Twenty-Seven Players Confirmed For 2013 USA Basketball Men’s National Team Mini-Camp
-- Twenty Players With Prior USA Experience Included On Mini-Camp Roster --
June 12, 2013 • Colorado Springs, Colorado
Highlighted by 20 players owning USA Basketball experience, including one 2012 Olympic gold medalist and also featuring the last three NBA Draft No. 1 selections, USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo today announced that 27 players have accepted invitations to attend the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s National Team mini-camp that will be held July 22-25 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Accepting invitations to participate in the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s National Team mini-camp were: Ryan Anderson (New Orleans Pelicans); Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors); Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards); Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies/Ohio State); DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings); Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans); DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors); Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons); Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets); Derrick Favors (Utah Jazz); Paul George (Indiana Pacers); Taj Gibson (Chicago Bulls); Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz); Jrue Holiday (Philadelphia 76ers); Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers); DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers); Ty Lawson (Denver Nuggets); Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs); Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers); Greg Monroe (Detroit Pistons); Chandler Parsons (Houston Rockets); Larry Sanders (Milwaukee Bucks); Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors); Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers); Kemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats); John Wall (Washington Wizards); and Tyler Zeller (Cleveland Cavaliers).
Recently named 2013-16 USA Basketball National Team head coach and Duke University’s Naismith Hall of Fame mentor Mike Krzyzewski will direct the mini-camp. Serving as assistant coaches are USA Basketball and Syracuse University veteran coach Jim Boeheim, Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau and New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams.
“The group of players we have assembled for the mini-camp are extremely talented and very versatile. This is an important opportunity for each one of them because we will be evaluating which players will continue to be involved in future USA National Team training camps and teams,” said Colangelo, who has seen USA National teams compile a 62-1 record since taking charge of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team program in 2005. “Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Rudy Gay, Eric Gordon, Danny Granger, and Andre Iguodala were all guys who played in our 2009 mini-camp and went on to play for the 2010 USA World Championship and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams that won gold. I’m sure it will not be much different this time around and some of the players involved in this mini-camp will be members of upcoming USA National teams.
“The majority of these players have prior USA Basketball experience including 10 members of last summer’s USA Select Team that helped prepare the U.S. Olympic Team. This year is an important first step in the rebuilding of the USA National Team roster for the 2014-16 international competitions, and we believe we have compiled a roster of not only outstanding basketball talents, but individuals who will represent the United States in the manner we expect.”
The invited players will assemble in Las Vegas on July 21, and will conduct daily training sessions July 22-24 (12:00-2:30 p.m. PDT) and close out the mini-camp with the 2013 USA Basketball Showcase, a blue-white intra-squad game on Thursday, July 25, 6 p.m. PDT at the Thomas & Mack Arena on the campus of UNLV. All USA practices will take place at UNLV’s Mendenhall Center and are closed to the general public.
Tickets for the 2013 USA Basketball Showcase on July 25 go on sale June 13. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased by calling 702-739-FANS or at www.UNLVtickets.com.
“This is an exciting group of versatile and talented players,” said Krzyzewski, the USA head mentor who has led U.S. teams to gold at back-to-back Olympics. “This group of 27 players has a really good blend of experience, both with USA Basketball and in the NBA. The mini-camp will feature a lot of younger players who are emerging in the NBA and it will give us our first opportunity to see them at this elite level. I’m really anxious to get to work with them."
Six-foot, 10-inch Davis heads the list of 20 players with USA Basketball experience having averaged 3.7 points and 2.7 rebounds a game as the youngest member of the gold medal winning 2012 U.S. Olympic Team.
Ten players – Cousins, DeRozan, Favors, George, Gibson, Hayward, Holiday, Irving, Leonard and Thompson, were all members of the 2012 USA Basketball Select Team that trained against the U.S. Olympic Team during its July 6-11 training in Las Vegas.
Players possessing USA Basketball team experience as high school seniors as members of the USA Basketball Junior National Select Team that competed in the annual Nike Hoop Summit are Barnes (2010), Beal (2011), Cousins (2009), Davis (2011), DeRozan (2008), Drummond (2010), Holiday (2008), Irving (2010), Monroe (2008) and Wall (2010).
Walker and Zeller participated as collegians on the 2010 USA Select Team that trained against the gold medalist 2010 USA World Championship Team.
Selected to play on other USA Basketball teams were Beal (2010 U17 World Championship, 2009 U16 Championship); Conley (2005 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival-White Team); Cousins (2007 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival-Blue Team); Drummond (2010 U17 World Championship, 2009 U16 Championship); Hayward (2009 U19 World Championship); Holiday (2007 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival-Blue Team); Jordan (2007 U19 World Championship); Monroe (2007 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival-White Team); Thompson (2009 U19 World Championship); and Walker (2008 U18 Championship).
