Steve Kerr officially appointed as Team USA head coach

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

USA Basketball announced that Steve Kerr will be the head coach of the team from 2022 to 2024. The Golden State Warriors boss and three-time NBA champion as coach will lead Team USA in the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympic Games.

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams and longtime Gonzaga coach Mark Few will be joining Kerr as assistants.

Per USA Basketball:

The coaching staff for the 2022-24 USA Basketball Men’s National Team today was announced when USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director Grant Hill officially named eight-time NBA championship Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr to lead the USA Men’s National Team.

Additionally, Gonzaga University head coach Mark Few, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams will complete the 2022-24 USA National Team coaching staff as assistant coaches.

The USA Basketball Board of Directors approved the selections, which, should the U.S. men qualify for the 2024 Olympics, will be subject to approval by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

“With today’s announcement, our men’s national basketball team begins its quest for 2023 FIBA World Cup and 2024 Olympic gold,” said retired Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, USA Basketball Chairperson. “On behalf of everyone associated with USA Basketball, I want to thank these four great coaches for stepping up to lead the young men who will proudly wear USA into international competition.”

As head coach, Kerr will lead the USA National Team in 2022-24, which will include all USA Men’s National Team training camps, and, if the USA qualifies, the 2023 FIBA World Cup that is scheduled to be held in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia from Aug. 25-Sept. 10, 2023, and the 2024 Summer Olympic Games that is scheduled for July 26-Aug. 11 in Paris, France.

“I’m incredibly honored and humbled to represent our country as the head coach for the USA Basketball Men’s National Team,” said Kerr. “It’s a thrilling opportunity and I’m excited for the challenge.

“Obviously, there are numerous people who I need to acknowledge and thank, notably Grant Hill, Jim Tooley and Sean Ford of USA Basketball, and of course Gregg Popovich and Jerry Colangelo, who gave me the opportunity to be an assistant coach on the most recent USA staff.

“I’m also beyond excited to work with three coaches I have enormous respect for in Erik Spoelstra, Monty Williams and Mark Few. Coaching the USA Men’s National Team comes with great responsibility — one that calls for a group effort with a team of coaches committed to the team, to the goal and to each other — and I couldn’t ask for a finer group of high character individuals to help me lead our national team. Our goal, of course, is to win and make our country proud. We will work hard to do so.”

The USA men have won four consecutive Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020) and have claimed FIBA World Cup championships in two of the past three competitions (2010, 2014).

“I’m thrilled to announce the coaching staff for the 2022-24 USA Basketball Men’s National Team, with Steve Kerr as head coach, and Mark Few, Erik Spoelstra and Monty Williams as assistant coaches. There is no question in my mind that this is an extremely experienced and talented coaching staff,” said Hill. “Steve now joins a list of coaching legends who have led USA men’s national teams to a remarkable legacy.

“As a college and NBA player, he enjoyed remarkable success, helping his teams achieve great success. As a coach, he has cultivated outstanding chemistry and provided invaluable leadership which has led Golden State to enviable success including three NBA Championships. In his role as an assistant coach for coach Popovich and the 2017-21 USA National Teams, he gained valuable insight and experience both with the USA National Team and in FIBA competitions. In my opinion, basketball people would agree that he was the ideal candidate to lead the USA National Team in the next three years.”

Since first fielding a team of legendary NBA stars in 1992, USA Basketball Men’s National Teams have claimed gold medals in 15 of 19 major FIBA basketball competitions, while compiling an impressive 146-10 overall record (.936 winning percentage) in those competitions, and posting a record of 56-4 (.933 winning percentage) in exhibition games.

Steve Kerr
No stranger to USA Basketball, Kerr most recently was an assistant coach for the 2017-21 USA Basketball Men’s National Team. Kerr was part of Popovich’s gold medalist coaching staff for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, and the 2019 USA National Team that competed in the FIBA World Cup in China. By helping the USA claim gold at the Tokyo Olympics, Kerr became the first USA Basketball National Team coach to also have earned a gold medal as a player in a FIBA senior level competition, having won gold at the 1986 World Cup.

