Anthony Grant named USA U18 National Team Asst Coach
 

USA Basketball @usabasketball
19m19 minutes ago

NEWS: Bill Self, Anthony Grant and Danny Manning to lead the 2018 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team

https://www.usab.com/news-events/new...8-coaches.aspx

https://twitter.com/usabasketball/st...66935924334594

Congrats Coach! Go Win the Gold!

And get some recruits!

Great news indeed! Hopefully this Will increase his presence in the right recruiting circles!
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Really good news for the program. Plus Anthony spends a couple of weeks with great coach.

Aww those wacky 'Bama fans. Gotta love 'em.

Avery Johnson the savior?

Through 3 years at Bama... AG 63-39, AJ 56-45... Next

If Grant was still there, they would be cheering the announcement as a way to potentially pick up some 2-sport athletes who could eventually cross over to football.

How can Grant run this program and do all these other things like USA Basketball? Sometimes I think it's all UD cares about and our own program is a second consideration. He should be out recruiting or watching HS playoffs or on campus growing relationships with our own team. Other schools like Xavier don't have these distractions and just focus on what's important. Imagine all the resources this USA Basketball thing takes away in time and energy that should be going to UD MBB. Our priorities are out of whack. We should probably just disband the MBB program altogether if we arent going to make it a priority.

haha I love it

This is great for recruiting. Anthony can be around potential recruits and be able to build a relationship with them.

Shaka Smart beat out UK & Cal for Mo Bamba because Smart was his Team USA coach on this thing. Great recruiting tool for coaches to get around NCAA contact restrictions

As a result, Self and his staff will have access to a tremendous pool of recruits, although the team has yet to be named. Last year’s U17 Junior National Team October Minicamp roster included current Kansas signee Quentin Grimes, uncommitted Class of 2018 shooting guard Romeo Langford and uncommitted 2018 point guard Anfernee Simons, among many others. Uncommitted Class of 2019 stars Vern Carey and Scottie Barnes of University (FL) School were both among the pool.

http://www.zagsblog.com/2018/03/13/k...anning-assist/

I don't know who runs USA Basketball, but it's clear they didn't do their due diligence on Coach Grant. Any such due diligence would include scouring this message board and that's all one would need to discern that he's not qualified.

They don't usually give these types of opportunities to guys who are about to be fired, do they?

Paul Hewitt coached one of these teams

No they don't and your bias regarding coach Grant is why they don't pay attention to message boards. They KNOW coaching and talent

UD is always looking to raise national stature of the program with recruits. Every UD coach has to overcome the reputation of UD not being a top program. Will joining this staff help that reputation? Don’t know.

This is a recruiting move

The most ignorant post you've ever given, that is why they have assistant coaches who focus on recruiting then bring in the HC to close the deal.

You obviously don't recognize the big benefit of being selected and a great selling point for recruits.

Flyerhoops run by real knowledgeable sports people see the up side for the program, short term and long.

As a result, Self and his staff will have access to a tremendous pool of recruits, although the team has yet to be named.

His first appointment to Team USA, as an assistant, was in 2006. He wasn't fired from GT until 2011. And by the time he was announced as the Head Coach at Team USA, he had already built up some pedigree within Team USA, having served 2 stints as an assistant.

So if by chance Grant gets canned in 2023, he should be well qualified to make a smooth transition into Team USA Head Coach.

I'm a bit slow on the uptake but I'm going to assume that's sarcasm.

I agree with the latter part of your post re: knowing coaching talent. And also agree that they wouldn't or shouldn't pay attention to message boards.

You've really got to get a better perception of S-A-R-C-A-S-M.

Bingo!!!

This sequence has me laughing.

While possibly true posts with sarcasm usually have smiley to indicate so, void that it is taken as serious

I think Chris is likely aware of the previous list of coaches before posting this.

https://www.usab.com/history/u18-men...ing-staff.aspx

I think it was so over the top that the smiley seemed superflous. Superfoluus. Superflouis. You know what I mean.

Jherry Matos played for the Dominican team in this so AG will be get eyes first hand on some international recruits

So was Chris being sarcastic or not? Did Avid think he was being sarcastic and countered his sarcasm with sarcasm? Boy the offseason gets tougher and tougher.

The NCAA strictly governs contact with potential recruits. If AG is coaching them as part of the national team that gives him time and access he wouldn't either wise have with high level recruits

Somebody missed the SARC bus today.

