Duke sophomore Rasheed Sulaimon recently returned home after winning a gold medal with the Untied States at the FIBA U19 World Championship. He averaged 8.4 points per game and shot 40.5 percent from beyond the arc in the tournament. Sulaimon spoke with The Chronicle's Daniel Carp about his experience overseas and how it could impact his next season with the Blue Devils.
TC: You suited up for the United States last year in the FIBA U18 Americas Championship. How did that experience help you approach international play this time around?
RS: We had six other guys returning from the team last year. And having all those guys back, knowing what to expect and having that leadership, especially with some of the new, younger guys on our team, it was definitely an advantage to have. I think it helped all of us to get on the same page and not to take things for granted. Teams over there were very good, and we approached every game with the same level of respect.
TC: Your role was a bit different on last year’s team than it was on the World Championship squad. How else was this tournament different for you?
RS: At the FIBA Americas Championship, we basically blew every team out. This year was the same thing, but we knew teams from the European country were going to be better, faster and stronger. A lot of those guys play professionally, so I think our approach to the game was the biggest difference this year.
TC: You’re used to playing for one of the top coaching staffs in the country, but you got the chance to play for three of the top young minds in college basketball at the World Championship in Florida’s Billy Donovan, Virginia’s Tony Bennett and VCU’s Shaka Smart. What are some of the things you learned from them?
RS: All three of them, they have different coaching styles, but I learned something from each one of them. Billy Donovan, he has crazy intensity, very similar to Coach K. He expects the best, and he tries to get the best out of each and every one of his players. Shaka Smart, he’s very enthusiastic and energetic. He didn’t take any off days. Any day in practice, whether we were tired or we were fresh, he brought the same level of energy. He helped us a lot with our pressing. We used some of what VCU runs with their Havoc defense. Tony Bennett really helped to teach me some different concepts as well. So it was great to have three coaches like them on my side.
TC: Elements of Smart’s Havoc defense definitely showed through while you were playing in Prague. He had you guys running all over the place. And next year it appears that Coach Krzyzewski is going to place an emphasis on perimeter defense. How do you think this experience is going to help you heading into next season?
RS: Having this experience with Shaka Smart and running this type of defense, it’s going to be very similar to what we have next year. Guys we had on the USA team were very athletic, very young, very versatile and had a lot of energy. We had a lot of speed, and it worked wonders for us. Coming back to Duke, we’re going to have a lot of similar elements that we had on the USA team. A lot of athletic wings, athletic guards who are very versatile and have a lot of speed. I think if we master that art of playing that, and the press, it can lead to a lot of buckets for us in transition and force our opponents to play at a tempo that makes them uncomfortable.
TC: You got the chance to play all three perimeter positions at the World Championship. How do you think that experience helped you continue to shape your game?
RS: It helps me to become more versatile. The more versatile you can be and the more positions you’re able to play at a high level, that’s also more opportunities you can play. With the team that we’ll have next year, I think I might have the opportunity to play all three spots again.
TC: Competing on the world stage, I’m sure it was all business in Prague. But what kind of cultural experiences did you get to have?
RS: On our off days we got a chance to experience some of Prague. Visiting old downtown Prague, visiting all of the cool buildings and architecture that they had. Some of it was made in the 14th century, so it was pretty cool to explore and see a city on the other side of the globe—to see how a different part of the world lives and how they interact.
TC: The World Championship also gave you the opportunity to reunite with your old AAU teammate, Justise Winslow, who was one of two high school players on the squad. What was it like to play with him again?
RS: It was a unique experience. Having two guys, basically coming from the same neighborhood and representing the whole country, that was something special. Justise is a great player and it was amazing to have him alongside me when we won a gold medal.
TC: What did it mean for you to have the chance to represent your country a second time?
RS: It was a blessing. To be selected as one of the 12 guys in my age group to represent the entire country, it was almost surreal. I did it last year, but to know I was able to do it twice and to be successful twice, it was an amazing feeling.
TC: Having had a year under Coach Krzyzewski, who is the head coach of the senior national team, how did that change your approach to playing for your country?
RS: I understand what it means now. Prior to this year, the United States has only won the gold medal twice at this level in the last 26 years. I don’t think there’s been a moment where I was prouder to be an American than receiving that gold medal.
TC: Now you’re a back-to-back gold medalist. Did this one mean more to you than the first one?
RS: Both of them were very special. But just knowing the history of this tournament, I would probably have to say that this one did mean a lot more. A lot of the European countries are all a lot better than the teams we faced last year. Just knowing all that we went through in the three weeks prior to the tournament, doing two-a-days in Colorado Springs and just going through a grind—the sacrifices that we gave of our bodies and our time—it definitely made this one a lot more memorable.
TC: Now that you’re back at Duke, your focus shifts toward next year a bit and getting acquainted with some of your new teammates. But looking at you, are you the same basketball player you were when you started this journey a month ago?
RS: I think I’ve grown tremendously. The team that we had, every guy on that team was the man wherever they came from. But when we walked out on the court together, not everybody was going to be the man. To see what we did as a collective unit, sacrifice our individual goals for the team, it helped me realize that I’m in a similar situation here at Duke. Everybody is good. Everybody was the man where they came from. But if we want to accomplish something as a team, there’s going to be a lot of sacrifices. I think I’ve matured a lot in these past three weeks. I think it can greatly help me transition into the start of the Duke season.
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