Additional Quotes: USA 103, Dominican Republic 60
• Game Story
• Box Score
USA head coach Don Showalter (USA Basketball)
On the game:
Dominican Republic came out really aggressive. Their determination and energy level was really good to start the game. We probably didn’t quite match that the first four or five minutes, but as the game went on, we took control and did a really nice job.
A couple of things really pleased me. Our team gets along really well together. They like each other off the court and on the court. We had 29 assists tonight, which was outstanding. We shot better from 3-point. So, I think we are shooting the ball a little better. We outrebounded them by 33, so I think there are some things we can really build on.
What helped the team pull away?
We changed up presses, and sometimes when you change up defenses you get more energy. Our wingspan is really long, so it caused some deflections and steals.
Scottie Barnes (University School/West Palm Beach, Fla.)
On the game:
We played okay. We picked it up in the second half. Our energy wasn’t really there in the first half. But, in the second half, we started making shots and we got it going. Our energy level just rose.
How has the team progressed?
Every game, we come together more and play better as a team. We move the ball more, and we’ve figured some things out. We can always improve on communication and defense.
Isaac Okoro (McEachern H.S./Powder Springs, Ga.)
On the game:
We started off pretty slow, but as the game progressed, we picked up the energy, and we started having fun out there.
What factors helped you pull away?
Coach got into us in the locker room. In the second half, we game out and played better defensively, keeping people in front of us.
On advancing to the medal quarterfinals:
I think we are ready. We just need to practice some more and get our minds right.
Isaiah Stewart (La Lumiere School, Ind./Rochester, N.Y.)
On the game:
We definitely didn’t play our best. We didn’t bring the energy from the start. We had to pick it up in the second half. We had some guys come in off the bench and help get it going.
On playing against a zone defense:
We showed we can adjust to a zone defense. In our next game and from there on, a lot of team are going to zone us. So, we definitely showed we can handle a zone tonight.
