A few days after most of the nations involved in the World Cup, the United States begin their preparation course on Thursday. It’s on the side of Las Vegas, and the Federation has brought together around twenty players, including 12 guaranteed to participate in the competition. It’s a 100% renewed workforce compared to the last World Cup, and very inexperienced. Among the players selected, there are even two rookies with Paolo Banchero and the surprising Walker Kessler.
Successor to Rudy Gobert in the Jazz racket, the former Auburn interior was one of the very good surprises of the 2023 vintage, to the point of finishing on the podium in the Rookie Of The Year ranking. He is now ready to defend the colors of the United States, and it was unexpected a year ago.
Seven extra pounds on the scale
“I am very excited to be part of Team USA and I am extremely grateful to be able to participate in this adventure. I think the amount of talent and knowledge that will be present in the team is incredible.” reacts Kessler on The Athletic. “I try to learn as much as I can and use that experience to try to improve myself in every way possible. »
For this, Kessler reveals that he has focused on the physical aspect with a lot of cast iron, and an estimated weight gain of 7 kilos since the end of the season. “Much of the offseason has been spent gaining weight and improving strength” confirms Kessler. ” This is a difficult work. But I’m looking forward to trying to put myself in a position to make a difference on the pitch, so it’s been a lot of fun. I love the weight room. I love working on my body. »
Walker Kessler is a perfectionist
And to warn him that his “sophomore” season is as important as his “rookie” season, he can count on the advice of his coach Will Hardy. “I told him that it was not because he had a good rookie year that he was going to improve the following year. He’s going to have to give it his all, and that’s what I told him. The upside is that Walker is a bit of a perfectionist and very hard on himself. So he doesn’t need to be told how hard he has to work. I didn’t tell him anything new. I was only reaffirming what he already knew. ”
And the good news is that Kessler knows its limits. “That’s one of the most important things for me with Walker. He had to learn to deal with failure, and I think that’s very important for young players. Like a little failure, like a guy dunking on him or a guy scoring on him. Walker needs that approach because he’s a hard-working player, and he’s made a lot of progress in that area over the last season.”
TEAM USA SQUAD
Players : Brandon Ingram, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, Jaren Jackson Jr, Paolo Banchero, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Cam Johnson and Walker Kessler.
coach : Steve Kerr (Warriors).
Wizards : Erik Spoelstra (Miami), Tyronn Lue (LA Clippers) and Mark Few (Gonzaga).