In his seven completed seasons (2014-15 – 2020-21) as the Warriors head coach, Golden State compiled an exceptional 376-171 regular season record for a stellar 68.7 winning percentage, while compiling a 77-28 record (.733 winning percentage) in five NBA Playoff appearances. His 68.7 regular season winning percentage is the third all-time highest for an NBA coach, and his 73.3 playoff winning percentage is the highest among NBA head coaches all-time that have coached a minimum of 25 postseason games

His list of coaching accomplishments includes three NBA championships (2015, 2017, 2018), a streak of five-consecutive NBA Finals appearances (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), the NBA’s single-season mark for wins (73 in 2015-16), the NBA’s best single-season playoff record (16-1 in 2016-17), which included a playoff-record 15-game win streak to begin the 2017 NBA Playoffs, an NBA Coach of the Year award in 2015-16, and the three winningest seasons in franchise history.

Kerr, who won five NBA championships during a 15-year playing career, now owns eight NBA championships as a player and coach, joining a list of those with multiple titles as both player and coach that includes Phil Jackson (two player/11 coach), KC Jones (eight player/two coach), Tommy Heinsohn (eight player/two coach) and Bill Russell (11 player/two coach).

He is just the third coach in NBA history to win three championships in his first four seasons at the helm, joining Phil Jackson(1991, 1992, 1993) and John Kundla (1949, 1950, 1952) as the only coaches to do so.

Under Kerr, Golden State became the first team in NBA history to win at least 65 games in three consecutive campaigns (67, 73, 67), owning the league’s best record outright in three-straight seasons – the first team to do so since the Boston Celtics from 1983-84 to 1985-86.

On March 28, 2017, Kerr earned his 200th regular-season coaching victory in just his 238th career game, reaching the 200-win plateau in fewer games than any coach in professional sports history.

Kerr owns 30 years of NBA experience as a player, coach, television analyst and front office executive, including a three-year stint (2007-10) as president of basketball operations and general manager for the Phoenix Suns. During his time as the Suns GM, the club posted a 155-91 (.630 winning percentage) record and earned a pair of playoff berths, including a trip to the 2010 Western Conference Finals.

The NBA’s all-time 3-point percentage leader, having converted on 45.4% (726-1599 3pt FGs) of his attempts, Kerr amassed career averages of 6.0 points, 1.8 assists and 1.2 rebounds per contest in 910 regular-season games with the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers.

He originally was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the second round (50th overall) of the 1988 NBA Draft out of the University of Arizona. He capped his collegiate career as a senior in 1988 by helping lead the Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance. An All-Pacific 10 Conference guard in both 1986 and 1988, he remains the school’s career leader in 3-point percentage (57.3 percent).

Kerr was a member of the USA Basketball national team that captured the 1986 FIBA World Cup title in Madrid, the last American men’s senior team composed completely of amateur players to capture a gold medal. Kerr averaged 9.2 points a game and made 18-of-36 3-point tries. A finalist for the 1988 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team, Kerr also was a member of the 1988 USA Select Team that finished 6-0 during a European tour.

Mark Few
“I feel this is as high of an honor as you can get when you’re coaching,” Few said. “To represent your country and to be able to do it with the greatest players and coaches in the world is truly special. I’ve worked with USA Basketball all these years; they are an incredible group of people, and I’m so grateful for this opportunity. Being a part of USA Basketball is something I’ve really enjoyed doing. It’s been a great professional development piece for me, and I am very excited for this.”

Few boasts of a plethora of USA Basketball experience. Named an assistant coach for the 2019 USA Men’s Select Team, a team that helped prepare the USA World Cup Team prior to playing in China, he returned in 2021 as an assistant coach for the USA Men’s Select Team to help prepare the gold medalist U.S. Olympic Team prior to playing in Tokyo. He served as head coach of the 2015 U.S. Pan American Men’s Basketball Team, a squad composed of collegiate players, and led the team to a bronze medal, and he also was an assistant coach for the gold medalist 2012 USA U18 National Team and a court coach for the 2009 USA Men’s U19 World Cup/World University Games Team training camp.

