Ex-Warriors Champ Joins Team USA Ahead of AmeriCup Tourney

Summer league may be in the rearview mirror and training camp is still weeks away, but members of the Golden State Warriors family, past and present, have continued to hone their craft against top competition. And another Dubs alum looks to be joining the fray.

Per a Thursday announcement, Patrick McCaw — who captured two rings with the Warriors and then a third while competing against them as a member of the Toronto Raptors — will soon be hitting the hardwood with USA Basketball.

The 26-year-old wing has been named as a participant in Team USA’s 2022 AmeriCup training camp, which will be held from August 23-27 in Las Vegas. While there, he’ll have an opportunity to lock down a spot on the AmeriCup team, which will be coached by Utah Jazz assistant Alex Jensen.

Sea Dubs guards Eli Pemberton and Kendall Smith will also be at the camp, vying for roster spots.

McCaw Joins a New National Squad

Team USA’s list of camp invitees includes just five athletes with previous national team experience — Will Davis, Orlando Johnson, Frank Mason III, Jeremy Pargo (another ex-Warrior) and Stephen Zimmerman. Meanwhile, McCaw is one of 10 players entering the program for the first time.

Pemberton, Smith, Norris Cole, Jodie Meeks, Zylan Cheatham, Gary Clark Jr., Derek Culver, Anthony Lamb and Craig Sword will be joining the former Warrior as first-timers.

“USA Basketball is looking forward to defending our 2017 FIBA AmeriCup title this fall and are thankful for this group of athletes who will come into a training camp ready to work hard,” USA Basketball men’s national team director Sean Ford said in the release.

“Our goal is to always put together a roster of athletes who are ready to play the international style of basketball at the highest level. These players have a mix of USA Basketball and professional experience that will help us achieve that goal.”

The 11th quadrennial FIBA AmeriCup tournament — which was rescheduled from 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — will take place in Recife, Brazil, from September 2-11. As part of Group C, the Americans will tip things off against Mexico on Sept. 2.

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McCaw’s Hoops Career

After a standout sophomore year at UNLV in 2015-16, McCaw declared for the NBA Draft and was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks at No. 38 overall. He was then traded to the Warriors for cash considerations on that very same night.

McCaw went on to appear in 128 games for Golden State from 2016-18, winning back-to-back championships and averaging 4.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.6 steals in 15.9 minutes per outing. Along the way, he posted shooting splits of 42-30-78.

In March of 2018, McCaw was involved in one of the scariest scenes Dub Nation has experienced in recent years when Vince Carter, then of the Sacramento Kings, inadvertently undercut him mid-air and left him laying nearly motionless on the court for several minutes.

The end result of the play was a bruised lumbar spine for McCaw and a lengthy stay on the injured list. However, he was ultimately able to return during the later playoff rounds. After playing briefly with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018-19, he went on to play with the Raptors for parts of three seasons, completing the title threepeat in doing so.

McCaw spent time with the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats last season.

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