7 players, coaches with Arizona ties to compete in FIBA World Cup

Arizona’s takeover of international basketball is not over yet.

Six former Wildcats players (and won current UA men’s basketball assistant) are set to compete in the FIBA Men’s World Cup, which begins Friday and runs through Sept. 10 in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines.

Josh Green (Australia), Lauri Markkanen (Finland), Rondae-Hollis Jefferson (Jordan), Dusan Ristic (Serbia) and Emmanuel Akot (South Sudan) will be representing their countries as players in the 32-team tournament, while ex-Wildcat star Steve Kerr is the head coach of Team USA and current UA assistant Riccardo Fois is on Italy’s coaching staff.

There will be three matchups pitting UA connections against each other during pool play. Australia and Finland are in the same pool, so Green and Markannen will face off in their respective FIBA openers Friday at 1 a.m. PT, while Hollis-Jefferson and Jordan take on Team USA on Aug. 30 and Ristic’s Serbia will battle South Sudan and Akot—who played two seasons with the Wildcats before transferring to Boise State and finishing his college career at Western Kentucky—on Aug. 30.

All FIBA World Cup games are set to be broadcast live on ESPN+, so there will be ample opportunities to catch Wildcats in action.