Catching up with USA Select Team Member Kemba Walker

Throughout the 2010-11 season, USA Basketball is talking to athletes who competed for the red, white and blue this past summer. We’re asking them to look back at their international experience, to talk about their current basketball season and to describe what they hope to achieve in the future. Check back often to read up on more USA Basketball athletes at usabasketball.com.

• Kemba's U18 Photo Gallery

Not many people know this, but Kemba Walker first appeared in a USA Basketball uniform as a UConn-bound freshman in 2008. Playing in Formosa, Argentina, Walker and his U.S. teammates rolled through their first four games of the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in front of a growing Argentinean fan base. Word got out among the locals about the USA’s team effort, which fed off of Walker’s unselfishness and his hard-nosed play, and the arena filled each game with more and more U.S. supporters.  

Until the gold medal game, of course, where the U.S. met up with also-undefeated Argentina.

Playing in front of a raucus, standing room only crowd, the U.S. fell behind early. Walker and his teammates attempted to keep pace with an Argentine team that seemed to nail every shot, including a 72-footer at the third quarter buzzer that put Argentina up 59-43. The USA never stopped fighting through the end of the contest, but the emotional hosts were simply too much for the U.S. and earned the 77-64 victory.

Walker, who heard many more cheers than jeers for some of his amazing plays during the game, scored a game-high 21 points to go with seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocked shots. Despite the USA’s 4-1, silver medal finish, the efforts of Walker, who led the U.S. team with 13.4 ppg. and 5.0 apg., did not go unnoticed by the local media, who honored him with the tournament's MVP award.

Two years later, Walker returned to USA Basketball as a member of the 2010 USA Select Team that trained against the eventual 2010 USA World Championship gold medalists in Las Vegas and New York. While there was no medal at stake, there was a sense of pride at being one of just 20 collegians across the country with an opportunity to test their mettle against some of the best players in the world.

After going up against the likes of Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook for the better part of the week, Walker then got invited back to on the 10-member USA Select Team that trained against the finalists for the USA World Championship Team in New York.

How much did his experience last summer help elevate his game heading into this season at UConn?  For starters, the National Player of the Year candidate is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, and has see-sawed with USA Select Team member Jimmer Fredette as the D1 scoring leader for much of the season. After being on the 2010 All-Big East third team, the two-time Big East Player of the Week is a top candidate for 2011 Big East Player of the Year honors. He’s currently averaging 25.5 ppg., almost 11 points up from his 14.6 ppg. averaged last season, and 3.8 apg., and in UConn’s most recent game, a 61-59 win over Villanova, hit the game winner and finished with a team-best 22 points.

Over the summer with USA Basketball Walker measured himself against the best of the best, observed their work effort first hand and brought back what he learned to the 15-2 Huskies. But don’t take our word for it, read for yourself the kind of experience Walker had as a member of the 2010 USA Basketball Select Team and how much he’d love to return for another shot at a gold medal.

I know it’s been awhile, but do you still recall your reaction to being invited to be part of the USA Select Team?
Yeah. It was random. Coach told me he wasn’t sure at first, but he told me to keep it in mind. He was waiting for the paperwork and stuff like that. When he got it, he let me know I was going for sure. I was excited. After that I went back and told my family, it was exciting news.

And what about when you were asked to return for the week in New York?
I would probably say it was a little more exciting, just because it meant I played well enough against those guys to get invited back. I would definitely say it was a little more exciting.

As a member of the USA Select Team, you played with a number of All-Americans and some of the top players around the country. How much did that boost your confidence heading into your junior season?
A lot. Getting the chance to play against the best was great. I played well against those guys, also. That definitely gave me a confidence boost.

You were already pretty well known after your first two years at UConn, but do you feel your experience last summer elevated your game and national recognition?
Honestly, I was just happy to be playing against the guys in that camp in the NBA. I was just happy to be there. Me playing well definitely helped my national recognition.

Who on the USA Select Team did you most enjoy playing with and getting to know?
I wouldn’t say any single player, because it was just fun to be around all those guys and meet new people.

After your first practice with the USA Select Team, you guys went up against the USA National Team. Can you describe what that was like?
It was like a ‘wow!’ moment. Like, wow, this is really about to happen. We’re really going to get the chance to go up against some of the best players in the NBA. It was probably one of the happiest moments of my life.

Who were you guarding?
I went up against D-Rose and Russ Westbrook the most. It was good, it helped me a lot. It was really nerve-wracking at first, the first day, but overall it was a great experience. It helped me a lot.

Who were you most looking forward to meeting or matching up with?
Not really. I was just really looking forward to playing with everybody, all the top point guards.

Were you surprised at the intensity with which they practiced?
Yes, definitely. I thought they would kind of ‘big time’ us a little bit. Like it was going to be really easy for them, but they didn’t. They came at us full-speed on both sides of the court, both offense and defense. I think I was definitely a little surprised with the intensity they brought.

What did you learn from that experience that has helped you grow your game this season?
I learned that, like I said, I thought they were going to ‘big time’ us, being that they are who they are. A lot of those guys are All-Stars and stuff. But, none of those guys took a play off. That was one thing I definitely learned, don’t take any plays off.

What kind of questions did you get from your UConn teammates after your stint with USA Basketball?
Not really any questions. I came back and just told them how intense those guys were on every possession. It was something I tried to bring back to my team, which is just to play hard every possession.

What are some of your fondest memories of your time in Las Vegas and New York, both on and off the court?
On the court, we beat them once. In New York we beat them in one of the scrimmages. That is probably the best memory that I have because that was the only game that we won.

Off the court was probably after every time we finished working out, we all stretched together. That was fun. Another one was when they made us sing Happy Birthday to Gerald Wallace. I think it was K.D. and D-Rose’s idea.

Did you follow the USA World Championship team in its gold medal run?
Of course. I caught the games that were on TV.

Did you feel more of a connection to the team after having worked out with them for a week?
Yes, definitely. Because when we first got there and Coach K spoke to us, he told us that when they win it, we should feel that we helped them. I went along with what he said and I definitely thought we helped them a lot, us going so hard against them, it paid off for those guys when they went overseas and played.

You won a silver medal in 2008. After getting another taste of USA Basketball, are you hoping to be able to return in the future for another shot at a gold medal?
Definitely! I would love to play for another USA team again one day and definitely get that gold.