3 ACC programs put men’s basketball players on Olympic team

 

USA Basketball unveiled its official 12-man 2016 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team on Monday, and three of the players came from current ACC programs.

Carmelo Anthony, who led Syracuse to a national championship during his lone season with the Orange in 2002-03, becomes the first United States male basketball player selected to four Olympic teams. Among the players joining him on this year’s team will be former Duke star Kyrie Irving and former UNC standout Harrison Barnes.

Irving will be the sixth former Duke men’s basketball player to represent the U.S. in the Olympic Games, joining Tate Armstrong (1976), Carlos Boozer (2004 and 2008), Grant Hill (1996), Christian Laettner (1992) and Jeff Mullins (1964).

Barnes just finished his fourth season in the NBA and with the Golden State Warriors. The Ames, Iowa, native has played in consecutive NBA Finals, winning a title with Golden State in 2015. He will be the 14th Tar Heel selected to play men’s basketball in the Olympics and 13th to play for Team USA.

After guiding the U.S. to Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski will once again be Team USA’s head coach this summer. For the third Olympics in a row, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim will be an assistant for the national team.