SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Last weekend, the United States won the Bronze medal at the AmeriCup, the men’s basketball championship organized every four years by the FIBA Americas. USA played six games across eight days in the tournament, going 4-2 in those games. Their two losses came against Uruguay and Brazil, the eventual tournament champion. The United States’ final win came on August 31 in the third place game against Canada with a final score of 90-85.
Among the 12 players on the U.S. team were three former Fighting Irish basketball players: Jerian Grant, Jack Cooley, and Zach Auguste. All three of these former ND stars played key roles for the United States’ success in the tournament.
JERIAN GRANT
In his first time suiting up for USA Basketball, the former point guard for the 2015 Elite Eight team started all six of the United States’ games at the AmeriCup. In these six games, Grant averaged 8.8 points per game, 4.8 assists per game, and 2.2 rebounds per game. He scored a tournament high of 13 points in the United States’ 83-70 win against Uruguay. Grant currently plays for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League and the EuroLeague.
JACK COOLEY
Also playing for the first time for the United States, the 2013 Notre Dame graduate began the tournament coming off the bench before starting the team’s final four games. Cooley averaged 3.8 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game throughout the tournament. He was also the team leader in rebounding in four of the United States’ six games, with his tournament high coming in their win against Uruguay when he grabbed 12 rebounds. Since 2019, Cooley has suited up for the Ryukyu Golden Kings in Japan’s B League.
ZACH AUGUSTE
The member of both the 2015 & 2016 Elite Eight teams, who also wore “USA” on his chest for the first time, did not start any of the team’s games but played a pivotal role off the bench. Auguste averaged 10.2 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, and two assists per game in the six games that he suited up. His best moment came when he scored 28 points and grabbed seven boards in the United States’ 105-93 win against the Bahamian national team. Auguste currently plays for the SeaHorses Mikawa in Japan’s B League.
— ND —