Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo to participate in USA Basketball National Team mini-camp in Las Vegas
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Memphis, Tennessee, June 25, 2009 – Memphis Grizzlies players Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo were two of 25 rising NBA stars invited to participate in the 2009 USA Basketball Men’s National Team mini-camp that will be held July 22-25 in Las Vegas, Nev. The selections were announced today by USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo.
Gay, 22, most recently led the Grizzlies in scoring (18.9 points) for the second consecutive season. The 6-8, 222-pound forward finished runner-up to Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu for the 2007-08 NBA Most Improved Player Award after becoming just the third player in franchise history (Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Pau Gasol) to average 20 points in a season (20.1). The three-year NBA veteran has averaged 16.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 33.8 minutes in 238 games (202 starts) with the Grizzlies.
Mayo, the runner-up to the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose for the 2008-09 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, led all first-year players in scoring (18.5 points) and minutes (38.0, 11th in the NBA). The 6-4, 210-pound guard captured Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors twice (October/November 2008 and April 2009). The 21-year-old also set franchise rookie records in total points (1,516), field goals made (562), total minutes (3,210), three-point field goal percentage (.384) and free throw percentage (.879), which also broke the overall franchise record.
Gay and Mayo recorded the second- and third-highest scoring averages, respectively, among all NBA players under the age of 23 (Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, 25.3 points) during the 2008-09 season.
The high-scoring duo each has prior USA Basketball team experience. Mayo was named to the 2008 USA Basketball Select Team that trained against the gold medal-winning 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, while Gay was a member of the 2005 USA Basketball U21 World Championship Team. Additionally, Gay (2004) and Mayo (2007) have been selected to the USA Basketball Junior Select National Teams that competed in the Nike Hoop Summit.
The Grizzlies are one of six NBA teams to be represented by multiple players, joining Portland (four), Oklahoma City (three), Utah (three), New Jersey (two) and Philadelphia (two).
The other 23 players participating in the USA Basketball National Team mini-camp include: LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers), Trevor Ariza (Los Angeles Lakers), D.J. Augustin (Charlotte Bobcats), Jerryd Bayless (Portland Trail Blazers), Ronnie Brewer (Utah Jazz), Glen Davis (Boston Celtics), Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers), Jeff Green (Oklahoma City Thunder), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma University), Devin Harris (New Jersey Nets), Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers), Kyle Korver (Utah Jazz), David Lee (New York Knicks), Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets), Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves), Paul Millsap (Utah Jazz), Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers), Rose (Chicago Bulls), Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers), Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Thaddeus Young (Philadelphia 76ers).
The July USA Basketball Men’s National Team mini-camp will feature practice sessions on July 23 and July 24 at Valley High School, and the mini-camp will be capped by the USA Basketball Showcase, a Blue-White intra-squad game on Saturday, July 25, 5 p.m. (CT) at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV.