Date: 11/20/2018

Joel Berry chosen for USA Basketball World Cup Qualifying Team

EL SEGUNDO (20 November 2018) – South Bay Lakers guard Joel Berry II was chosen for the 12-man USA roster for the November second-round FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers, it was announced today by USA Basketball.

Berry II is currently in his first season with the South Bay Lakers and has posted averages of 8.1 points and 2.3 assists through the team’s first seven games. The North Carolina product appeared in 144 games (112 starts) in his collegiate career, averaging 12.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.6 minutes. Berry II won a National Championship with North Carolina in 2017 and was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

The USA will train Nov. 23-25 at the Houston Rockets’ practice facility and will continue second-round action with a pair of road games: Nov. 29 versus Argentina in La Rioja, Argentina, and Dec. 2 versus Uruguay in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who has led the USA to a 7-1 record in FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifying action and directed the USA to a 5-0 record and the gold medal at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup Championship again is head coach of the USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team. Former University of Georgia head coach Mark Fox and former Georgetown University coach John Thompson III are serving as assistant coaches.

The NBA G League’s South Bay Lakers, the first franchise in G League history to be owned by an NBA team (Los Angeles Lakers), will return for its 12th season of competition in 2018-19.  The Lakers franchise has established itself as a top producer of NBA-ready talent, totaling 30 NBA Call-Ups and developing 25 Lakers assignment players since the inaugural 2006-07 season. Last season, the Lakers returned to the playoffs for the third year in a row and saw a pair of players receive NBA Call-Ups to the Los Angeles Lakers, including Andre Ingram. The Lakers have claimed three division titles and have twice competed in the NBA G League Finals, most recently in 2015-16.

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