US basketball team at Military World Games

Team USA is a dominant force in almost every world tournament in basketball, but the current squad barely escaped a loss against underdog Team Mongolia at the Military World Games on Wednesday.

US point guard Tilman Dunbar Ⅲ reacts during the basketball game against China at the Military World Games in Wuhan on Oct 20, 2019. [Photo: IC]

They were overwhelmed by the Mongolian team, which sits at number 165 in the latest world rankings, in their second group game in Wuhan. The United States embarrassingly fell behind after the first half, trailing 47-43, as they failed to take control facing the quickness and the physical intensity brought by the Asian side.

They allowed 30 points from guard Baterdene Boldbaatar, who almost converted his every penetration attempt in the paint into points.

But thanks to the great performance from big man Derrell Henderson, who scored a team-high 22 points, the United States turned it around in the second half and finally edged their opponents 88-86.

Taking a look at this US squad though, many would disagree that they represent the top level of American basketball.

US guard Jacob Van (Left) dribbles the ball during the basketball game against China at the Military World Games in Wuhan on Oct 20, 2019. [Photo: IC]

None of the players are professional athletes; many haven't even played in any basketball league in their career.

All of the team members were selected from the US army. It means due to the height limit of soldiers at conscription, the tallest player on this military roster is only two meters, with the average height of the team barely exceeding 1.91 meters. Starting point guard Tilman Dunbar Ⅲ is 1.78 meters.

Only four players on the US team previously played NCAA basketball, with the rest of the team only attending games in the army every now and then.

There is also a 40-year-old veteran on the squad- Ronald Rhea, who currently serves in the US Airforce.

He is not purely a bench player, but played seven minutes on the court, contributing two rebounds and one assist in Wednesday's game.

However, it's the same team that put on a fight in their first group match against host China, a team entirely consisting of professional players from the top domestic basketball league- the CBA.

They lost 98-79, but got recognition from media considering that the majority of the team only count as amateurs.

Everyone applauded the US military "Dream Team" again even though they barely survived the game against Mongolia.

The US basketball team will next take on Qatar. Only by winning the game can they progress into the semi-finals of the competition.