The 2004-05 Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Team presented by Gatorade and Nike recognizes male and female youth basketball players from member leagues throughout the country who are skilled basketball players, great teammates and exemplify good sportsmanship and leadership on the court, in the classroom and in their communities.
“This season, more than 600,000 players are participating in the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program, which makes the accomplishment of being chosen as a member of the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Team very special for these boys and girls,” said Kathy Behrens, NBA senior vice president, community relations. “We hope this experience is a memorable one, and shows children what they can accomplish with hard work both on and off the court.”
As part of this unique weekend experience, the National Team will travel to Denver on Friday, February 18, to represent the 600,000 boys and girls playing in Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA leagues throughout the United States and abroad. In addition to their exhibition game on Sunday morning, the group will be introduced to a sold-out crowd during All-Star Saturday Night and attend Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game.
“There were so many outstanding nominations for the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Team, but the winners reflect the best of the program - sportsmanship, teamwork and excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community,” said Elton Brand, Los Angeles Clippers.
Every Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA league director across the country had the opportunity to nominate one boy and one girl, ages 11-12, in their program. Thirty finalists were identified for the National Team by an independent national selection committee made up of Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA officials, NBA and WNBA team representatives, co-presenting sponsors Nike and Gatorade and ESPN commentator and Basketball Hall-of-Famer, Bill Walton. Ten players were then chosen from the finalists.
2004-05 Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Team Rosters
BOYS | ||||
| Player Name | Age | Hometown | League | NBA/WNBA Affiliation |
| Jake Lucero | 12 | Coos Bay, OR | B&GC of SW Oregon | Portland Trail Blazers |
| J-Mychal Reese | 11 | Bryan, TX | B&GC of the Brazos Valley | Houston Rockets |
| Cory Reid | 12 | Port St Lucie, FL | City of Port St Lucie | Miami HEAT |
| Malcolm Tatum | 11 | Hanover, MD | Jessup-Provinces Youth Org. | Washington Wizards |
| Calvin Wade | 12 | Bridgeport, CT | Cardinal Shehan Center | Connecticut Sun |
GIRLS | ||||
| Player Name | Age | Hometown | League | NBA/WNBA Affiliation |
| Isabel Armendi | 12 | Englewood Cliffs, NJ | Our Lady of Mt Carmel | New Jersey Nets |
| Jordan E. Loera | 12 | Moses Lake, WA | Moses Lake Parks & Rec. | Seattle Storm |
| Kristen Markoe | 12 | New York, NY | New York City PAL | New York Knicks/Liberty |
| Julia Porter | 12 | Denver, CO | Southwest YMCA | Denver Nuggets |
| Ileana Rosalez-Johnson | 12 | Flagstaff, AZ | City of Flagstaff | Phoenix Mercury |
2005 Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Team All-Star Schedule
Friday, Feb. 18
National Team arrives
6:00 p.m. – Welcome reception
8:00 p.m. – National Team attends NBA Welcome Party at Jam Session with Commissioner David Stern
Saturday, February 19
9:00 a.m. – Breakfast with Basketball Hall-of-Famer Bob Lanier
5:00 p.m. – National Team introduced at NBA All-Star Saturday Night
Sunday, February 20
9:00 - 10:00 a.m. – National Team vs. Denver All-Stars on NBA All-Star Jam Session Center Court
5:00 p.m. – National Team attends 2005 NBA All-Star Game
The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program provides recreational youth basketball leagues with free access to a variety of valuable membership programs, including an Instructional Curriculum for players, parents, coaches and officials. Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA is endorsed by the Youth Basketball Partnership, made up of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, National Recreation and Parks Association, National Police Athletic Leagues, Jewish Community Centers of North America and Basketball Canada. These organizations also support the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA by serving as a communication link to local member leagues.
The NBA and WNBA have named honorary captains that contribute to the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA and encourage positive participation by players, parents and coaches. The cornerstone of the program is the instructional guidebook provided free to all players, parents, coaches and officials from member leagues. The program components have been created by a distinguished group of experts, including nationally-recognized youth sports expert Rick Wolff, nutritionist Dr. Jackie Berning, the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), and the Jr. NBA/ Jr. WNBA Advisory Council, which is made up of Ray Allen (Seattle SuperSonics), Mike Bibby (Sacramento Kings), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tina Thompson (Houston Comets), Doc Rivers (Head Coach Boston Celtics), Danny Crawford (NBA Official), Lisa Mattingly (WNBA Official), Suzie McConnell Serio (Head Coach Minnesota Lynx) and Bill Walton (Hall-of-Famer and ESPN analyst).
