USA basketball chasing double gold at Rhine-Ruhr 2025

ESSEN - The United States men’s and women’s basketball teams come into the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games with strong medal hopes for both competitions.

The United States have fielded a basketball team at the FISU World University Games every year since 1965, topping the overall table with 42 medals, including 25 gold.

In the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 competitions, played across Duisburg, Essen and Hagen, the men will be looking to build on their bronze medal from Chengdu in 2023.

The team is formed of student-athletes from Baylor University in Texas and includes stars such as Andre Iguodala II, son of four-time NBA champion and London 2012 Olympic gold medallist, Andre Iguodala.

The USA is joined in Pool B by Romania, Latvia and India.

“There’s nothing better than being overseas,” men’s head coach Scott Drew (USA) said. “That really brings you together, a lot more than when you have the distractions that you do in the United States.

“I think this summer playing at the World University Games would be huge for us. Not just the Games, because not all our players would be able to play, but the practice time would be a really big advantage for us.”

In the women’s event, Team USA are represented by the ‘Lady Raiders’ of Texas Tech University and will be counting on the talents of players such as Silentianna Collins and Jalynn Bristow in their Pool B matches against Germany, Poland and Chinese Taipei.

Obstacles in the way

But USA are unlikely to have a straight path to the final in either competition. Defending men’s champions Czechia will be a force to watch, although they will face an early challenge in a repeat of the Chengdu gold medal match when they meet Brazil in Pool C, alongside Poland and the Philippines.

“It is very hard to determine the strength of each team,” Czechia men’s head coach Lubos Barton (CZE) said.

“Our first game is against Poland, and I believe this will be the key game for both squads,” he added. “I am sure Brazil will bring a very talented team, and we should never underestimate a team like the Philippines where basketball is on the rise”.

Team USA women have not won gold at a FISU Games since 2015 in Gwangju, South Korea. But this USA team, led by head coach Krista Gerlich (USA), has confidence in themselves and the work they’ve put into their preparation.

“It’s a great opportunity for our team to chase gold again for the USA,” Gerlich said. “No matter if we were chasing a repeat of gold or a return to gold, we understand the assignment and the responsibility.”

Other eyes on the prize

Searching for gold after defeat to China in the 2023 women’s final is a determined Japan team.

They are in Pool C alongside Hungary, Brazil and Lithuania, and will be boosted by a roster that includes seasoned professionals such as Miyu Okamoto and Suzuno Higuchi.

Lebanon is set to make its long-awaited return to the FISU World University Games men’s basketball competition, with Joe Moujaes (LBN), who played in the FISU Games in Beijing in 2001, leading the team as head coach.

“I fully understand the significance of this event as a true university world championship,” Moujaes told This is Beirut.

“Lebanon’s return to this competition is a mark of distinction for our basketball programme. The recent success of our national teams, especially with the senior team’s participation in the last FIBA World Cup, has strengthened Lebanon’s position on the global stage.

FGNS vs/kc/mb