2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup

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That was his demeanor this summer, when he made the USA World Cup team that won the gold medal on Sunday by overwhelming Serbia 129-92 in the championship game.

It was a moment of fulfillment for Plumlee. He was a member of the U.S. Under-18 team that lost in the title game to Argentina.

Silver was acceptable. Gold was the goal.

"It’s a dream come true," Plumlee said. "It’s every player’s dream, and I am just fortunate to be a part of this team."

Plumlee wasn’t expected to be on this team. He was invited to work out with the team in Nevada. But Plumlee quickly impressed Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff with his smart play and unrelenting effort.

When several NBA stars such as Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge withdrew from the team, Plumlee took advantage of the opportunity.

"I didn’t go to camp thinking I wasn’t going to make the team," Plumlee said before the team left for Spain." I don’t think if you’re a competitor you approach it that way. There were a lot of great players there. I just tried to concentrate on my game, what I can bring, and it worked out."

Plumlee played the same game for the USA that he played for the Nets: He took smart shots, ran the floor, and rebounded.

Plumlee averaged 2.3 points on 60-percent shooting (9-of-15) and two rebounds in 6.7 minutes of play. They aren’t numbers that jump off the page but Plumlee believes the experience of playing on this team will make him a better NBA player in his second season.

“Just every day [working] with some of the best players in the world, you pick up things in practice, workouts and games," Plumlee said. "We just had a good time and I took a lot away from it."

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Plumlee Settles an Old Score by Winning Gold

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“We’re just a team on a mission,” Plumlee texted BrooklynNets.com. “We are coming together at the right time and have a great chance to advance in this tournament.”

Plumlee had a rebound in six minutes of play as the U.S. advanced to Tuesday’s quarterfinal round game against Slovenia.

Bogdanovic, 25, who the Nets signed to a three-year deal this summer, looks like an NBA-ready weapon. He scored a game-high 27 points in Croatia’s 69-63 loss to France.

Bogdanovic was 11 of 19 from the field, including 3 of 7 from behind the arc, and had six rebounds as he led a furious rally. A 6-8, 216-pound swingman, Bogdanovic averaged 21.2 points on 50-percent shooting from the field, including 36.1 percent on 3s, in the FIBA World Cup.

“His ability to stretch the floor with his shooting gives him a chance to play early in his time in Brooklyn,” ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla recently told BrooklynNets.com. “I think he’s got the potential to be a solid NBA rotation guy on a good team.”

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Plumlee and Bogdanovic Show World Cup Skill as USA Marches On

The dream started taking shape some 18 years ago, when Mason Plumlee’s parents took him to see the 1996 U.S. Olympic team play an exhibition game.

“I remember seeing Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill, it was that team," said Plumlee. "They were really good. They won by about 50 or 60. I remember just being in awe.

“As soon as I saw that team I said, ‘I want to do this.’ It’s a special opportunity. I couldn’t be happier."

The dream came true early Saturday morning when USA Basketball announced that the Brooklyn Nets power forward/center was one of 12 players selected to represent this country in the upcoming FIBA World Cup in Spain.

Plumlee originally was invited to join the Select Team. That group was supposed to be nothing more than practice fodder for the Elite team.

But by the time the team broke camp in Las Vegas, the 6-11, 235-pound Plumlee had been called up to the Elite team and had been told a spot on the roster was his to lose.

He continued to cement his place as the first center off the bench behind Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans with his solid play. Plumlee scored four points on 2-of-3 shooting, grabbed five rebounds and made two steals in the team’s 112-86 win over Puerto Rico Friday night.

“The first day, when I was on the Select Team and we were practicing against the older guys, I had my best practice, probably offensively,’’ Plumlee said. “I scored the most. I created a lot of things. That’s what pulled me up to practice with the Elite guys. To me, I gained respect among Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis, those guys."

For Plumlee, 24, this accomplishment has special meaning. He has friends that have served in the military, as well as close relatives on both sides of his family."

When the team practiced at West Point on Monday, Plumlee felt a deep connection with the men and women in uniform."

"Coach K says it best: ‘This is the greatest team in the world."’ Plumlee said.

The U.S. team has one more tuneup against Slovenia on August 26 (2 p.m.; ESPN2) before beginning play in the FIBA World Cup against Finland on August 30 (3:30 p.m.; ESPN).

“As an organization we are excited for Mason," said Nets GM Billy King. “He has worked extremely hard to put himself in this position."

That has been Plumlee’s M.O. throughout his career at Duke and his rookie season with the Nets. He works hard at his craft and plays within himself.

There’s little doubt Plumlee’s role on the Nets will be more significant in 2014-15 and this experience with the National Team will prove to be a tremendous benefit.

