The Paris Olympics has all sports lovers of the USA on their toes. With the Team Trials keeping the coming days packed, the attention on American athletes and coaches has never been so intense. However, not all of these names will end up in the USA’s corner when the 2024 Games finally arrive.

Thanks to the NBA, Team USA has established itself as a dominant force in the world of basketball. This superiority is also showcased on the grandest stage, with the USA boasting an impressive 16 Olympic gold medals in basketball. However, this time, with a little help from an American, Japan’s men’s team is all set to make life difficult for our boys.

Japan’s bold move for the Paris Olympics

A recent article by Nippon has revealed that the responsibility to lead the Japanese men’s basketball team in Paris has been bestowed on Tom Hovasse. Hovasse was also the brains behind the Japanese women’s silver-winning triumph at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Penn State alum, Tom, has spent more than three decades in Japan, playing for corporate teams of big brands like Toyota and Toshiba. After his professional career, when Hovasse took an interest in coaching, all he had to do was look back home to form his own strategies.

“When I was coaching the women’s team, I incorporated techniques and philosophy from the NBA, and a European style of play,” said Tom in an interview with the IOC, as quoted in the article. Along with spending a lot of time in Japan, Hovasse also had his own experience to help him devise his plans.

As a player for the Atlanta Hawks and a team in Portugal, Tom gained a wealth of knowledge about what is essential on the court—the exact things that helped him lead the Japanese women’s squad to their silver medal three years ago. However, while the American men’s team will need to go back to the drawing board, considering that one of their own will be supplying their opponents with key strategies, basketball isn’t the only area where home-grown talent will stand in the USA’s way to the top.

More USA-bred athletes stand on America’s way to the podium

Several wrestlers who have honed their skills in the USA have pledged their allegiance to their respective home countries. Among these stars, Michigan Wolverine Stevan Micic is probably the biggest name, flying to Paris as part of the Serbian contingent. Meanwhile, Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young is slated to represent Mexico in the European capital. The 2017 NCAA champ and three-time All-American wrestler Darian Cruz of Lehigh University is also set to lend his prowess to Puerto Rico in the men’s 57kg freestyle bracket. Moreover, NCAA wrestlers like Sebastian Rivera and Austin Gomez will also be standing on the opposite corner of the USA at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

However, pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, a student of LSU, is most likely the biggest name among those who have gained important skills in the USA but will go on to represent their home countries on the grand stage. With so many national sensations looking to share their knowledge with the opposite camps, who do you think will prevail when it really matters?