The 2016 Nittany Lion contingent consists of 19 competitors in nine sports, including both male and female competitors in fencing and volleyball, and assistant coaches in women’s basketball, men’s track and field and men’s volleyball, for a total of 10 sports with Penn State representation.
Advertisement
4 p.m.-The U.S. women’s soccer team takes on France.
Anthony could become the first man in Olympic history to win three basketball gold medals, having gone from a bench spot on the 2004 United States team that settled for bronze in Athens to a stalwart in golden efforts at Beijing and London and now a senior leader for a team with nearly no Olympic experience. With a players like Tony Parker, 34, Nic Batum, 27, and Rudy Gobert, 24, they could be the biggest threat to the US’s run for the gold. They team up in Rio and hope to provide India its first Olympic medal in tennis since Leander Paes – the ageless wonder will be there in Rio too – made history in 1996.
Anthony stayed on a cruise ship in his first Olympics, when they finished third in 2004 in Athens. “If you get him in a position where he gets the ball in open spaces, he’s gonna make shots”. That 2010 World Championship team trounced the competition, winning every game by more than 15 points.
For the Americans, while many have pulled out for different reasons, it still means they are amongst the elite, the best in their country, and while many would probably trade it in for a ring, it sets them apart. “I think we’re handling it a lot better now, so as the time goes on, the ball will get better for us”.
“There are some last-minute challenges, but our Brazilian friends are addressing them”, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said after arriving in Rio.
Former NBA player Yi Jianlian will have a big load on his shoulder as the main man of the team. DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony were the high scorers in the exhibition, scoring 21 and 20 points respectively.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski nevertheless stressed that “we have the utmost respect for the game and for the global community. I love that”, he said. “We have to be ready to play”. They’ll probably start five National Basketball Association players. They’ve already proved they can sing – so now, can they play?
Add those youngsters to a core of veterans who had either previously played in the Olympics or had global success with USAB and you have a winning formula. So it goes up. The Golden State Warrior shooting guard is among the many Olympic first-timers from the U.S. in Rio. The Americans beat Venezuela 80-45.
Spain begins Group B play Sunday against Croatia.
“My goal is to help lead this team to a gold medal and enjoy the process and the journey”, Anthony said. Several of them arrived at the ceremony after training stints.
Advertisement
“It’s a testament to a pipeline of talent that we are blessed within the United States”, USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said Thursday. “If anything gets hard, we should be able to withstand it”.
