Additional Quotes >> Argentina 77, USA 64

July 18, 2008 - Formosa, Argentina

USA head coach Bob McKillop, Davidson College
On today's game:
I'm very proud about how we fought the entire game. Even the energy, the fight that we had up until the last buzzer made me very proud. Every one of our guys has gotten better from this experience. It's a totally different environment than they've ever been in before. We've been together 18 days, had a travel experience that will be unforgettable, memories of playing in a championship game for a gold medal in a very hostile environment will be something they can build their college futures upon and hopefully their futures with USA Basketball. To come here and play as hard as we did for these five games leaves me very impressed with these young men.

On Kemba Walker being named MVP:
From the first day of trials, it was evident that Kemba was a great leader. The fact that he was acknowledged as the MVP of this tournament is indicative that not only we at USA Basketball think he's a great leader, but FIBA Americas thought he was a great leader as well.

On some of Argentina's shots:
There had to be at least six shots that I have no idea how they went in. They flat out made them, at the end of the third quarter, that 75-foot 3-pointer, the whirling dervish layups that went in off the glass. Every time we tried to make a run they answered with some kind of play, some kind of basket that knocked us back on our heels. That's a credit to them. They're a very talented team, they play very tough and they were deserving champions today.

JaMychal Green (St. Jude H.S. / Montgomery, Ala.)
On tonight's game:
They had the crowd, they were the aggressor in tonight's game and they hit some great shots. When they hit that half-court shot they gained a lot of momentum on us. We never really got any momentum in the game.

You never gave up though, that says something about the character of this team:
Coach Bob McKillop always coached us to keep fighting and never give up. That's what we were trying to do.

On Kemba Walker's MVP award:
That's great. I thought he deserved it. He's been a great leader throughout the whole trip so I'm glad he got it.

What has your experience been like with this team over the last 18 days?
This has been a great experience, we made new friends and it's giving us some good experience of how college life is going to be. It really got us prepared for college.

Malcolm Lee (John W. North H.S. / Riverside, Calif.)
On today's game:
Basically they played the game better than us today. They moved the ball extremely well. It seemed like everything we tried to do to stop them, they had a counter for it. At the end of the first half they'd go into the post and we'd help and they kicked it out and would shoot a three. Then in the second half we backed it off a little bit and the posts basically went one-on-one and I'll give hands down to Argentina, we didn't have any counter for what they were doing. They ran their plays, they are really well coached and the best team won tonight.

The USA team never gave up, fighting for steals until the final buzzer. What does that say about your character?
We're the USA and we're going to fight for the death. We're never going to give up. At the end we kept trying to force turnovers and pick up the pace a little bit. But it was a little bit too late.

With 18 days together, how have you grown as a team and as an individual player?
We've grown really well together. Basically a lot of talent came here from across the nation and the talent we have, we bonded real well. Everyone on this team is the man on their high school or AAU team and I think we have great chemistry, we've meshed and a lot of guys sacrificed part of their game to contribute to this team.

On Kemba Walker being named MVP:
Kemba played real good. He's our point guard, pushing it up, getting us baskets. He was doing everything tonight. He's quick, he was all over the place.

Kemba Walker (Rice H.S. / New York, N.Y.)
On today's game:
They did hit some pretty big shots, some tough ones. But I think it was the crowd, I think the crowd got to us. I think that was a problem throughout the whole game and I don't think we adjusted to it at all and they came out with the win.

You never gave up, did you keep believing you were going to make a comeback?
Yes, we actually did. But it wasn't enough. Time ran out and that was it.

After 18 days of trials, training camp and this tournament, how do you feel about what the team accomplished?
I think we did a pretty good job. We made it to the championship, we played as a team throughout the whole tournament. To be together 18 days, I think we did an excellent job. That team's been together for two years and they outplayed us. But we're going to come back next year and try to get it done.

What does it mean to you to be named MVP of the FIBA Americas U18 Championship?
It's pretty big. Being from the U.S. and getting the MVP in Argentina, it's definitely pretty big. I think this is going to help my confidence too.