Bucks announced that Summer League participant and training camp invitee Travis Trice made the 12-man roster for the FIBA World Cup Qualifying tournament. Like every other team (except the host), USA Basketball must qualify for the Olympics. The U.S. must qualify either through Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (next held in 2020) or by success in the FIBA World Cup. Ironically the World Cup, itself a qualifying tournament, has its own qualifying this fall and winter and next spring. Trice is a long shot to make Milwaukee’s roster, but could earn a spot with the Wisconsin Herd.
Journeyman Trice was a rare four year college player, starring at Michigan State before going undrafted in 2015. He then played for three years for the Westchester Knicks, where he exhibited a good-looking step-back shot:
He also displayed a quick release in the National Basketball League (consisting of teams from Australia and New Zealand):
Trice paced the Bucks’ Summer League with four assists per game and placed fourth with 8.8 points a contest. He now has a tremendous opportunity to represent his country and boost his basketball resume and skill set. Trice and the USA play September 14th against Uruguay in Las Vegas and on the 17th in Panama City. And perhaps it is a tribute to Milwaukee’s roster depth that the unproven Trice earned this privilege.
