Incoming Kentucky point guard Isaiah Briscoe will miss the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship after USA Basketball announced he had suffered a concussion during the USA’s Thursday morning practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“I do not have a concussion,” Briscoe told SNY.tv by text. “It was just a headache.”
Six-foot-6 guard Justin Bibbs has been added to the USA U19 World Championship Team roster in place of Briscoe.
“I feel very bad for Isaiah. He had a tremendous attitude and was one of our overall best players and one of our leaders of the team,” said USA U19 head coach Sean Miller (Arizona). “It is very, very unfortunate to see him get injured in what was really a two-on-two drill. But the good news is I know he’ll recover and be fine; the bad news is he won’t be able to play on our team.
“However, trimming this team from 16 to 12 was very, very difficult because the four players that didn’t make the 12-man roster were excellent players in their own right. One of them is Justin Bibbs from Virginia Tech, who had a great freshman year. I think he brings a quickness and a veteran type of mindset that will really benefit us moving forward. And in our style of play where we are pressing and really pushing the ball he is a tremendous athlete, and I think he’ll really add a quality that we need, especially loosing Isaiah.”
Late Thursday night, Briscoe told SNY.tv that he was “good.”
“I’m all good, gotta pass a test on Saturday,” he told SNY.tv by text. “I’m fine though.”
Asked if he had a concussion, Briscoe said, “No.”
Kentucky’s Twitter account Tweeted out, “Wishing @ZayBriscoe a speedy recovery after suffering a concussion during @usabasketball practice. Isaiah will not make the trip to Greece.”
The USA U19 World Championship Team training continues at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, through Saturday, June 20.
The USA U19 squad will look to defend its 2013 U19 gold at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship from June 27-July 5 in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens who are 19 years old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1996).
For more on Briscoe, read my feature from earlier Thursday.
