-round action, the USA opens the FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifying second round facing Group A’s No. 2 seed, Uruguay (4-2), on Friday. The USA will complete the September competition window with an away game versus Panama (3-3) on Sept. 17 in Panama City.”