Duke Basketball: Former Blue Devil Joins USA AmeriCup Roster

PROVIDENCE, RI - MARCH 19: Marshall Plumlee
PROVIDENCE, RI - MARCH 19: Marshall Plumlee /
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Former Duke center Marshall Plumlee was selected to represent the United States for the FIBA 2017 Americas Championship this fall.

Former Blue Devil Marshall Plumlee was recently named to the USA Basketball Men’s AmeriCup Team roster, and will compete in the FIBA Americas tournament this fall. This is a great honor for the former Duke center and will hopefully jump start his career in the NBA.

The FIBA Americas championship has undergone a number of changes to make it possible for players like Plumlee to compete internationally. The event will no longer use NBA stars, but take young NBA and D-League players to represent the United States. Marshall Plumlee was invited to a training camp for prospective players and was eventually named to the 12-man roster.

Marshall Plumlee excelled in his role during his career at Duke. He played for the Blue Devils from 2013-2016 helping the team earn a national title in 2015. The youngest Plumlee brother only averaged 3.4 points and 3.8 rebounds for his college career, but was known for his tough paint defense and hustle on the court.

A career senior year helped Marshall Plumlee land in the NBA, competing in the NBA and the D-League with the New York Knicks organization. He averaged 1.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in the NBA and 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds with Westchester.

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Hopefully, participating in AmeriCup will help Marshall Plumlee going forward in his NBA career. He received limited minutes for the Knicks last season, and recently agreed to join the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason on a two-way, partially guaranteed contract. If Plumlee can show his athleticism, rebounding prowess, and defensive capabilities against international competition, the Clippers will be able to make room for him on their NBA roster and find minutes behind All-Star center DeAndre Jordan.

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Marshall Plumlee will train with the team and head coach Jeff Van Gundy in Houston before heading to Montevideo, Uruguay for group play August 28-30. The US will compete in Group C with the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Uruguay. The group winners will advance to the medal rounds in Cordoba, Argentina September 2-3. Best of luck to Marshall Plumlee and the rest of USA Basketball