Named head coach at Gonzaga University on July 26, 1999, Few served as an assistant coach for 10 seasons prior to taking the reins of the program.

Through the 2021-22 season (as of 12/20/21), Few ranks as the winningest active NCAA Division I coach by winning percentage at 83.4% (630-125), and in his last five seasons he has compiled a remarkable 164-14 record (.921 winning percentage). He was the third fastest collegiate coach in history to 200 career wins (247 games), tied for sixth fastest to 300 wins (347 games), fifth fastest to 400 wins (499 games), third fastest to 500 wins (612 games) and third fastest to 600 wins, reaching the milestone in 754 games.

Advancing to the NCAA Tournament in all 21 of the team’s eligible seasons (2019-20 NCAA tournament was canceled due to COVID-19), he led Gonzaga to two NCAA National Championship appearances (2017 and 2021), four Elite Eight appearances (2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021), and 10 Sweet 16 appearances (2000, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021).

Gonzaga has won or shared 20 regular season league titles in Few’s 22 seasons and has taken home conference tournament championships 17 times. The Bulldogs won or shared 11 straight West Coast Conference regular-season titles from 2000-11, which was the longest streak in the nation at the time and the second-best streak all-time in the NCAA Division I ranks.

A native of Creswell, Oregon, Few started his coaching career right before graduating from University of Oregon in 1987 as an assistant coach for Creswell High School from 1986-88, and then as an assistant coach for Sheldon High School (Oregon) in 1988-89. He went to Gonzaga as a graduate assistant in 1990-91 and has remained at the institution ever since.

Erik Spoelstra
In July 2021, Spoelstra took on his first USA Basketball coaching responsibility as head coach of the 2021 USA Select Team that trained with and against the 2020 U.S. Olympic team that would win gold in Tokyo.

Spoelstra in 2020-21 completed his 13th season as head coach of the Miami Heat and his 26th as a member of the organization. He is the second-longest tenured head coach in the NBA, behind 2017-21 USA Men’s National Team head coach Popovich.

Under Spoelstra, through the 2020-21 season, Miami has compiled a 607-424 regular season record (.589 winning percentage), an 85-58 postseason mark (.594 winning percentage), 10 postseason appearances, seven division titles, five conference championships and two NBA championships (2012 and 2013).

Spoelstra is the winningest coach in Heat franchise history and holds the franchise record for playoff wins (85), series wins (18) and playoff winning percentage (.594). He also holds records for regular season victories (607), games coached (1,031), and winning percentage (.589). He helped the Heat win NBA Championships in 2012 and 2013, becoming just the eighth coach in NBA history to win back-to-back championships.

Spoelstra became at the time just the fourth head coach in NBA history to lead his team to four consecutive Finals appearances joining Red Auerbach, K.C. Jones and Pat Riley, all of whom have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Spoelstra ranks 11th on the NBA’s all-time postseason winning percentage list (minimum 50 games coached) and fourth among active head coaches, and upon capturing the 2013 NBA Championship he became just the 13th head coach in NBA history to have won multiple championships and only the eighth to win a championship in consecutive seasons. In regular season play, he’s currently ranked 26th on the NBA’s all-time victories list (fifth among active coaches) and 13th all-time (third among active coaches) in regular season win percentage (minimum 500 games coached).

Selected in 2017 to share the National Basketball Coaches Association inaugural Michael H. Goldberg Coach of the Year Award with Mike D’Antoni.

Since starting as head coach on April 28, 2008, Spoelstra has led Miami to the NBA playoffs 10 times, making it to the NBA Finals in five of those seasons, including four straight from 2010-11 to 2013-14. He has led the Heat to three 50+ win seasons, including a franchise best 66 wins during the 2012-13 season. He has won Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors a Miami franchise-record eight times, with his best month coming in March of 2013, going 17-1 (.944 winning percentage).

Before taking over as the sixth head coach in Heat history, Spoelstra had served Miami in several roles in his first 13 years, starting with the organization during the 1997-98 season. He originally was hired as video coordinator and over the years was promoted to assistant coach/video coordinator, assistant coach/advance scout, and assistant coach/director of scouting before ascending to head coach.

