Related: Raptors Sign Kleiza | Raptors Acquire Barbosa And Jones From Phoenix A Letter From Bryan Colangelo | Raptors Re-Sign Johnson | Offseason Blog | 2010 Draft Central Related Video: Leadership Moments: Jay Triano Discuss It On: Twitter | Facebook | Raptorspace August 3, 2010 USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo announced Tuesday that Toronto Raptors head coach and internationally experienced mentor Jay Triano would replace Men's National Team assistant coach Mike D'Antoni on the 2010 USA coaching staff. D'Antoni, head coach of the New York Knicks, will be unable to travel with the USA Men's World Championship Team to Europe this summer because of back problems.
Triano will join the team for its New York training (August 10-16) and continue on the bench through its training and exhibition games in Spain and Greece and the August 28 -- September 12 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.
"This is a great opportunity to work with Coach K (head coach Mike Krzyzewski) and his staff and continue what Mr. Colangelo has built that resulted in gold at the Beijing Olympics," stated Triano. "I've had the chance to work with a lot of these players over the past few years coaching the USA Select Teams and I'm looking forward to taking the court with them and Coach K in Istanbul."
Triano completed in 2009-10 his eighth season as a member of the Toronto coaching staff and his second season as head coach of the Raptors. Triano possesses an extensive international coaching resume. He was head coach of the Canadian Men's National Team from 1998-2004, posting a 49-39 win-loss record and a .557 winning percentage. He led Canada to a semifinal berth in the 2003 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico and to a 5-2 record, second best to the United States, in the 2000 Olympics.
He has also served as an assistant coach of the USA Basketball Select Teams that trained against the U.S. National Team in 2007 and 2008, was lead coach at the 2009 USA Basketball Men's National Team mini-camp, and assisted at the recently completed 2010 USA National Team training camp in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 2010-12 USA National Team coaching staff is led by Krzyzewski, Duke University's Hall of Fame coach. In addition to D'Antoni and now Triano, it features assistant coaches Syracuse University's Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan.