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SPORTS Tuesday 13 december 2022
USA Basketball to play men's World Cup group games in Manila

By TIM REYNOLDS three times in China. There
AP Basketball Writer will be one transfer and this
USA Basketball will play all is only for those who will be
its games at next year's playing in Japan or Indone-
World Cup in Manila and sia ... and after the transfer
won't need to travel during we'll also have an extra rest
the tournament, assuming day before the final phase
the American men qualify starts."
for the event. Slovenia and Canada are
FIBA, the sport's govern- among 17 teams that al-
ing body, made the an- ready have qualified for
nouncement Monday. The the tournament. The rest of
World Cup is being con- the field will be decided in
tested in the Philippines, February, and the U.S. is on
Indonesia and Japan next the brink of earning a spot
summer and each of those — but hasn't gotten it done
host nations got to pick yet.
one team that it wanted to The Americans are 8-2 in
have for the group stages. their 12-game slate of qual-
The Philippines chose the ifying games, in which they
United States — not a sur- are using players from G
prise given the NBA's enor- League and international
mous popularity there. clubs. The World Cup roster
Japan picked Slovenia, a Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives against Memphis Grizzlies for- will have NBA players.
team led by Luka Doncic. ward Dillon Brooks (24) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022, A win at Uruguay on Feb.
in Memphis, Tenn.
And Indonesia selected Associated Press 23 or at Brazil on Feb. 26
Canada, coached by would be enough to clinch
Toronto's Nick Nurse and move from city to city, bed (1,450 kilometers) from Ma- for the group stage. a berth for the U.S. The
should feature a slew of top to bed, hotel to hotel. It's a nila, while Jakarta is roughly At the most recent men's only way the Americans
NBA players such as Shai grind. ... I think once we get 1,700 miles (2,735 kilome- World Cup at China in 2019, wouldn't qualify for the
Gilgeous-Alexander and there, and we get settled, ters) away. some teams said travel be- World Cup — the primary
Jamal Murray. we can kind of plant some The Okinawa and Jakarta tween multiple cities was way teams will earn a spot
"I'd like to think it works to roots for a couple of weeks. groups will each send two draining. The setup for next into the 2024 Paris Olympics
our advantage," said Grant I think it is something that teams to Manila for the final year, FIBA said, addresses — is by losing both games in
Hill, USA Basketball men's can work to our advan- phase of the tournament. those concerns. February, have at least four
national team managing tage." The other four nations that "We will have a reduction outcomes of other games
director. "I think we have to Slovenia will play group- qualify for the final phase al- in the transfers," FIBA Sec- not go their way and then
be mindful and respectful stage games in Okinawa, ready will have been there; retary General Andreas lose a series of tiebreakers.
that these players are on and Canada will play its the U.S., the Philippines and Zagklis said Monday. "You'll The World Cup draw is April
airplanes all throughout the opening games in Jakarta. 14 other nations in the 32- remember that teams 29 in Manila. The tourna-
regular season and kind of Okinawa is about 900 miles team field will be in Manila changed (locations) two or ment starts Aug. 25.q

Swiatek wins WTA Player of Year; Pegula’s coach Witt honored

By HOWARD FENDRICH Associated Press during or Swiatek each time. No. 15 in the rankings and ter rising more than 100
AP Tennis Writer her unbeaten streak. “And Pegula also won the Gua- winning her first two tour- places in the rankings and
Iga Swiatek was honored I wasn’t expecting to be dalajara Open, made it level titles; Zheng Qinwen reaching the fourth round
as WTA Player of the Year that consistent.” to her first WTA 1000 final of China, who turned 20 in her French Open debut
for the first time on Mon- She ascended to the top of at the Madrid Open and in October, was the WTA before bowing out against
day after rising to No. 1 in the rankings after Ash Bar- qualified for the WTA Finals Newcomer of the Year af- Swiatek.q
the rankings in April and re- ty suddenly retired at age in singles and doubles (with
maining there for the rest of 25 and relinquished that Coco Gauff). Witt’s honor
the season thanks in part to spot. Swiatek later won her was voted on by other
two Grand Slam titles. second major champion- registered coaches. Player
Swiatek, a 21-year-old from ship at the French Open in awards determined by a
Poland who was the WTA June, then claimed the U.S. vote of international media
Newcomer of the Year in Open title in September, members included:
2020, led the tour with 67 making her the first wom- Barbora Krejcikova and
match wins and eight titles. an with two Slam trophies Katerina Siniakova of the
That included a run of six in one season since An- Czech Republic were the
trophies in a row during a gelique Kerber in 2016. WTA Doubles Team of the
37-match winning streak The WTA Coach of the Year Year for the second con-
that lasted from February award went to David Witt. secutive season and third
to July and was the lon- He works with Jessica Pegu- time overall after winning
gest undefeated stretch in la, a 28-year-old American the Australian Open, Wim-
women’s tennis in a quarter who rose to a career-best bledon and U.S. Open; Iga Swiatek of Poland reacts to scoring a point during the first
set against Coco Gauff of the United States during round-robin
of a century. No. 3 in the rankings during Beatriz Haddad Maia of play on day six of the WTA Finals tennis tournament in Fort Worth,
“I felt like everything clicked 2022 and was a quarterfi- Brazil was the WTA Most Im- Texas, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022.
this season,” Swiatek said in nalist at three Grand Slam proved Player of the Year Associated Press
a video interview with The tournaments losing to Barty after rising from No. 80 to