McKay to Serve as USA Basketball U18 National Team Training Camp Court Coach
5/14/2026 10:20:00 AM | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty Flames men's basketball head coach Ritchie McKay will be serving as a training camp court coach for the USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team training camp.
The training camp, held at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., will begin one week from today (May 21), with the 12-member team expected to be announced before the team departs for the 2026 USA FIBA U18 Men's AmeriCup, scheduled for June 1-7 in Leon, Mexico.
McKay will be one of four court coaches during the opening phase of training camp along with 2026 NCAA champion Dusty May (Michigan), Dennis Gates (Missouri) and Greg Kampe (Oakland). Training camp will be led by 2026 USA Men's U18 National Team head coach Anthony Grant (Dayton) and assistant coaches Nate Oats (Alabama) and Matt Langel (Colgate).
McKay will return to USA Basketball for the first time since winning gold as an assistant coach at the 1997 World University Games in Sicily, Italy.
A total of 35 athletes are expected to participate in the training camp. Training camp participants will represent the graduating classes of 2026, 2027 and 2028. Athletes attending camp are selected by the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Committee.
FIBA recently announced that USA Basketball will open Group A play with Argentina, Brazil and Mexico at the 2026 FIBA U18 Men's AmeriCup. The U.S. men will take on Argentina in their opening game on June 1, followed by bouts with Mexico (June 2) and Brazil (June 4). Quarterfinals are set for June 5, followed by semifinals on June 6 and medal games on June 7. USA Basketball has won 11 gold medals in 13 iterations of the event, including seven straight dating back to 2010. In addition to the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela will compete, with the top four teams earning a berth to the 2027 FIBA U19 Men's World Cup.
McKay, who recently signed a contract extension that goes through the 2031-32 campaign, is the winningest coach in Liberty men's basketball program history with 298 victories in 13 seasons in Lynchburg. McKay and the Flames have posted nine 20-win seasons over the last 10 years, including five seasons with 25 or more wins and a school-record 30 wins (2019-20).
Over the last eight seasons, Liberty has won four conference tournament titles and seven regular season and/or division crowns. The Flames' 11 titles in that span are tied for the most nationally. McKay and the Flames have recorded 203 victories in those eight years, tied for sixth most nationally. Liberty's .755 winning percentage (203-66 record) is the fourth-best mark among all teams in Division I in the last eight years.
The training camp, held at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., will begin one week from today (May 21), with the 12-member team expected to be announced before the team departs for the 2026 USA FIBA U18 Men's AmeriCup, scheduled for June 1-7 in Leon, Mexico.
McKay will be one of four court coaches during the opening phase of training camp along with 2026 NCAA champion Dusty May (Michigan), Dennis Gates (Missouri) and Greg Kampe (Oakland). Training camp will be led by 2026 USA Men's U18 National Team head coach Anthony Grant (Dayton) and assistant coaches Nate Oats (Alabama) and Matt Langel (Colgate).
McKay will return to USA Basketball for the first time since winning gold as an assistant coach at the 1997 World University Games in Sicily, Italy.
A total of 35 athletes are expected to participate in the training camp. Training camp participants will represent the graduating classes of 2026, 2027 and 2028. Athletes attending camp are selected by the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Committee.
FIBA recently announced that USA Basketball will open Group A play with Argentina, Brazil and Mexico at the 2026 FIBA U18 Men's AmeriCup. The U.S. men will take on Argentina in their opening game on June 1, followed by bouts with Mexico (June 2) and Brazil (June 4). Quarterfinals are set for June 5, followed by semifinals on June 6 and medal games on June 7. USA Basketball has won 11 gold medals in 13 iterations of the event, including seven straight dating back to 2010. In addition to the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela will compete, with the top four teams earning a berth to the 2027 FIBA U19 Men's World Cup.
McKay, who recently signed a contract extension that goes through the 2031-32 campaign, is the winningest coach in Liberty men's basketball program history with 298 victories in 13 seasons in Lynchburg. McKay and the Flames have posted nine 20-win seasons over the last 10 years, including five seasons with 25 or more wins and a school-record 30 wins (2019-20).
Over the last eight seasons, Liberty has won four conference tournament titles and seven regular season and/or division crowns. The Flames' 11 titles in that span are tied for the most nationally. McKay and the Flames have recorded 203 victories in those eight years, tied for sixth most nationally. Liberty's .755 winning percentage (203-66 record) is the fourth-best mark among all teams in Division I in the last eight years.
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