Donovan returns to lead U19 team, targets first title repeat since 1983

COLORADO SPRINGS (FIBA U19 World Championship) - Never change a winning formula - that must have been part of the thought process for USA Basketball when they agreed to have Billy Donovan return to coach the United States team at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship.

Donovan has not lost a single game on the sidelines for his country. Under the University of Florida coach, the USA cruised through the nine games at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship to take the title - their fifth in 11 U19 Worlds tournaments and first since 2009. 

The 49-year-old coach also guided the USA to two undefeated title runs at the 2012 and 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championships, giving the Rockville Centre, New York native a perfect 19-0 record for USA teams.

"USA Basketball has been a first-class organisation to be part of over the past several years, and it is an honor to be able to come back and represent our country again this summer," said Donovan, who is the USA's first repeat U19 head coach.

USA Basketball is surrounding Donovan with Ed Cooley and Sean Miller, his two assistants from the 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship team, for the U19 Worlds, which will take place on the Greek island of Crete from 27 June-5 July.

"Sean Miller and Ed Cooley are both great guys and excellent coaches. It was very rewarding for me working side by side with them on the U18 team last summer, and it will be great to have that continuity with the staff again with the U19 team," said Donovan, who won NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007 with the Florida Gators.

"Our U19 team is going to really benefit from another year with Coach Donovan, Coach Cooley and Coach Miller," said USA Basketball Junior National Team Committee chairman Jim Boeheim.

"They had great success last summer, winning the gold medal and we're confident the squad is going to continue to improve with this staff in place."

Donovan is aiming to lead the USA to the first repeat at the U19 tournament since they won back-to-back titles at the first two editions of the championship in 1979 and 1983. 

Between 1987 and 2011, seven different countries - Yugoslavia, Greece, Spain, Australia, Serbia, Lithuania and the USA twice - captured the U19 Worlds crown. 

Three members of the USA's 2013 U19 World Championship winning team have entered the NBA - Elfrid Payton, Marcus Smart and Aaron Gordon. At least two more - Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow - are expected to join them perhaps as soon as in late June.

Winslow is eligible to play at the U19 Worlds this summer after helping the USA win the U18 FIBA Americas crown last summer. Also on that team last summer was Tyus Jones, who teamed up with Winslow and Okafor to win the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship. The three of them are playing together as freshmen this season at Duke University.

FIBA