You had me there for a sec. Made me stop and think "Is the joke really on us?" And you could have sold this to me had it not been for Avid's follow up post about requiring a smiley for sarcasm.

Either way, well played........

This is like the end of The Usual Suspects

1. I'm lost on who is serious and who is not
2. Thrilled that AG is included in this
3. And just to be safe...:D:):cool::outtahere:

Glad I was able to contribute, long off season to Nov 2018. A lot will happen, hopefully recruits or transfers who can step in right away.

All good my Flyer friend. I got a good chuckle out of Chris's post but an actual LOL out of your retort. It was like I was watching an episode of Impractical Jokers.

Importance of staff
 

While the subject matter of the last dozen or so posts has been humor, it does remind me of something....the importance of a good staff, i.e., assistant coaches. I know nothing of AGs's assistants; but they have 12 month jobs as well as he does. Really competent assistants can have an enormous impact...and vice versa. When AG is away the staff doesn't go on vacation.

In the coaching carousel thread Kevin Ollie's trials and tribulations are discussed....his transition from a national championship coach to a fired coach in just four years. No way to know all the factors. But when he won a national championship in 2014 his three assistants were all former head coaches having a combined HC experience of about 50 years....a very highly experienced, competent group. They are now all gone. Could be a factor.

I hope AG has a solid group of assistants....it matters.

I agree that having assistants with recruiting skills is a must, And while I don’t remember the specifics, my recollection is that AG’s guys all have certain geographical connections. I think Cohill, Crutcher late, and Obi (from reports, nothing proven) lead me to believe that the farm will be well tended while AG is gone. The potential inroads to elite players excites me.

Recruiting
 

In other posts in other threads long ago I recall reading statements..or at least inferences....to the effect that AG will be able to recruit higher level HS players than AM. Do I have that right? If so, what is the basis of AG's "advantage"?

Plus i think it's Assistant Coaches who take most of the trips to talk ,see and visit recruits. As first steps. Anthony is likely the Closer

Archie did this for the USA u19 team in 2015.

Not much of a recruiting tool at that age.

UD Scott hacked his account...

He already has. Go ask Cohill.

What John C. said.

Wasn’t Don Donoher on the Olympic team staff in ‘84 (pros, I know, but no real benefit for our program as a result)?

Purnell was very active in USA Basketball. Did this improve his recruiting? Were Jean Paul Bro Grebe, Sammy Smith, Nuke Smith or Chris Spears the result of his engagement with USA Basketball?

I’m all for anything that will improve the program, be it a recruiting advantage or (dare I say) improving coaching techniques by observing Self. But if this is simply window dressing to obscure a profoundly disappointing season, color me unimpressed.

What is impressive is that he was selected to coach this elite team. And anything that gets the name in front of elite players is helpful.

If this was Archie getting appointing to this USA staff, this board would be going bonkers jumping up and down congratulating Archie and how it was great for UD and him. I would be too and feel the same way about AG getting the position.

I know that you cannot make everyone happy all of the time but really. Some people are never happy and don't want to be happy. AG is our coach - deal with it and support him and our UD program.

For the next few months, get a life. Go outside. Smell the fresh air. Watch the tournament without the pressure of having a dog in the race. Play golf. No wait, playing golf never makes anyone happy including myself. Until you get to the 19th hole that is.

Oh, come on. I posted almost no critical comments at all during Archie's entire 6 year tenure. My biggest, and perhaps only, complaint was his refusal to play a zone defense or a different defense, other than m2m, more often. The 15/15 thing is the fault of the money-grubbing administration.

The 15/15 thing again. See one note Charlie is still at it.

Wouldn't it be great if everyone was given is a bucket of criticism dollars every year. That's all you had to spend, so spend it wisely. Save it for the stuff that REALLY matters. Is this how you would spend one of your criticism dollars if that were the case?

OK, I'll start.

My first criticism is that I only get a limited amount of criticism dollars; I demand more :)

Don't make me organize a Royal walk-out
 

Since nobody tells me what to do, I'll print my own.

It's my right.

I'm not as excited as others about AG in this role. I remember OP having some similar role and, at the time, it seemed like that was as important to OP as it was UD basketball. I believed that OP's recruiting suffered because of this.

I'm not equating the two because they are different people for sure. OP, I think, always viewed UD as a stepping stone whereas I think AG is happy with staying at UD. I also think AG has a stronger staff than OP did.

I agree, especially if this years team finished 20-13 overall and 9-7 in the conference.