San Antonio Spurs: Derrick White to attend USA Basketball Training Camp

San Antonio Spurs guard Derrick White will join other NBA prospects in Las Vegas for USA Basketball Training Camp ahead of the World Cup Qualifying Round.

Over the course of his first year as a Spur, White drew attention from fans and spectators for his superb performance in leading the team’s G-League affiliate Austin Spurs to a championship victory. The 24-year-old grew his stock with excellent performances in both Utah and Las Vegas in the 2018 Summer League.

Derrick White to participate in @usabasketball World Cup Qualifying Team Training Camp.

More: https://t.co/d3Rn917BZf pic.twitter.com/WE1qMMjR8j

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) September 3, 2018

White will join 13 other players in battling for one of 12 final roster spots to represent the United States in the preliminary round of the Basketball World Cup. Other notable attendees include Charlotte’s Dwayne Bacon, New Orleans’ Jordan Crawford and Sacramento’s Frank Mason III.

Leading the young core for the United States is former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy who’s taken a leadership role as a coach for USA Basketball. Van Gundy is more commonly known for his work as a color commentator for ABC. His tenure with USA Basketball has been highlighted by a 5-1 record in the FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifying Round and a gold medal at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup Championship. Van Gundy has worked closely with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich as a member of the Team USA Staff.

Whether Popovich has a connection in White’s training camp selection is undetermined, but he’s certainly a good person to have in his corner. San Antonio’s been widely impressed with White’s maturity and high basketball IQ over the course of his rookie campaign. He appeared in 24 games for the Austin Spurs last season and led the team in scoring with 20.1 points per game.

That scoring output combined with his playmaking ability, size, strength and consistency as a combo guard caught the attention of the USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team Committee. The team will begin games on September 14 when they take on Uruguay before heading to Panama City to face the Panamanian team.

With the 2018-2019 season just around the corner, many fans will have their eyes on White’s performance with USA Basketball and through the preseason.