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Jordan Bell and Elfrid Payton Will be Part of Team USA for AmeriCup Qualifying Games vs. Cuba

February 12, 2024 - NBA G League (G League)
Indiana Mad Ants News Release


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - USA Basketball today announced the 12-man roster and updated coaching staff for the February 2024 USA Men's AmeriCup Qualifying Team, which will host Cuba in Kissimmee, Florida, on Feb. 22 before traveling to Cuba for a contest on Feb. 25.

Among the participants will be Indiana Mad Ants players Jordan Bell and Elfrid Payton. Broadcast plans for the games are still TBD.

The 12 athletes slated to compete for the USA have professional experience in the NBA, NBA G League and international leagues with half of the players having prior USA Basketball experience.

The February 2024 USA AmeriCup Qualifying Team includes Bell, Payton, Deonte Burton, Michael Carter-Williams, Will Davis, RaiQuan Gray, Dusty Hannahs, Matthew Hurt, Jayce Johnson, Stanley Johnson, Jahmi'us Ramsey and Justin Wright-Foreman.

Nine players have prior USA Basketball experience.

Bell (Windows 2-3), Burton (Window 6), Hannahs (Window 6) and Wright-Foreman (Window 2) participated in 2021-23 Men's World Cup Qualifying. Davis, who participated in four windows of World Cup Qualifying, also played in 2022 AmeriCup Qualifying (Window 3) and earned bronze at the 2022 FIBA Men's AmeriCup. Hurt, who most recently won gold as a member of the 2023 3x3 Men's U23 World Cup Team, played in the 2019 Nike Hoop Summit and won gold at the 2018 FIBA Men's U18 World Cup. Johnson was a member of the 2016 USA Select Team, played in the 2014 Nike Hoop Summit and won three FIBA gold medals on USA Basketball junior national teams dating back to 2011. Payton was a member of the 2013 USA Men's U19 National Team that earned a gold medal at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Cup.

Carter-Williams participated in 2015 USA Basketball Men's National Team Minicamp but will make his competitive debut versus Cuba.

Gray, Jayce Johnson and Ramsey will make their USA Basketball debuts.

USA Basketball also announced that Jerome Allen will now serve as the team's head coach, with Melvin Hunt and Sydney Johnson as his assistant coaches. Bill Bayno, who most recently was as an assistant for the Detroit Pistons (2021-23), will serve as an assistant coach/scout.

Dave Joerger was originally slated to lead the staff prior to being named to the Milwaukee Bucks' coaching staff in January.

The USA will hold training camp Feb. 16-21 in Orlando, Florida, before hosting Cuba on at 5:10 p.m. ET on Feb. 22. Tickets are on sale now at www.usab.com/tickets. The Americans will then travel to Havana to face Cuba on Feb. 25.

The AmeriCup Qualifying Window is the first of three in advance of the 2025 FIBA Men's AmeriCup. The USA will also square off with Group D opponents Puerto Rico and the Bahamas in upcoming qualifying windows in November 2024 and February 2025.

FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying consists of 16 teams distributed into four, four-team groups. Each team will play each opponent in their group twice, once at home and once away, during three windows which will take place in Feb. 19-27, 2024; Nov. 18-26, 2024; and Feb. 17-25, 2025. The top three teams in each group (12 in total) will qualify for the 2025 FIBA Men's AmeriCup Aug. 23-31, 2025, in Managua, Nicaragua.

The U.S. is 6-0 all time in FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying games, going undefeated in 2020-21. The Americans have won the FIBA Men's AmeriCup seven times, most recently in 2017. The USA won bronze in 2022.

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