COLORADO SPRINGS (FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017) - USA Basketball's hopes for three straight FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup titles will lie in the hands of John Calipari, who was given the reins for the team that will compete in Cairo.

"Being a part of USA Basketball is special," said Calipari, who was announced as the United States head coach for the 1-9 July tournament. "What (USA Basketball managing director) Jerry Colangelo has done, along with (USA Basketball's CEO/Executive Director) Jim Tooley and (USA Basketball's Men's National Team Director) Sean Ford, to not only build the national team but also build a winning culture with all the teams, has been incredible to watch. This gives me an opportunity to give back to the game that has been so good to my family and me as well as a game that I love. It is an honour to be asked to coach."

The two-time reigning champion Americans have been drawn into Group D along with Angola, Iran and Italy. USA will be attempting to become the first country to win three straight U19 titles and the crown would be the Americans' seventh. No other country has more than one. 

This is the second time the University of Kentucky head coach Calipari will be coaching in FIBA competitions after leading Dominican Republic's men's team in 2011 and 2012. The Dominicans finished third at the FIBA Americas Championship 2011 and took the title at the Centrobasket 2012. Twice his teams came within one win of qualifying for the Olympics for the first time in the country’s history.

USA Basketball also announced that Tad Boyle and Danny Manning will be Calipari's assistants.

Boyle, who is currently the head coach at the University of Colorado, was a USA assistant coach for the third-placed team at the 2015 Pan American Games and a court coach at the 2013 USA men's World University Games training camp.

Manning, the head coach at Wake Forest University, played 15 years in the NBA for seven teams after being the top overall pick in the 1988 Draft. He helped the United States to a bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics and a second-place finish at the 1987 Pan American Games.

Manning also served as a court coach for the 2014 USA Men's U18 National Team training camp.

This gives me an opportunity to give back to the game that has been so good to my family and me as well as a game that I love. It is an honour to be asked to coach." - Calipari

"I feel very fortunate and very honoured to be a part of USA Basketball," Manning said. "I am looking forward representing our country to the best of our team's ability. As a staff, we will follow Coach Cal's lead and do whatever we can to come home with the gold."

Calipari, Boyle and Manning were all at the University of Kansas at the same time for the 1984-85 season - Calipari as assistant coach and Boyle and Manning as players.

"I coached both Tad and Danny at the University of Kansas," Calipari said. "I'm so proud of what they’ve become as coaches and as representatives of this game. I'm looking forward to reuniting and learning from both of these special coaches."

Calipari and his staff will hold the training camp to select the team for Cairo 2017 from June 18-25 at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

FIBA