KU’s McCormack grabs seven rebounds as Global Sports squad improves to 3-0

Kansas freshman power forward David McCormack scored four points and grabbed seven rebounds in Global Sports Academy Select Team’s 91-84 victory over Team Sijsele on Monday night in the third game of the U.S. squad’s week-long tour of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

Previously, McCormack, a 6-foot-10, 265-pound graduate of Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds in an 84-71 victory over Team Solingen in the second game of a day/night doubleheader Sunday night.

He had 10 points and 15 boards earlier Sunday in an 92-60 win over Antwerp Giants.

“Some foul trouble and maybe some tourist fatigue,” the U.S. team’s coach, Kerry Keating, said Monday night, commenting on McCormack’s performance in game three of the tour.

Former Santa Clara coach Keating said McCormack had a productive as well as a busy Sunday.

“Second game of the day … it took them a little longer to get into it,” Keating said of the game two victory. “We played a bigger, better and deeper team as well. We flipped the five kids so others got the start. David’s group came off the bench and was big in the third quarter, adjusting our ball screen defense to get more aggressive and trap some to get some steals to essentially put the game away.”

Keating noted that, “David continues to be effective at the rim on paint catches, and we have utilized that in the very limited sets we have, using quick-hitting cross action with a low screen for him to get a catch at the rim and finish. He is playing physical and was able to bang versus bigger posts in this game (game two), and since we aren’t taking charges, we are attacking the rim on defense and he is benefiting. His feel and court awareness outside the paint on offense will hopefully improve a little here. … We’ll give him a chance to play some in the high post more probably in game four,” Keating added.

Keating said this trip should prove valuable for McCormack and his nine teammates. They are: Nicholas Muszynski, Grayson Murphy, Belmont; Dylan Painter, Jermaine Samuels, Villanova; Makhtar Gueye, UAB; Tyere Marshall, Steven Jordan, Rider; William Douglas, Ethan Chargois, SMU and Frank Rokins, West Chester University.

“This is a time for these kids to emphasize strengths and address some weaknesses with no immediate consequences,” Keating said, “and sometimes find out some more weaknesses that need to be worked on if important to them or their coaches. Most of these things are naturally happening since we are pushing and spacing the ball and screening off the ball to create opportunities before just resorting to a ball screen.

“It’s for all the kids here as I am encouraging them to play smart but not in fear of being taken out, fouling out or making a mistake. And if they play hard on defense, we will use our time outs to run an ‘after time out (situation)‘ for each guy at least once or twice so they can be put in a responding decision-making situation as well.”

The U.S. team, 3-0, will meet Pioneers Almere on Tuesday in Amsterdam.