Additional Quotes >> USA 115, Bahamas 51

July 15, 2008 � Formosa, Argentina

USA head coach Bob McKillop, Davidson College
On today�s game:
Our teamwork and our toughness was there from start to finish. We distributed the ball very well, we defended very well and the guys have really accepted the concept that defense wins championships.

We had a great contribution from everybody on the roster today. We had one guy who�s a little bit banged up in Dominic Cheek. But despite being banged up he gave a great effort, gave us some terrific minutes. I continue to be absolutely thrilled with the performance of our point guards. Kemba Walker is an outstanding floor general and an outstanding leader of this team. He has really put his imprint on this team.

Was it difficult to keep the team focused after the game was blown so wide open so early?
We understand that (the USA�s next opponent) Puerto Rico is a lot different team, a significantly better team than the Bahamas. They have shooters, they have great interior players, they�re athletic, they�re very well coached. We also heard a lot of cat calls during the game when our guys were taking foul shots. Our guys understand that we have each other here. We�re not going to be the fan favorite. We are clearly a team with a target on us and that can get you focused, that will get your attention really quickly.

JaMychal Green (St. Jude H.S. / Montgomery, Ala.)
Was it hard to stay focused and continue playing hard after going up like you did so early in the game?
It�s not really hard, we just have to stay humbled. I felt that I had to step it up and help my team out today. My coaches said I hadn�t really played up to par and I knew that so I had to step up today.

What do you know about Puerto Rico, your next opponent?
Our coaches said they have some great shooters, they have a good post guy so I�m going to be sticking on my guy, lock him down.

On the USA�s defensive intensity:
We had great defense today. We played together and never let it down.

Malcolm Lee (John W. North H.S. / Riverside, Calif.)
Was it hard to stay focused and continue playing hard after going up like you did so early in the game?
It�s real hard to stay focused when the lead gets real big. Everybody starts to relax and have fun instead of keeping our minds focused and staying serious. We have to discipline ourselves to keep focused.

Was there anything you were trying to work on in the second half?
At the end, when we were up by 63, coach told us that we wanted to be up by 63 or more so we basically ended up winning the game by one. Basically we didn�t look at it like we won by 64, we won by one point.

How nice is it to have such a talented team with so much depth?
It�s real good. We have versatile guards, our bigs can run the floor. I can play the one or two, Kemba can play the one and the two, Leslie also came in today at the one. Our guards are very versatile and we�re going to need that through this tournament.

Do you know anything about Puerto Rico, your next opponent?
All I know is that they like to shoot. They like to drive, kick and shoot. They�re a real good shooting team.

Leslie McDonald (Briarcrest H.S./ Memphis, Tenn.)
What do you know about your next opponent, Puerto Rico?
I really don�t know anything about them or their style of play. We watched them warm up and I�ve heard from other people that they�re a really good team. I really haven�t studied their game yet but we�ll be getting a scouting report from the coaches so I�ll be ready.

How challenging is it to remain focused after getting such a huge lead so early in a game?
It�s kind of hard because you lose focus as you see the points get higher, you want to relax and chill. But coach did great with getting on us and pushing us to stay focused.

What have you been doing off the court in Argentina?
I�ve just been hanging around with all these guys (the team), having fun, chilling with them. They�re crazy (laughs) so I really enjoy being with all of them.

David Wear (Mater Dei H.S. / Santa Ana, Calif.)
On today�s game:
We knew coming in that we were the better team. Then we got that big lead and we just knew from the get-go that we were going to win the game. We needed it to prepare for tougher competition like Puerto Rico and other teams. So we needed to stay focused and work on the little things.

What were some of the things you were working on?
Not being careless. Trying to work on our turnovers, being smart with the ball, don�t give up easy baskets just to be able to go back on offense. So just to continue to play good defense and get stops.

What do you think about the tournament so far?
It�s a great experience to be able to travel out of the country and come to a place like Argentina. Playing with a crowd like this where nobody wants you to win. It�s pretty fun to play in a tournament like this.

Travis Wear (Mater Dei H.S. / Santa Ana, Calif.)
What do you know about your next opponent, Puerto Rico?
We don�t know much about them so far. We�ve played against a couple of their players (in the U.S.) so we�re going to know what they�re going to be like. We know that they�re going to be a tougher opponent than what we�ve played so far. We know that we�re going to have to bring our �A� game. The crowd�s going to be on their side so we�re going to be fighting against the crowd as well. We just need to stay focused, come out and play hard and we�ll be fine.

How fun is it to play on a team like this with so much depth?
It�s great. We all pass the ball around, we all know we�re representing our country. Everyone here is an all-star, we all have a lot of achievements, but we all play as a team. It�s fun to be around a group of kids who play together like this.

Is the team chemistry coming together pretty well?
Oh yeah. We�ve had that for awhile now. Since we�ve made the team we all got to know each other at the try outs and it�s all carrying over into the games.