USA coach Steve Kerr brings learning experience over from 2019 FIBA World Cup

Team USA hit a low in 2019 when from being usual podium finishers, the team finished seventh in the FIBA World Cup.

As they start their campaign in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, USA head coach Steve Kerr said he has learned a lesson or two from that.

"We had a tough World Cup in 2019. We finished seventh. We were well aware of how competitive FIBA teams were going into that tournament, just like we know this time around," Kerr said in a press conference on Friday.

"The only thing you can do from an experience like that is learn and try to figure out what you can do better the next time and we've tried to do that in preparation for this year's World Cup."

Part of the lessons he learned from the 2019 squad was how to form a team with short preparation time.

"It was great for me to have the experience of being an assistant for Pop (Gregg Poppovich) in 2019 and 2021, you get to feel what it's like to put together a team for six weeks," he said.

Kerr said it is totally different from the NBA where there is more time to build a team.

"That experience really informed how we'll pick for this team. We wanted guys to be who we felt could be a team in a short period of time. We have players with great feel on this team. They're connected, they can all pass, they're enjoying the experience."

For Kerr, as a coach, he just needs to simplify the complications, cover their bases, and make the players feel comfortable for the game.

Team USA will face New Zealand at 8:40 pm in their opener today at the Mall of Asia Arena.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News