USA national basketball team head coach Steve Kerr, said his guys are “hungry” for wins, AFP reported.
The Americans begin their campaign on Saturday in Manila against a New Zealand team that was eliminated by France in the quarterfinals four years ago in a 79-89 loss.
The NBA stars refused to participate in the tournament, which is less than a year before the Olympic Games in Paris. Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, James Harden and Jayson Tatum will not play in the championship, but the team is “hungry for victories and on the rise”, said the coach.
“We have a very good team that works hard every day. The players can make a good team in a short time.”, he said.
The team will be captained by New York Knicks point guard Jaylen Brunson, and he announced that “the goal is the title.” Steve Kerr announced that the US team will fight for gold and “if we don’t make it, there will be serious criticism and we have to accept it.”