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Former U.S. collegians join UK olympic bid

English Pops Mensah-Bonsu of Besiktas Mi

English Pops Mensah-Bonsu of Besiktas Milangaz scores against Hungarian KK Szolnoki Olaj in Fonix Arena of Debrecen on April 27, 2012 during the EuroChallenge Final Four semi-final between Turkish Besiktas Milangaz and Hungarian KK Szolnoki Olaj. AFP PHOTO/ ATTILA KISBENEDEK (Photo credit should read ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/GettyImages)

AFP/Getty Images

The Olympics will be full of basketball players who attended U.S. colleges. Perhaps more on non-U.S. squads than on Team USA, given that stars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James never set foot in college.

Team Great Britain is excited about a chance to defend its home turf as hosts of the event, and the group from across the pond isn’t short on U.S.-seasoned talent. In fact, steel yourself for a blast from the past: remember former George Washington standout Pops Mensah-Bonsu? The big man from Ghana by way of Tottenham is a major player for the UK team, posting 16 points, 6 boards and 4 blocks in a warm-up loss to Lithuania on June 29.

Whether the GB team win a game in London or not, they’ll put some familiar faces on the floor. Ogo Adegboye (St. Bonaventure), Matthew Bryan-Amaning (Washington) and Eric Boateng (Arizona State) all suit up for the Brits, and the team is eagerly awaiting the arrival of former Duke star Luol Deng, who is resting his wrist and will only appear in matches that count this summer.

It’s kind of cool to see players from all around the world get together and play for national pride, including those that got a little training on U.S. soil before heading back to play for their national teams. Be sure to tune in and watch the games, not just to watch the U.S. all-stars dominate (?), but to welcome back some familiar faces from around the globe.

Eric Angevine is the editor of Storming the Floor and a new site called World Basketball Project.