“I think I’m a much better player,’’ Plumlee said. “Much more confident. Much more trusting of my skills and what I can do. Really, how I played in the games and with this team is similar to how I played in Brooklyn. But doing it at the highest level with other talent on the floor, it gives you confidence. That’s something I’ll carry forward to the next season."

As he stood in the hallway leading to the U.S. locker room after the win over Puerto Rico, Plumlee shared a moment with King before meeting with the media. He talked about how he’s learned from playing with the likes of James Harden and Stephen Curry, how confident and decisive they are with the ball.

When asked if it sunk in, realizing this dream that began when he was an eight-year-old, Plumlee nodded.

“It’s a dream come true,’’ Plumlee said. “It’s a great step in the right direction for me as a player. It’s something I’m proud of but I’m also grateful for it. It’s a responsibility.

“Making the team is not the goal. Winning the gold is the goal."

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Plumlee Makes Team USA; The Goal is Gold

NEW YORK (Aug. 23, 2014) – USA Basketball National Team Managing Director Jerry Colangelo announced Friday night the 12 players who will represent the United States at the 2014 FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Basketball World Cup that is being held Aug. 30-Sept. 14 in Spain. The player announcement followed the USA's112-86 exhibition victory over Puerto Rico Friday evening at Madison Square Garden.

Named as members of the official 2014 USA Basketball World Cup Team were: DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings); Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans); DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors); Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons); Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets); Rudy Gay (Sacramento Kings); James Harden (Houston Rockets); Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers); Mason Plumlee (Brooklyn Nets); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); and Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors).

“Since taking over the USA Basketball Men’s National Team program in 2005, this was without doubt the most difficult selection process we’ve gone through,” said Colangelo. “I can’t stress enough the outstanding effort and commitment that has been given by each finalist. I also want to make it clear that this is not just about talent – each player is incredibly talented and each player offered us unique skills. In the end it was about assembling the best team, selecting guys who we felt would be able to best play the kind of style we envision this team playing.”

“The first thing is we are very pleased with the overall effort of every player who was a part of the process,” said Mike Krzyzewski, USA head coach and Duke University’s Naismith Hall of Fame mentor. “To select twelve was difficult, because our pool is so good. As we go forward, we not only go forward as twelve, we go forward as a pool for USA Basketball. As a staff we want to thank the players who are not going forward.

“I’m excited about the 12 players selected and feel we have excellent versatility and the makings of a really good defensive team.”

Rounding out Krzyzewski’s USA National Team coaching staff as assistant coaches are Syracuse University and Naismith Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau and New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams.

The USA will complete its pre-World Cup exhibition tour on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain. Training Aug. 24-25, the U.S. will close out its exhibition tour on Aug. 26 facing Slovenia at Gran Canaria Arena. The USA team will complete its training for the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Basketball World Cup Aug. 28-29 in Bilbao, Spain, the site of its World Cup preliminary round games.

Since the first FIBA World Championship was held in 1950, the USA has won 11 medals – four gold medals, three silver medals and four bronze medals – while compiling an all time 114-27 win-loss record. Led By Krzyzewski, the Americans are defending World Champions having claim gold in Istanbul with a 9-0 record.

The 2014 World Cup, featuring a total of 24 national teams, is scheduled to be held Aug. 30-Sept. 14 in Spain. The USA will play its preliminary round games in Bilbao, after being drawn into Group C along with teams from the Dominican Republic, Finland, New Zealand, Turkey and Ukraine.

The USA opens the 2014 World Cup on Aug. 30 against Finland, and then faces Turkey on Aug. 31 in a rematch of the 2010 FIBA World Championship gold medal game, a contest in which the USA claimed an 81-64 victory. Following a day off on Sept. 1, the USA resumes play Sept. 2 facing New Zealand. The U.S. will go against the Dominican Republic on Sept. 3 and will conclude its preliminary play on Sept. 4 facing Ukraine.

Each team at the 2014 World Cup will play the other teams in its preliminary group, and the top four finishing teams from each of the four preliminary round groups will then qualify for the round of 16. Winners of the round of 16 games will advance to the quarterfinals, while losers are eliminated. Winners of the quarterfinals games will advance to the medal round semifinals, while the quarterfinals losers are eliminated from the competition. Winners of the semifinals will advance to the Sept. 14 gold medal game, while semifinals losers will meet in the bronze medal game on Sept. 13.  The games from the round of 16 to the semifinals will be played in Barcelona and Madrid, and the bronze and gold medal games will be held in Madrid.

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Plumlee Named to Final USA World Cup Team

NEW YORK -- Add Syracuse coach and USA Basketball assistant coach Jim Boeheim to the list of talent evaluators who were surprised by the ability of Brooklyn Nets forward Mason Plumlee.

“I didn’t watch the Nets a lot last season because I tend to follow teams with Syracuse players,” Boeheim told BrooklynNets.com with a wry smile.

“But he’s really good and he’s going to keep getting better. It was obvious from the first day of practice that he was one of the more talented big men we had in camp.”

