USA Basketball announces roster, defines Jeff Van Gundy role

Jeff Van Gundy got USA Basketball into this summer's FIBA World Cup.

And now he'll try to beat them as well.

USA Basketball on Monday announced the 20 names of players for the national team training camp to be held this summer in advance of the World Cup in China — plus revealed that Van Gundy will coach the select team that will scrimmage against the national-teamers during that camp.

Van Gundy coached the Americans through a 12-game qualifying season that ended earlier this year, using G League players and a wildly changing roster in each of the six two-game qualifying windows.

"Jeff Van Gundy has done a tremendous job for USA Basketball and he'll continue to do so," USA Basketball National Team Managing Director Jerry Colangelo said.

USA Basketball head coach Gregg Popovich said he would use Van Gundy in a number of capacities this summer. Van Gundy is expected to be part of Popovich's staff meetings that start later this month, will run the team's scouting and Popovich said he has been and will continue to be "a big part of all this."

"Jeff has been incredible and no one will ever know, very few people will ever know what he has done," Popovich said.

Van Gundy, part of the broadcast team for ABC at the NBA Finals, declined comment.

Most of the 35 players selected last year for the pool are no longer in the mix for various reasons. The 14 that remain are Harrison Barnes, Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, James Harden, Tobias Harris, Damian Lillard, Kevin Love, Kyle Lowry, CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton, Myles Turner and Kemba Walker.

The six additions are Kyle Kuzma, Brook Lopez, Paul Millsap, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and P.J. Tucker.

The 20 players named Monday will be in Las Vegas for training camp Aug. 5-9. The roster will be pared to 12 for the World Cup, which starts Aug. 31. Popovich will be assisted by Golden State's Steve Kerr, Atlanta's Lloyd Pierce and Villanova's Jay Wright this summer.