Per Duke Comms:
With the 2023 FIBA World Cup underway in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, Duke Men’s Basketball is well represented with a program-record five former Blue Devils on four countries’ rosters.
Two former Duke standouts – Paolo Banchero and Brandon Ingram – are representing the United States in the competition as members of the 12-player squad. Both former Blue Devils have previous USA Basketball experience but are making their first appearance on a FIBA World Cup roster for the United States. Former Blue Devil great Grant Hill is the Managing Director of USA Basketball, while former Blue Devil Chip Engelland is part of Team USA’s coaching staff for the FIBA World Cup.
Three other former Duke players — RJ Barrett (Canada), Jack White (Australia) and Jacob Grandison (Finland) — give the Blue Devils five in a single World Cup for the first time in program history. The previous record was three in 2014 when Kyrie Irving and Mason Plumlee donned the Red, White and Blue, and Martynas Pocius played for Lithuania. Former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski coached the 2014 USA squad to the gold medal.
Banchero, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year and No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, previously attended USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamps in 2019. Ingram, the NBA Most Improved Player in 2020, was a finalist for the 2020 USA Men’s National Team and was also a member of the 2016 USA Men’s Select Team and training with the 2016 Olympic squad prior to the Games in Rio de Janeiro.
White, who played for the NBA champion Denver Nuggets this past season, is representing his home country for the third time on the international stage, while Barrett suits up for the Canadians after making a three-year commitment to play for the Senior Men’s National Team. Grandison, who holds Finnish citizenship via his mother, is on Finland’s roster after representing the country in its summer training camp and Olympic prep in 2021.
Australia and Finland are both in Group E, with Grandison and White slated to square off at 4 a.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 25, in Okinawa, Japan. Canada, in Group H is also scheduled to start group play on Friday, taking on France at 9:30 a.m. ET in Jakarta, Indonesia. Both games are available to watch via ESPN+. The United States is in Group C and opens play against New Zealand on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8:40 a.m. ET on ESPN2 in Manila, Philippines.
The remaining group play schedule for the four teams is as follows, with times listed in Eastern time:
Australia vs. Germany – Sunday, Aug. 27 (4:30 a.m.)
Canada vs. Lebanon – Sunday, Aug. 27 (5:45 a.m.)
Japan vs. Finland – Sunday, Aug. 27 (8:10 a.m.)
United States vs. Greece – Monday, Aug. 28 (8:40 a.m.)
Finland vs. Germany – Tuesday, Aug. 29 (3:30 a.m.)
Australia vs. Japan – Tuesday, Aug. 29 (7:10 a.m.)
Canada vs. Latvia – Tuesday, Aug. 29 (9:30 a.m.)
United States vs. Jordan – Wednesday, Aug. 30 (4:40 a.m.)
