MANILA -- The basketball world saw how ecstatically New York guard Jalen Brunson reacted when he found out Josh Hart was going to be traded to the Knicks last February.

Having won a title together for the Villanova Wildcats, Brunson was genuinely excited to share the floor with his college teammate again.

“When you have relationships with guys, you still want to play with them,” Hart said.

When the two had the chance to reunite again for flag and country, along with Brooklyn Net Mikal Bridges, Brunson said he had a more composed reaction.

• FIBA: Bridges leads Team USA to World Cup semis

“A little bit more composed. I knew there was a possibility he could be on USA. I didn’t think we were trading for him. A little bit more composed,” Brunson said.

As it is rare for college teammates to be on the same squad, let alone having all three on one side, Brunson said he does take the situation for granted.

“Definitely grateful. It’s an honor to get to do it with those guys. It’s something that I’ll obviously never forget,” Brunson said of rejoining Bridges and Hart.

Hart won his national championship in 2016 alongside both; Bridges and Brunson then copped another title later in 2018.

• Team USA advances to FIBA World Cup semis

As Bridges and Brunson were both named to Team USA earlier than Hart, the Knicks sharpshooter said he just left a United States flag emoji in their group chat to let the other two know he would be joining the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023-bound squad.

“I know (Jalen) and Mikal were doing this early on, and I sent them a text, I just sent them a USA flag emoji in the group chat. It's just cool to have this experience with JB and also Mikal,” Hart recalled.

Hart’s wife, Shannon Philipps had recently just given birth to twins earlier in the year when Hart found out about the opportunity to represent the United States in the international stage, according to Olympics.com.

After a few days of conversations, Hart made his national team duty official, joining his Wildcats teammates for another run together.

“It's cool man 'cause we're able to see each other grow, get our own respective roles, teams, and just have families. Our families are cool,” he said. “It's definitely unique being able to be in a situation like this.”

The United States dominated Italy on Tuesday, 100-63 to book a ticket to the semifinals of the World Cup, inching closer to regaining the lost gold.

• FIBA: Grant Hill aminadong di madali ang pagbuo USA men's basketball team

In stark contrast to the start they had in a second round loss to Lithuania, coach Steve Kerr’s troops were pristine from the get-go, building a huge advantage and showcasing defensive pressure throughout for a resounding win.

“We just set the tone. That’s what coach has been preaching to us. I think the bench did a pretty good job,” Bridges said.

Bridges scored a team-high 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and added seven rebounds in a victory where the United States shot 17-of-36 from three-point range.

“That was the whole team, play with force the whole 40, don’t wait too late, don’t wait ‘til the end, and that’s what we did … Coach has got us prepared and we just played hungry.”

For Hart, the genuine relationship the three have built as Villanova alums is what fuels them to enjoy playing together even after college.

“Being able to have the opportunity to go play in college together, (with the Knicks) together, for team USA together, that's definitely something we've talked about for a long time,” he said.

• FIBA: Official game ball for World Cup final unveiled

“We try not to think about it too much now, just be in the moment and not get too ahead of ourselves.”

Given the uniqueness of the moment, Brunson said there is nothing else left to do but to win another title together.

“It’s been fun. I’ve seen these guys grow from team to team, become the players they are, it’s remarkable to see and I’m happy for them,” he shared. “We gotta make this memorable.”

For more stories on the FIBA World Cup, click here.

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