In his seven seasons as the Heat’s assistant coach/director of scouting, he helped the Heat win the NBA Championship during the 2005-06 season, with a team led by U.S. Olympic gold medalists Shaquille O’Neal (1996) and Dwyane Wade (2008).

In 1992, Spoelstra graduated from the University of Portland, where he was a starting point guard for four years and was named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year in 1989. After graduation, he spent two years as a player/coach for Tus Herten, a professional German team.

Monty Williams
“I’m grateful to be able to represent my country in this way and overwhelmed that USA Basketball would invite me to be part of this journey,” said Williams. “I want to thank Grant Hill and Coach Kerr for entrusting me with this responsibility. Several of my proudest moments in basketball have come representing USA Basketball and it’s a blessing for my family and I to be a part of the program again. I am looking forward to the next chapter of USA Basketball and learning from the best players, coaches, and people in the game as we work for gold for the USA.”

No newcomer to USA Basketball, Williams served as an assistant coach for the USA Basketball Men’s National Team from 2013-2016. As a member of Mike Krzyzewski’s USA staff, Williams assisted the USA to a perfect overall record of 26-0, including gold-medal finishes at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain and the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Williams in 2021-22 enters his third season as Phoenix Suns head coach following a Western Conference title and trip to the NBA Finals in 2020-21. His peers recognized him with the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award for his accomplishments in the 2020-21 season.

Named the Suns head coach on May 3, 2019, he took over a team that had won 19 games in the prior season and has led the team to consecutive increases of at least 15 wins despite fewer games being played in each season. Improving by 15 wins in 2019-20 and 17 wins in 2020-21, the Suns became just the fifth team in NBA history to increase its win total by 15-plus games in successive seasons. Over the last 45 years, the Suns became just the third team to improve from a bottom two record to a top two record in two seasons or less.

In 2020-21, Williams led the Suns to the NBA’s second-best record and the team’s first Pacific Division title since 2007. He led Phoenix to a memorable 2020-21 playoff run in which the Suns won a franchise postseason record nine straight games on the way to the Western Conference title, the team’s first since 1993. Williams was recognized as the Western Conference Coach of the Month for March 2021, his second time winning the honor, and was runner-up in voting for 2020-21 NBA Coach of the Year in addition to winning the award given by his peers in the NBCA.

Williams spent his first five seasons as a head coach with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans (2010-11 – 2014-15), leading the team to two postseason appearances. In his first season, the Hornets won 46 games and Williams was the Western Conference Coach of the Month for January 2011 as he led New Orleans’ return to the playoffs.

Williams has totaled seven seasons as an NBA assistant coach, two seasons in a front office role, one season as a coaching intern and nine seasons as a player, giving him 26 years of NBA experience since first being drafted in 1994.

He completed his first season as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2018-19, helping the team to a 51-31 record and a berth in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Williams served as associate head coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015-16, contributing to the Thunder’s trip to the Western Conference Finals, and spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers from 2005-10, a stint that included two playoff appearances. He got his start in coaching as a coaching intern with the San Antonio Spurs for the 2004-05 season when the team won an NBA Championship. Before returning to the bench in 2018, Williams spent two seasons in the Spurs’ front office as vice president of basketball operations from 2016-18.

Williams was a nine-year NBA veteran as a player, averaging 6.3 points in 456 career games with New York, San Antonio, Denver, Orlando, and Philadelphia.

The 24th overall pick in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, Williams’ NBA career began after he earned honorable mention All-America honors at the University of Notre Dame for his senior season in 1993-94 when he averaged 22.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

At the 2017 NBA Awards, Williams was the recipient of the inaugural Sager Strong Award, an honor named for iconic Turner Sports sideline reporter Craig Sager presented annually to an individual who has been a trailblazer while exemplifying courage, faith, compassion, and grace.

Related Tags: National Team Men TourOlympic Games MenFIBA World Cup for MenSteve KerrMark FewMonty WilliamsErik Spoelstra

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