MIAMI (AP) — USA Basketball is taking some veterans into the next window of World Cup qualifying.
A roster of 12 players was unveiled Thursday for the next two games, set for July 1 at Puerto Rico and July 4 at Cuba. The Americans are 3-1 so far in qualifying and have already clinched a berth in the second round.
But these next two games remain important since the records from the 16-team first round of qualifying will carry into the second round. There will be 12 teams from the Americas region going to the second round; of those, seven will end up qualifying for the 2023 Basketball World Cup.
Jim Boylen will again coach the Americans in qualifying, starting with a training camp that begins in Miami later this month. His roster for these two games: Jordan Bell, Quinn Cook, Cody Demps, Michael Frazier, Langston Galloway, Justin Jackson, DaQuan Jeffries, John Jenkins, George King, Eric Mika, David Stockton and Noah Vonleh.
Bell, Galloway, King and Stockton were part of the U.S. team that went 2-0 in the most recent qualifying window back in February.
Most of the second-round qualifying spots have already been secured from the Americas. Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. are assured of advancing.
The final three spots come down to six teams — Panama or Paraguay, Chile or Colombia, and Bahamas or the Virgin Islands. Cuba has been eliminated.
Second-round qualifying games begin in August and run through February. The next World Cup — to be hosted by the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia — takes place from Aug. 25 through Sept. 10, 2023.
The U.S. has won the World Cup five times, most recently in 2014.
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