(UW Athletics release)
LARAMIE, Wyo. – Former Cowboy Josh Adams was one of 13 players invited to the USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team Training Camp. The 13 players are part of the NBA G-League, as Adams plays for the Raptors 905 with former Cowboy Derek Cooke, Jr.
Adams is averaging 17 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists in his nine games played. He has shot 41 percent from the three point line in those contests. Adams has played professionally in China, Turkey and Russia.
A native of Parker, Colo., Adams averaged 24.7 points per game in 2015-16 for first in the Mountain West and third in the NCAA. He also paced the Pokes at 5.5 rebounds per contest, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals, while ranking in the top 10 of 11 different MW statistical categories. His 3.2 threes per game also led the conference and ranked 15th in the nation. He scored 740 points as a senior to break Wyoming’s single-season record of 701 by Flynn Robinson in 1964-65. Adams earned Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America honors.
Former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who has led the USA to an 8-2 record in FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifying action and earned the United States a qualifying berth for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, again is head coach of the USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team. Former University of Georgia head coach Mark Fox and former Georgetown University head coach John Thompson III again are serving as USA assistant coaches.
The USA team will train Feb. 15-19 at the University of Miami and will continue its training Feb. 21 and Feb. 24 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and will conclude FIBA World Cup Qualifying play with a pair of home second round games, Feb. 22 versus Panama (3-6) and Feb. 25 versus Argentina (9-1). Both games will be held at the home of the NBA G League Greensboro Swarm – the Fieldhouse at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.
With a total of seven 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifying berths going to the top three finishing teams in each of the Americas two second round groups and to the best ranked fourth place team, Argentina (9-1) and the USA (8-2) from second-round Group E, and Venezuela (9-1) and Canada (8-2) in Group F already have captured a qualifying berth for 2019 FIBA World Cup. Puerto Rico (6-4) and Uruguay (6-4) in Group E and Brazil (7-3) and Dominican Republic (6-4) in Group F remain in contention for the last three Americas qualifying berths. Group E teams Mexico (3-6) and Panama (3-6), and Group F teams Chile (2-8) and U.S. Virgin Islands (2-8) no longer are in contention for a World Cup qualifying berth.
