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鈥淢edaling is not the goal,鈥� Kokoskie says. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e expected to win the gold medal, and there鈥檚 pressure.鈥�

Kokoskie first found that out a decade ago, when he served as the trainer for USA Basketball鈥檚 2015 FIBA U19 World Cup team led by then-UA coach Sean Miller. Even after USA made it past Greece and its deafening home crowd in the semifinals, USA needed overtime to beat Croatia for the gold.

鈥淚 remember Jalen Brunson, who was already a phenomenal player, catching fire and winning it for us in overtime,鈥� Kokoskie said. 鈥淚t can be that close. The world has caught up. They have some phenomenal players.鈥�

USA had an easier time of it last summer, when UA coach Tommy Lloyd led a junior team that won the U18 AmeriCup gold with Kokoskie serving as trainer. But Kokoskie is bracing for much stiffer competition starting Saturday, when Lloyd brings the same American cohort into the FIBA U19 World Cup.

During an interview with the Star at USA Basketball鈥檚 U19 training camp in Colorado Springs, Kokoskie touched on what he鈥檚 learned from the international competition, his role with USA Basketball, and incoming UA freshman Koa Peat, who is expected to play a key role for the U19 team.

Kokoskie said Arizona鈥檚 training staff, doctors and administrators are 鈥渃utting edge,鈥� but that he鈥檚 learned from other countries鈥� 鈥減hysios,鈥� or physiotherapists, as athletic trainers are sometimes known elsewhere.

鈥淚 like to see what else everybody is doing, and a lot of the physios have come from soccer, other sports, and it鈥檚 just great. I鈥檒l pick their brains,鈥� Kokoskie says. 鈥淚 feel like I can keep up with what everybody鈥檚 doing in the United States, but seeing what other people are doing across the world is good.

鈥淎 lot of countries look at the whole body, and that鈥檚 interesting. What I鈥檝e kind of learned over time is if a guy at Arizona has a knee injury, don鈥檛 just focus on the knee. You鈥檝e got to focus on the lower extremity, joints, above and below the joint. You look at the way the foot strikes the ground. You鈥檙e looking at his ankle mobility. You鈥檙e looking at his hip mobility.鈥�

Since his 2015 experience, Kokoskie said USA Basketball鈥檚 training operation has improved considerably.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got these really nice facilities on campus, a dorm, a nice cafeteria that鈥檚 first class, where they get really healthy food throughout the day, and the medical stuff has gotten much better. And as we鈥檝e learned more stuff, we鈥檙e able to do more stuff with the kids. When I first started doing this, it was just myself. Now it鈥檚 mostly NBA athletic trainers that are here and myself, so they give me all the support I need, but let me run the show.

鈥淥ne thing I really like about this, because basketball season is so busy and I don鈥檛 have as much time to attend a lot of the continuing education, is I can spend a lot of time outside of the season talking to colleagues.鈥�

While some players opt-out of USA Basketball events to focus on upcoming seasons 鈥� or have pressure from others to do so 鈥� Kokoskie says he works with other schools鈥� trainers and strength coaches to keep players up with their normal offseason work.

鈥淭hey can鈥檛 miss a beat. They have to be ready. Each kid has a certain plan and I鈥檓 making sure they鈥檙e following that. With (Purdue center Daniel) Jacobsen, I talk with the strength coach at Purdue. I talk to the coach at Duke, the strength coach at BYU. While we鈥檙e representing the USA, I also understand that there鈥檚 a lot invested in these kids with their universities.

鈥淚鈥檓 doubling as a strength coach. I鈥檓 filming (weight-training sessions), sending some things to their strength coaches. They鈥檙e sending stuff to me, so the communication is important. I鈥檓 proud to represent Arizona, proud to represent USA Basketball.鈥�

As physically ready as Peat appears heading into his freshman season at Arizona, Kokoskie indicated that UA conditioning coach Chris Rounds still may have a few things coming for him.

鈥淗e looks like he鈥檚 super strong, but there鈥檚 a lot more work to do, and that鈥檚 (information) I鈥檓 gonna give him. Coach Rounds is the best in the business. He鈥檚 gonna make some strides with him on strength and mobility. You鈥檙e gonna see a different Koa in six months. But I have to make sure that he鈥檚 doing here what he would be doing at Arizona, so he doesn鈥檛 miss a beat.

鈥淭he nice part is some of the same equipment here in the Olympic Training Center, we have at the RJ (UA鈥檚 Richard Jefferson Gym), so it translates over. I can have Koa doing almost the exact same workout here that he would be doing at Arizona.鈥�

While the work with USA Basketball means Kokoskie won鈥檛 have much time off this year, he says the relationships and experiences he gets out of it make it worthwhile. Sometimes that鈥檚 even in the form of a joking reference to the past.

鈥淚 make fun of Sean (Miller) to this day, saying 鈥楻emember when you brought the future Hall of Famer Jayson Tatum off the bench?鈥� (on the 2015 U19 team). But back then, nobody knows who they are. I鈥檓 in the room sometimes with the coaches where you鈥檙e trying to decide, 鈥楧o we take Jalen Brunson on this team? Do we not? Do we? Is Jayson Tatum good enough to be a starter? Josh Jackson, who鈥檚 later a lottery pick, where does he fit in? They鈥檙e making those decisions now, and you don鈥檛 know who鈥檚 going to be what, and also, they may not fit in with what you鈥檙e doing right now.

鈥淪ean Miller was here (for part of this year鈥檚 training camp), Ed Cooley (Georgetown coach and a U19 assistant in 2015) was here, and I talked to them. It鈥檚 friendships that last a lifetime. So while the Arizona pride is there, this is a different picture, something different.

鈥淎s I get older, I appreciate seeing new places. These kind of opportunities have taken me across the world. At Arizona, I鈥檓 proud, it鈥檒l take me to some of the greatest college and basketball environments in the country. USA Basketball takes you to some of the some places I would never see in my life.鈥