USA Basketball adds Thibodeau, Williams and Boeheim to staff

By Sports Network

The Sports Network

USA Basketball has added NBA coaches Tom Thibodeau and Monty Williams to Mike Krzyzewski's staff for the men's national team, while Jim Boeheim will return for a third time as an assistant.

Krzyzewski, the four-time NCAA national championship winner at Duke, decided to return as men's head coach last month. Team USA has a record of 62-1 with Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012 under the guidance of Krzyzewski.

Boeheim, the long-time head coach at Syracuse, has twice been part of that run as one of Krzyzewski's assistants.

"I'm really excited about the USA Basketball National Team coaching staff," said Krzyzewski in a statement Monday. "To work with Jim Boeheim again, who's as close of a friend as you can have in this profession and also one of the brilliant coaches in the history of our game, to have him right along side me is fantastic. We've done that for the last seven years, we're going to do it for four more."

Thibodeau and Williams will replace Mike D'Antoni and Nate McMillan. Thibodeau has been head coach of the Chicago Bulls since June 2010, while Williams has been at the helm of the New Orleans franchise (now known as the Pelicans) for the past three seasons.

"To have Tom Thibodeau join us, I think his reputation speaks for itself," added Krzyzewski. "He was a great assistant who has become an outstanding pro coach, and nobody wants to play the Bulls. The toughness that they show, their togetherness, their competitiveness, and the preparation that is there, that is shown by he and his staff. I think he is one of the best defensive coaches, his defensive game plans are incredible, and so I'm really looking forward to working with him. Then in Monty Williams, it's ironic that he was an assistant with Nate McMillan, and again he is someone who is well respected in the NBA. The players love playing for him. I actually know him some because is a very close friend of (former Duke star) Grant Hill, I've met him a number of times, and I'm looking forward to working with him."

The group will guide the U.S. team through 2016, competing in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup (formerly the FIBA World Championship), if necessary, in the 2015 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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