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Jeff Walz named head coach of U23 women’s team

By Mike Peden

LOUISVILLE, KY - DECEMBER 1: Head coach Jeff Walz of the Louisville Cardinals looks on against the Maryland Terrapins during the game at KFC YUM! Center on December 1, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. Maryland defeated Louisville 78-72. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - DECEMBER 1: Head coach Jeff Walz of the Louisville Cardinals looks on against the Maryland Terrapins during the game at KFC YUM! Center on December 1, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. Maryland defeated Louisville 78-72. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Jeff Walz, the all-time leader in head coaching victories at Louisville, will have a chance to add a few wins in the international category.

On Wednesday, USA Basketball announced Walz as head coach of the U23 national team, who will compete in the inaugural Four Nations Tournament in Japan. Australia, Canada and Japan are the other countries participating. The round-robin event will take place in August, featuring athletes who are freshmen, sophomores or juniors.

For Walz, the tournament will mark his first head coaching assignment with USA Basketball. He holds prior experience as an assistant coach, helping the U18 team in 2014 and the U19 squad in 2015.

“I am beyond thankful for the honor to work with USA Basketball again,” Walz said in a statement published by the organization. “USA Basketball possesses impeccable standards and a winning tradition, and I am excited for the opportunity and eager to be entrusted with such an important role.”

Joining Walz in the Four Nations Tournament are Courtney Banghart, the head coach at Princeton, and Michelle Clark-Heard, Western Kentucky’s head coach. Before taking the Western Kentucky assignment, Clark-Heard spent five years as an assistant under Walz at Louisville.

A training camp will take place in early August to determine the United States roster. One aim of the August tournament is identifying future suitors for the national team. Although the younger divisions of USA Basketball don’t receive the attention of the national team, fielding a U23 squad is a considerable opportunity for athletes who may not otherwise get to play on an international stage.

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