The Washington Mystics’ General Manager was also an assistant coach last year in the FIBA Women’s World Cup.
On Friday, the Washington Mystics announced on X that General Manager Mike Thibault will be an assistant coach for the USA Basketball women’s national team for their fall exhibitions.
GM Mike Thibault will serve as an assistant coach for the #USABWNT https://t.co/19xaFqN6z1 pic.twitter.com/2DVCyUSthP
— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) September 29, 2023
Team USA will play two college basketball teams, the Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Nov. 5 and the Duke Blue Devils on Nov. 12. It is unclear who will be on Team USA for the November exhibitions.
Thibault was an assistant for Team USA last year in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. With him back for these exhibitions, there’s a good chance he will be on the staff for the Olympics next year.
The purpose of the exhibitions is a win-win for Team USA and the college teams. For Team USA, they get to experiment with new lineups and see which player(s) will be good fits for the Olympics. For Tennessee and Duke, they get to play against higher level competition early in the season.
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