Olympic basketball training camp ‘looks like a Kentucky alumni gathering’
Tuesday marked the first day that the United States’ Olympic men’s basketball team and the Select Team assigned with helping with preparation worked out.
Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra, who is leading the Select Team, had a first impression that could strike home for those of the Big Blue Nation.
“Looks like a Kentucky alumni gathering,” Spoelstra said on a teleconference.
That’s because four players on the Select Team played in college for Kentucky: Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson, Immanuel Quickley and PJ Washington. A fifth former UK player, Bam Adebayo, is on the Olympic team. And a sixth, Devin Booker, was not in Las Vegas because his Phoenix Suns were playing against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night in the first game of the NBA Finals.
When asked about Spoelstra’s comment, Herro agreed.
“It is a Kentucky reunion,” he said of the preparations for the Olympics, which will take place in Japan on July 25-Aug. 8. By then, Booker is expected to have joined the team.
“It felt good to be out there with those guys again,” Herro said. “We were able to get up shots after (the workout) and kind of reminisce back on our old days.”
In this case, the old days came in the 2018-19 season when Herro, Johnson and Washington were UK teammates. Adebayo played for Kentucky in the 2016-17 season.
In separate teleconferences, Adebayo and Herro credited their Kentucky seasons as helping them advance their basketball careers to the point of being part of the Olympic and Select teams, respectively.
“It showed me how to be held accountable,” Adebayo said of his UK season. “That was the biggest thing Coach Cal (John Calipari) emphasized in practice and games. You’ll always be held accountable because at the end of the day, you all are on the floor. You are responsible. And you all have got to get the job done.
“So, accountability is the biggest thing I took from Kentucky. It got me this far because I take a lot of (responsibility) for certain things that happen on the court or how we’re playing.”
Adebayo cited that sense of responsibility in saying he was prepared to compete in the workouts and the Olympics.
“That’s one thing I do in the offseason,” he said. “I put my body through the wringer so I can be prepared for whatever task I have at hand.”
Herro said his Kentucky season “pretty much set me up. … That was an experience that you can’t really explain how much it affected my career. You know, going to Kentucky has set me up for success down the line.”
Herro also spoke of his Kentucky season instilling a desire to improve as a player into the future.
“I’m excited to keep getting better, and Kentucky was a big stepping-stone for that,” he said.
Spoelstra suggested that playing with the Select Team can give players a confidence boost. Playing in a new system with new terminology can help expand a player’s game.
Then, there’s the high level of competition for Herro, Johnson, Washington and other players on the Select Team.
“There’s absolutely nothing you could do during a summer in terms of workouts or player development or open gym that could surpass this type of experience,” Spoelstra said.
The workouts in Las Vegas are not Adebayo’s first experience with international play. He tried out for a U.S. team that would play in the world championships two years ago. After he was cut, he scoffed at not making the team. He saw advantage in not forgetting.
“It’s a chip,” he said, meaning a grievance he metaphorically carries on his shoulder. “You know, I’ve always excelled when I had a chip or if I had something to motivate me. … It’s time to show why I got this opportunity.”
Spoelstra, who is Adebayo’s coach in the NBA, suggested that the Olympics can benefit Adebayo in multiple ways.
“He’s a much different player than he was then,” Spoelstra said in contrasting the Adebayo of two years ago and now. “How he’s grown his confidence, his esteem, his leadership, his competitive will. All those things are really going to add to the chemistry and what the U.S. team brings to the table.”
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