Plumlee did not play Wednesday night in a 105-62 rout of the Dominican Republic. Plumlee said Coach Mike Krzyzewski told him he probably wouldn’t play as he tried to get minutes for players who hadn’t seen action in Saturday’s win over Brazil.

Plumlee said he expects to play Friday night against Puerto Rico and remains confident he will be on the roster when the team heads to Spain for the FIBA World Cup.

“I just feel my whole body of work - obviously the public has seen the scrimmages, the intersquad scrimmage went well, I played well in Chicago.  But just as much as that, I feel like I’ve practiced very well since [Las] Vegas, so I’m confident where I stand,” Plumlee said. “If they need me, I’m ready to go.”

Plumlee has been down this road before. Taken by the Nets with the 22nd pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, many thought he would spend a year in the D-League.

He played 70 games (starting 22), averaged 7.4 points on 65.9-percent shooting and grabbed 4.4 rebounds. Plumlee was an NBA All-Rookie First Team Selection.

He was invited to join the USA Select Team, which was comprised of players not expected to make the roster. They were the basketball versions of tackling dummies.

By the time the squad left Las Vegas, Plumlee had been called up to the National Team and he’s not looking back. He does not believe he needs to do anything special Friday night to cement a spot on the roster.

“If I am making a statement, it’s playing my game, doing what I do at a high level, not getting outside myself,” Plumlee said. “Just giving the team what they expect from me and what I’ve done up until this point.

“It’s a short period of time. We’re only with this team for a month and half so every game’s a statement game. Every practice is big. You can’t really have bad days in the U.S. program.”

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Plumlee Poised to Cement a Spot on the USA World Cup Roster

WEST POINT – During his four years at Duke, Mason Plumlee would often hear Coach Mike Krzyzewski talk about his experiences at the United States Military Academy.

Coach K’s voice would take on a unique timber, an amalgam of nostalgia, pride and respect.

“I think Coach says it best: ‘Our military is the best team we have,’ ’’ said the Brooklyn Nets’ power forward-center who was invited to work out with this squad and suddenly has a legitimate chance of representing the United States in the upcoming FIBA World Cup in Spain.

It was here on Monday that Krzyzewski, Class of ‘69, brought the USA team for a practice session that really was a lovefest with the men and women in uniform and their families.

There was a half-court shooting contest, skills games against Army’s men’s and women’s teams, and a battalion’s worth of USA basketball t-shirts tossed into the crowd at Christl Arena.

“It was fun,’’ Plumlee said. “I had never been to West Point before. I have a couple of buddies that were here so I always wanted to come up and check it out. And of course I’ve heard Coach K talk about it very highly.

“He’s very proud of being from here and it’s cool to see they have a little shrine to him in one of the buildings. So it’s been a fun day all in all.’’

Krzyzewski was at home on Monday, but Plumlee enjoyed the home-court advantage today. The USA squad worked out at the Nets’ practice facility in New Jersey.

They’ll play the Dominican Republic Wednesday night and return to the Nets’ facility on Thursday for another practice. Friday night there is a game against the Puerto Rican national team.

Krzyzewski will have some difficult decisions to make, possibly as soon as Thursday.

He’s currently carrying 16 players. He must make four cuts before the team heads to Spain where it will face Finland on Aug. 30 in its first game.

Plumlee, who scored nine points and grabbed four rebounds in 15 minutes of play in the team’s 95-78 win over Brazil on Saturday, continues to make a strong case as a mobile, athletic backup center.

Based on who Krzyzewski started and who played the most minutes, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kenneth Faried, Rudy Gay, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson are locks. So is center DeMarcus Cousins.

That leaves Chandler Parsons, Damian Lillard, Kyle Korver, DeMar DeRozan, Andre Drummond, Gordon Hayward and Plumlee battling for the final four spots. Drummond, DeRozan and Hayward were healthy but did not play against Brazil, although Krzyzewski has cautioned about reading too much into that.

The last cut could come down to whether Coach K wants another guard, such as Lillard, or a big man, such as Plumlee. No one expected Plumlee to have made it this far, except for Plumlee.

“You know, I didn’t say it publicly but you had the mindset coming in where if I play well, I have a chance to make the team.

“That just grows with each step. You get to the 20, the 20 goes to 16.  Hopefully, the 16 goes to 12. You just keep trying to stay ahead of the pack.’’

2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup

Plumlee Settles an Old Score by Winning Gold

2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup

Plumlee and Bogdanovic Show World Cup Skill as USA Marches On

Plumlee Makes Team USA; The Goal is Gold

Plumlee Named to Final USA World Cup Team

Plumlee Poised to Cement a Spot on the USA World Cup Roster

Plumlee Enjoys Team USA’s Visit to West Point, Gets Back to Work at Nets Practice Facility