Chris Collins breaks down Team USA basketball, competition
U.S.A. men’s basketball assistant coach Chris Collins joined the show to talk about the team’s chances in London.
Collins said that one positive of playing a team like Tunisia is that you can play some of the guys who don’t get a lot of run. He said going into the game they knew they wanted to get a lot of guys minutes, and Collins said that’s one of the reasons Coach K pulled his starters early.
Collins commented on the makeup of the team. He said there are a lot of strong personalities and leaders that have a good grip on international basketball because of all their experience. “We’re fortunate to have really good ledaership on this team,” Collins said.
Florio asked Collins who would take over if Coach K was kicked out. “We try to do our best that he’s on the sidelines,” Collins said. “It may be a joint thing.”
Florio talked about some of the competition, noting Spain, Argentina and Russia all look very good.
Florio asked if USA can be beat. “We definitely can be beat,” Collins said.. “These teams are good.” He said that a lot of these players are in the NBA and aren’t intimidated. He also noted it’s a one-and-done system, which is dangerous.
Florio asked if he now has any interest coaching in the NBA after working with these guys. Collins said he wants to be a head coach in college basketball and have his own program.