The Big East led USA Basketball team took home the bronze medal at the Pan-Am Games with a 92-83 win over the Dominican Republic on Sunday. Collin Gillespie led the team in scoring with 24 points in the win.
After a nice start to the tournament, Gillespie cooled in the final two games of group play and the team's semifinal loss to Argentina. It was great to see him bounce back and help deliver a medal for the young US team, who fought an uphill battle against more experienced competition throughout the tournament in Peru.
Despite the struggles, it's nice that Gillespie was able to bookend the competition with good performances. The experience in Peru should help as the point guard takes on a leadership role with the Wildcats this season while likely handling the lion's share of the ballhandling duties.
Gillespie was also able to build some chemistry with teammate Jermaine Samuels which should also benefit the Cats this season. Samuels showed some very encouraging things in Peru, routinely scoring in double figures and leading the team in scoring in a loss to Puerto Rico to wrap up group play. Most notably, Samuels showed an expanded offensive game that included solid work off the dribble and a mid-range jumper, good understanding of space, and perhaps most importantly, a continuation of the confidence he showed in the second half of last season.
It would have been nice if Gillespie, Samuels, and the rest of the team were able to end the US's gold medal drought, but they showed well in tough circumstances and added a well-earned accomplishment to the resume. In addition, they gave Nova fans some things to be excited about as we await the start of the 2019-20 season.
After a nice start to the tournament, Gillespie cooled in the final two games of group play and the team's semifinal loss to Argentina. It was great to see him bounce back and help deliver a medal for the young US team, who fought an uphill battle against more experienced competition throughout the tournament in Peru.
Despite the struggles, it's nice that Gillespie was able to bookend the competition with good performances. The experience in Peru should help as the point guard takes on a leadership role with the Wildcats this season while likely handling the lion's share of the ballhandling duties.
Gillespie was also able to build some chemistry with teammate Jermaine Samuels which should also benefit the Cats this season. Samuels showed some very encouraging things in Peru, routinely scoring in double figures and leading the team in scoring in a loss to Puerto Rico to wrap up group play. Most notably, Samuels showed an expanded offensive game that included solid work off the dribble and a mid-range jumper, good understanding of space, and perhaps most importantly, a continuation of the confidence he showed in the second half of last season.
It would have been nice if Gillespie, Samuels, and the rest of the team were able to end the US's gold medal drought, but they showed well in tough circumstances and added a well-earned accomplishment to the resume. In addition, they gave Nova fans some things to be excited about as we await the start of the 2019-20 season.
