Texas coach Shaka Smart (Photo: Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports)
Texas coach Shaka Smart was named the head coach for the USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team that will attempt to win its fourth consecutive gold medal this summer, USA Basketball announced Thursday.
The assistant coaches will be Kevin Ollie from Connecticut and Mark Turgeon from Maryland.
The team will compete at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship July 19-23 in Valdivia, Chile. The top four finishing teams will earn a qualifying berth in the 2017 FIBA U19 World Championship.
The coaches were selected by the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee, which is chaired by Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.
Smart is 14-0 as a USA Basketball assistant coach as part of coaching staffs at the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship and the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship.
“It’s a tremendous honor to coach the USA U18 National Team and represent our country in international play,” Smart said in a news release from USA Basketball. “The opportunity to work with Kevin Ollie and Mark Turgeon is something I’m extremely excited about. They are two of the best coaches in the country, and I’m looking forward to learning a great deal from each of them.”