The U.S. national team didn’t get into the medals at the Pan American Games, but they did turn around an 0-2 record to begin the competition with a three-game winning streak that culminated in Sunday’s 77-74 win over Panama to finish play.
The U.S. men, including Oregon’s Maarty Leunen, had previously lost to Panama 75-67 Thursday.
Leunen finished the Pan Am Games – held this year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – averaging 7.8 points and 4 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game. Sunday’s win over Panama boosted those totals, as he scored 12 points, including 10 in a 4:10 span in the third quarter, and finished with six rebounds. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds in 32.2 minutes per game last season as a key member of the Ducks’ Elite Eight run.
Villanova and U.S. national team head coach Jay Wright was full of praise for Leunen after Sunday. “Maarty’s done anything we’ve asked of him,” Wright said on USA Basketball’s Web site. “Usually its been the dirty work – rebounding, defending – and in this game we needed someone [on the] perimeter to take the ball to the basket and make some plays.
“He recognized it and did it and I think that’s really a tribute to what type of player he is – he’s got the skills to do anything needed to win, but he’s got the character to wait and see whatever the team needs.”
Leunen helped take the game back for the U.S. in the third quarter by penetrating, scoring points and forcing Panama to change their plan on defense. “They were just running out on our shots a lot,” Leunen said on USA Basketball’s Web site. “We started taking the ball to the hoop and good things started to happen. At our end we started getting defensive stops and getting out and run and that was a big key to our second half.”
Sunday’s game was a redemption of sorts for Leunen, who fouled out of the team’s eight-point loss to Panama in their second game of the tournament. In only 13 minutes on the court Leunen had just three points before his fifth foul. It was also his second-highest scoring game of the tournament after the explosive 14-point, seven-rebound showing in the U.S.’ opening match against Uruguay Wednesday.
The U.S. men came on strong after their two losses, first beating reigning Olympic champions Argentina 74-71 on Friday, followed with a 84-58 victory over the U.S. Virgin Islands Saturday. D.J. White of Indiana starred in Saturday’s victory, scoring 22 points and pulling down 13 rebounds.
From the coach to the players, the U.S. team was proud to turn their record around and finish with a three-game winning streak. “What was left after those two games was to show what type of pride we had in representing the U.S. and what type of character we had in terms of our relationships with each other,” Wright said.
The sentiment was echoed by Leunen, who said, “[The two losses were] kind of unfortunate knowing we won our last three, but it shows the character of this team. Even though we weren’t in the medal round, we pushed through.”
Star Quality
The team assembled for the Pan Am Games featured players from many top programs in the nation. Nine out of the 12 players on the squad are going to be seniors this upcoming season. All of the colleges represented on the squad played in the NCAA Tournament this past spring, and only one – Wright and guard Scottie Reynolds’ Villanova team – did not make it past the first round.
Also starring for the U.S. in the tournament has been another Pac-10 leader, Washington State’s Derrick Low. The All-Pacific-10 Conference guard from Hawaii was singled out by Wright as one of the players who led the team throughout the tournament. Low’s teammate (and fellow All Pac-10 honoree) Kyle Weaver was also a member of the squad and started two games. With Leunen and the two Cougars, one full quarter of the traveling team was represented by two Pac-10 schools in the northwest.
Asked after Sunday’s game if he felt it was a rewarding experience, Leunen responded, “Definitely. It’s not everyday you get to represent Team USA, travel to another country and play in a different environment that you’re not even used to.”
Pan Am Games Stats
Uruguay (July 25): 14 points, 7 rebounds, 0 assists, 22 minutes
Panama (July 26): 3 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists, 5 fouls, 13 minutes
Argentina (July 27): 3 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 15 minutes
U.S. Virgin Islands (July 28): 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 22 minutes
Panama (July 29): 12 points, 6 rebounds, 0 assists, 25 minutes
Total: 7.8 points per game, 4 rebounds per game, 19.4 minutes per game