Mark Few’s USA Handles Kelly Olynyk and Andrew Nembhard’s Canada in Friendly, 86-72

Our first look at Mark Few’s defensive coaching impact as well as how Kelly Olynyk and Andrew Nembhard will contribute during the Paris Olympics.

This was the first of exhibitions in the USA Basketball Showcase before the Paris Olympics and a lot of North American pride was on the line in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena. If you remember back to the 2023 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines, Canada beat USA for the bronze medal, 127-118.

A different story in a game that doesn’t really matter. Andrew Nembhard and Kelly Olynyk came off the bench for Canada in this friendly loss to the 2024 Olympic gold medal favorite. Kelly Olynyk finished with 9 points on 4-5 FG/1-1 3PT, 4 assists and 1 rebound. As for Andrew Nembhard, he struggled to make his impact on a court full of international basketball stars. The former Zag finished 0-5 FG/0-3 3PT, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal.

Kelly Olynyk has still got it at the age of 33 years old. He was cutting towards the hoop and stretching out the floor early on for the Canadians. Bill Raftery and Gus Johnson were reflecting on his time at Gonzaga back in 2012 during the FS1 call which had me feeling all types of nostalgic.

Mark Few’s zone defense is going to be something to watch throughout USA’s run. In certain spots, it will be implemented and you can see below him running the stars through his thoughts. He’s the brains behind the defensive side of the floor while Steve Kerr is more offense.

You can watch Mark Few and USA next on July 15th at 9 AM PDT against Saint Mary’s and Australia in Abu Dhabi on FS1. The West Coast Conference rivalry will be alive and well for the Gonzaga faithful in another USA friendly matchup.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho