With the 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championships slated for next month at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs (CO), USA Basketball announced today the 21 players who accepted training camp invitations for the American team. More from our friends at USA Basketball:
A total of 12 athletes with prior USA Basketball experience, including three gold medalists, headline the list of 21 of the nation’s top 18-and-unders who accepted invitations to participate in the 2014 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team training camp, USA Basketball today announced. The training camp, scheduled to be held June 10-19 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., will be used to select the 12-member team that will compete in the USA Basketball-hosted 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship at the USOTC from June 20-24.
The 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship will feature eight national teams from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean, including: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United States and Uruguay. The top four finishing teams will qualify for the 2015 FIBA U19World Championship for Men. Players eligible for this competition must have been born on or after Jan. 1, 1996.
Invitations were issued by the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee, chaired by Syracuse University Hall of Famer head coach Jim Boeheim.
“I’m very excited about going through this process again,” said Billy Donovan, USA U18 National Team and University of Florida head coach, who led the 2012 U18 and 2013 U19 USA National Teams to gold and a combined 14-0 record. “I see a lot of talent in this group, similar to the past couple of summers, and I’m looking forward to coaching them. Having players with USA Basketball experience certainly helps, and I know these guys will be ready to compete. Our challenge once again will be to learn to function as a team and try to reach our potential in a short amount of time.”
Headlining the list of invitees is a trio of high school seniors who each have two gold medals playing internationally for USA Basketball: Stanley Johnson (Mater Dei H.S. / Fullerton, Calif.), Tyus Jones (Apple Valley H.S. / Apple Valley, Minn.) and Justise Winslow (St. John’s School / Houston, Texas).
Also scheduled to attend the USA training camp are: Leron Black (White Station H.S. / Memphis, Tenn.);Isaiah Briscoe (Roselle Catholic H.S. / Union, N.J.); Jaylen Brown (Wheeler H.S. / Alpharetta, Ga.); Jalen Brunson (Adlai E. Stevenson H.S. / Lincolnshire, Ill.); Kameron Chatman (Columbia Christian School / Portland, Ore.); Marquese Chriss (Pleasant Grove H.S. / Elk Grove, Calif.); Tyler Dorsey (St. John Bosco H.S. / Los Angeles, Calif.); Perry Dozier (Spring Valley H.S. / Columbia, S.C.); JaKeenan Gant (Effingham County H.S. / Springfield, Ga.); Luke Kennard (Franklin H.S. / Franklin, Ohio); Dwayne Morgan (St. Francis Academy / Baltimore, Md.); Malachi Richardson (Trenton Catholic Academy / Hamilton, N.J.); D’Angelo Russell (Montverde Academy, Fla. / Louisville, Ky.); Justin Simon (Temecula Valley H.S. / Temecula, Calif.);Myles Turner (Trinity H.S. / Bedford, Texas); Rashad Vaughn (Findlay Prep, Nev. / Golden Valley, Minn.);Glynn Watson (St. Joseph H.S. / Westchester, Ill.); and Stephen Zimmerman (Bishop Gorman H.S. / Las Vegas, Nev.).