Three players, Davis (2012), Irving (2011) and Wall (2010), were the No. 1 draft picks of the last three NBA Drafts.
The 27 players have a wide range of NBA experience. Conley, with six NBA seasons under his belt, has the most; two (Anderson, Jordan) possess five; four have four seasons (DeRozan, Gibson, Holiday, Lawson); seven are three-year veterans (Cousins, Favors, George, Hayward, Monroe, Sanders, Wall); six are second year pros (Faried, Irving, Leonard, Parsons, Thompson, Walker); and seven just completed their rookie campaign (Barnes, Beal, Davis, Drummond, Lillard, Waiters, Zeller.)
The USA mini-camp will feature the last two NBA Rookies of the Year selections. Lillard earned 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year honors, while Davis finished runner-up, Beal ranked third, Drummond was fourth, Waiters placed fifth and Barnes was sixth. In 2012, Irving took home Rookie of the Year honors, and Faried was third, Leonard was fourth, Thompson was sixth and Parsons was ninth. Additionally, Wall finished as runner-up for Rookie of the Year honors in 2011.
All five members of the 2012-13 NBA All-Rookie first team will attend the mini-camp, including Barnes, Beal, Davis, Lillard and Waiters, while Drummond and Zeller were second team honorees. The 2011-12 NBA All-Rookie first team members attending the training camp include Faried, Irving, Leonard and Thompson, while Parsons was a second team choice. Cousins and Wall were members of the 2011 Rookie first team, and Favors, George and Monroe were second team picks. In 2010 Gibson earned All-Rookie first team honors.
Additionally, Sanders finished third in the voting for the 2013 NBA Most Improved Player, Holiday was fifth, Parsons 10th, Thompson was tied for 12th and Anderson was tied for 15th.
USA Basketball Men's National TeamOn May 23, 2013, Colangelo officially announced that Duke University Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski would return to lead the USA National Team for 2013-16.
Over the course of the 2013-16 quad, USA Men’s National Teams will conduct a team mini-camp in Las Vegas, Nev., July 22-25, 2013; compete in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup (formerly the FIBA World Championship) Aug. 30-Sept. 14 in Spain; if necessary, participate in the 2015 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament (dates and site TBD); and if the USA qualifies, compete in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games (Aug. 5-21) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Since Colangelo and Krzyzewski teamed up in 2006, USA National Teams have compiled a spectacular 62-1 record over the seven years, claimed top honors in four of five FIBA or FIBA Americas competitions, and just as importantly, reestablished the USA National Team and its members as positive ambassadors for the United States and the sport.
The USA National Team program between 2006 and 2008 compiled a striking 36-1 overall win-loss record. The USA culminated the 2005-08 quadrennium by finishing 8-0 to reclaim the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the USA’s first gold in a major international competition since 2000. The USA National Team also won gold at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship with a 10-0 record to qualify the U.S. men for the 2008 Olympic Games. In the program’s first year, the U.S. captured the bronze medal with an 8-1 record at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.
With Colangelo and Krzyzewski returning to lead the USA Basketball National Team for 2009-12, the national program compiled a perfect 26-0 win-loss record and won gold medals at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and 2012 London Olympics.
Since first fielding in 1992 a team of legendary NBA stars, USA Basketball National Teams comprised of NBA players have claimed gold medals in 12 of 15 major international basketball competitions, while compiling an impressive 117-7 overall record (.944 winning percentage) in those competitions, and posting a record of 42-1 (.977 winning percentage) in exhibition games.
About USA Basketball Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international competitions, as well as for some national competitions.
During the 2009-12 quadrennium, 1,273 men and women players and 235 coaches participated in USA Basketball, including USA Basketball teams and trials, and USA Basketball 3x3 FIBA championships.
USA Basketball men's and women's teams between 2009-12 compiled an impressive 264-35 win-loss record in FIBA and FIBA Americas competitions, the Pan American Games, the World University Games, the Nike Hoop Summit and in exhibition games.
USA teams are the current men's and women's champions in the Olympics; men's and women's FIBA World Championships (Basketball World Cup); women’s FIBA U19 World Championship; men's and women's FIBA U17 World Championships; men's and women's U18 and U16 FIBA Americas Championships; and FIBA 3x3 Women's World Championship and FIBA 3x3 Women's U18 World Championship. USA Basketball also currently ranks No. 1 in all five of FIBA's world ranking categories, including combined, men's, women's, boys and girls. USA Basketball also currently ranks No. 1 in all five of FIBA's world ranking categories, including combined, men's, women's, boys and girls.
For further information about USA Basketball, go to the official Web site of USA Basketball at www.usabasketball.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/usabasketball, https://twitter.com/usabasketball, and https://www.youtube.com/usab.