Tulsa 66ers' Nate Tibbett will coach Team USA in the 2011 Pan American Games: Basketball Update
The 2011 Pan Americans Games are a little more than two months away and the participating teams are preparing themselves for the big event. In the process, the USA Basketball Team made it official that their Men’s team will feature
coaches and players from the NBA Development League.
USA Men’s Basketball Team have appointed Tulsa 66ers’ head coach Nate Tibbetts as the man in charge for the tournament. This year’s Pan Americans game will be held in October and the US team is making sure to put in together all
the ingredients to clinch the gold medal.
USA National Basketball team’s director Sean Ford, who is responsible for the selection of the players and coach, was thrilled by the move.
“USA Basketball is excited to join forces with the NBA Development League to field the 2011 USA Pan American Games Men’s basketball team. Nate is one of the best coaches in the NBA D-League, he will bring great leadership and experience
to the team. .” Ford said.
The tournament will be played in Guadalajara, Mexico, featuring eight Mens teams. The participants include Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic from North America, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay from South America and Canada, Mexico
and United States as Automatic Qualifiers.
Tibbetts carries a tremendous coaching record under his belt. He led Tulsa 66ers to a franchise record of 33 wins during the last season. As a result, the 66ers finished with the number 4 seed to clinch the play-off berth and advanced
to the semi-finals.
Nate’s assistant Dale Osbourne was also selected by the USA Men’s Basketball team and will fill one of the associate coaching positions. The USA team will receive a huge benefit out of the fact that Tibbett and Dale are not only
rated as the top leaders in the NBA Development League, they also have a strong working relationship and know each other very well.
Tibbett said that he was honoured to have the opportunity of coaching Team USA in the 2011 Pan American Games and was determined to guide his team to the top.
“I feel very humbled and privileged to be selected to lead the United States in the 2011 Pan American Games. Coach Dale Osbourne and I are excited to represent the Tulsa 66ers and Oklahoma City Thunder organizations in this journey
to earn a gold medal for the United States,”
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