LAS VEGAS: For USA Basketball, the road to the Paris Olympics has started with a win.
Anthony Davis scored 13 points, Stephen Curry added 12 and the United States opened its tune-up schedule for the Paris Games by topping Canada 86-72 on Wednesday night.
Jrue Holiday scored 11 points and Anthony Davis finished with 10 for the US, which has four more exhibitions before getting to France.
RJ Barrett scored 12 points for Canada, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks each had 10.
President Barack Obama was at the game, as were many NBA coaches and dozens of USA Basketball dignitaries in town for the federation’s 50th anniversary celebration. Among them: Jerry Colangelo, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dawn Staley, Lisa Leslie, Teresa Edwards, Swin Cash, Lindsay Whalen and many more.
Cold start
The US was down 11-1 midway through the first quarter, having missed its first six shot attempts. The rest of the half: US 40, Canada 22, and the Americans shot 18 for 28 — 64.3 percent — in that span. The lead was 41-33 at the break and the Americans stretched it to 69-54 going into the fourth.
It was easy to see where the Americans, who have been together for less than a week, still are figuring things out; there were at least four occasions where simple passes ended up in the first row of seats because someone thought a zig was coming instead of a zag.
Second unit
The second unit for the US — Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum — was particularly impressive. Each of those five players had a plus-minus of plus-10 or better, meaning the US outscored Canada by at least 10 points with them on the floor.
And that’s as it should be. Only the Americans can trot out a lineup of “bench players” at the Olympics, all of them being All-Stars. That fivesome has 21 combined All-Star nods, two NBA champions in Davis and Tatum, and two perennial All-Defense players in Davis and Adebayo. It’s clearly not a typical second unit.
Oh, and remember: The US didn’t have Kevin Durant (calf strain) and Derrick White (not yet with the team) available Wednesday.
For Starters
The first starting lineup of the summer rolled out by US coach Steve Kerr: Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, LeBron James and Joel Embiid.
It certainly could change going forward. But if last year is any indication, it’s a clear view into Kerr’s thinking right now.
Kerr has cautioned in the past about not reading too much into lineups, especially from the first scrimmage. That said, the first five he had in the first exhibition game last summer going into the World Cup — Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Ingram and Anthony Edwards — were the starters in the tournament opener against New Zealand.
Next Up
The US plays Australia in Abu Dhabi, UAE on Monday.
USA Basketball tops Canada 86-72 in exhibition opener on the road to Paris Olympics
https://arab.news/wwb7t
USA Basketball tops Canada 86-72 in exhibition opener on the road to Paris Olympics
- Anthony Davis scores 13 points, Stephen Curry adds 12 in tune-up match
- The US all-star team plays Australia in Abu Dhabi, UAE on Monday
Beyond the stars: How the Kingdom is shaping the next generation of football
- Ahmed Albahrani: 2022 witnessed a major transformation in Saudi football, particularly in the Roshn League, through the recruitment of star players
- Simon Colosimo: They (Saudi Pro League) have a strategy to compete with the Italian Serie A, the Premier League ... their objective is to be there
RIYADH: As the Kingdom accelerates in a wide range of sectors, the drive to elevate the sports industry constitutes a major part of its overall national development strategies.
From a traditional society to making headlines on the international stage, Saudi Arabia has become one of the best known countries in football recently, becoming a global hub and attracting millions of sports fans to its league.
Major changes are taking place in the country, especially after the announcement last year that Saudi Arabia is to host the FIFA World Cup 2034. Ever since, officials have been dedicated to developing knowledge on football through collaborations with significant football experts, as well as improving local talent, along with building an infrastructure suitable for Saudi ambitions.
“2022 witnessed a major transformation in Saudi football, particularly in the Roshn League, through the recruitment of star players,” Ahmed Albahrani, director of the department of grassroots, academies and regional training center at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, told Arab News.
“This was undoubtedly part of a specific vision and strategy to develop football in general within Saudi Arabia. This approach involved bringing in star players, hiring coaches, and investing in infrastructure — all contributing factors to this development.
“These are things we are fortunate to have as Saudis, especially in this generation, because we are witnessing qualitative leaps in the development of Saudi football,” he said.
“We in the Saudi Football Federation have begun to see some of its signs, but its (major) signs will be in 2034, especially when we host the World Cup, and our national team will have an honourable level and achieve the leadership’s aspirations.”
In the past, football in the kingdom was exclusive to male talent. Women were excluded from entering stadiums or attending sport events.
Luckily, with the fundamental transformation the country has been going through in recent years, this understanding of women’s contribution in sports vanished.
Progress has been made since 2015, with Saudi women participating internationally as a result of the creation of several sports federations. Saudi women are not only allowed to participate in sports but are encouraged to do so by the Saudi government, and Saudi female national teams have been established, thriving locally and internationally ever since.
In an interview with French female football agent and the founder of HEESSO Sports, Sonia Souid, she shared her excitement, optimistic, and supportive perspectives for women in Saudi sports.
“In 2020, when I first read the news that the Saudi league in football for women had been created, I was shocked. I was amazed because I am from Algeria, and as a Muslim woman, I feel proud of the country, especially coming from the outside, one of the last countries in the Middle East that I thought would be interested in women’s football was Saudi Arabia,” she said.
“It is actually the first one,” she said, as she further explained the investment the Kingdom is putting into women's football when compared with other countries in the region.
“Also, what I have been amazed by from Saudi people, they understood that they had to bring the knowledge from outside in terms of staff, medical staff, and everything around women’s football, and give the opportunities to women and to have a bright future in football and not only in the men’s side,” she said.
Furthermore, to celebrate the importance of football, the World Football Summit was organised in the Saudi capital from Dec. 10-11, bringing together experts, officials in the sports industry and sports enthusiasts to discuss major shifts and opportunities to elevate the Saudi Pro League.
During a panel discussion on leveraging the arrival of elite international players and coaches to accelerate local development, Simon Colosimo, CEO of FPA Saudi Arabia, shared his views on Saudi Arabia’s ambitious strategies for the future of football.
Referring to the Saudi Pro League’s future plans, he said: “They have a strategy to compete with the Italian Serie A, the Premier League ... their objective is to be there.
“When you talk about international players coming into the league, they are only going to improve the players’ capacity to compete at international level.”
