Team USA announced 30 finalists for the 2016 Olympic basketball team, and four players from former ACC schools are in consideration: Harrison Barnes (UNC), Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse), Chris Paul (Wake Forest) and Kyrie Irving (Duke).
If any of those players make the team that heads to Rio in 2016, it will continue the ACC’s long history of Olympic basketball excellence.
Players from ACC schools have earned 33 spots on the basketball squad that Team USA sent to the Olympics. That’s more than any other conference (based on current membership)
| ACC |
33 |
| Pac 12 |
30 |
| Big 12 |
27 |
| SEC |
26 |
| Big Ten |
23 |
| No College |
11 |
| AAC |
10 |
| Big East |
8 |
| Missouri Valley |
5 |
| Atlantic 10 |
5 |
| Conference USA |
5 |
| Patriot |
4 |
| West Coast |
4 |
| Big West |
3 |
| Southland |
2 |
| Mtn W |
2 |
| Summit |
1 |
| Ohio Valley |
1 |
| Ivy |
1 |
| SWAC |
1 |
| America East |
1 |
| Northeast |
1 |
| Horizon |
1 |
| MAC |
1 |
| Other |
10 |
It’s not surprise that UNC, Duke, Syracuse and Wake would have players in the running for the next Olympic team. Those schools have dominated the ACC’s representation on Team USA.
| North Carolina |
12 |
Larry Brown ’64, Charles Scott ’68, Bobby Jones ’72, Phil Ford, Walter Davis, Tommy Lagarde, Mitch Kupchak ’76, Michael Jordan ’84, ’92, Sam Perkins ‘84 J.R. Reid ’88, Vince Carter ‘00 |
| Duke |
6 |
Jeff Mullins ’68, Tate Armstrong ’76, Christian Laettner ’92, Grant Hill ’96, Carlos Boozer ’04, ‘08 |
| Notre Dame |
3 |
Vince Boryla ’48, Adrian Dantley ’80, Joe Kleine ‘84 |
| Wake Forest |
3 |
Tim Duncan ’04, Chris Paul ’08, ‘12 |
| Syracuse |
3 |
Carmelo Anthony ’04, ’08, ‘12 |
| NC State |
2 |
Tom Burleson ’72, Kenny Carr ‘76 |
| *Maryland |
2 |
Tom McMillen, 72, Steve Sheppard ‘76 |
| Georgia Tech |
2 |
Stephon Marbury ’04, Chris Bosh ‘08 |
| *South Carolina |
1 |
Kevin Joyce ‘72 |
| Pittsburgh |
1 |
Charles Smith ‘88 |
| Virginia Tech |
1 |
Bimbo Coles ‘88 |
| * Former member |
Carolina and Duke are also among the top 10 colleges producing Olympians, with UNC topping the list:
| North Carolina |
12 |
| Kansas |
11 |
| UCLA |
10 |
| no college |
10 |
| Kentucky |
9 |
| Duke |
6 |
| Oklahoma |
5 |
| Georgetown |
5 |
| Arkansas |
4 |
| Indiana |
4 |
| Houston |
4 |
| Oregon State |
4 |
| California |
4 |
The 1980 Olympic boycott also cost the ACC another four Olympians as UNC’s Al Wood, Maryland’s Buck Williams, Louisville’s Rodney McCray and Notre Dame’s Bill Hanzlik were all chosen for the team.