Posted: July 15, 2010
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Dallas Mavericks’ recently acquired center Tyson Chandler, Phoenix Suns center Robin Lopez and Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo have been added to the 2010-12 USA Basketball Men’s National Team, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo announced today. Additionally, USA Basketball also confirmed that 21 players are expected to actively participate in the upcoming July 19-24 USA Basketball Men’s National Team training camp in Las Vegas, Nev.
Confirmed to be on the court in Las Vegas are Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets); Chandler; Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Tyreke Evans (Sacramento Kings); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies); Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers); Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers); Jeff Green (Oklahoma City Thunder); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); David Lee (Golden State Warriors); Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets); Robin Lopez; Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); O.J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies); Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Rondo; Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); Amar’e Stoudemire (New York Knicks); Gerald Wallace (Charlotte Bobcats); and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder).
The 2010-12 USA National Team coaching staff is led by Duke University’s Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, and features as USA assistant coaches Syracuse University’s Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, New York Knicks head mentor Mike D'Antoni and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan.
“We’re continuing to build our national team roster which will be relied on to select players for teams that will represent the United States in international competitions over the next three summers, including the World Championship team that will compete later this summer,” said Colangelo, “Tyson (Chandler), Robin (Lopez) and Rajon (Rondo) are outstanding additions to the national team and they help give us the talent and depth required in making sure we field the very best USA Basketball teams possible.”
USA Basketball opens its 2010 National Team training with a July 19-24 training camp in Las Vegas. That camp will culminate with the 2010 USA Basketball Showcase, a Blue-White intra-squad game that will be held on July 24 at 7 p.m. (PDT) at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV. The USA training camp will also feature daily practice sessions July 20-23 from noon to 3 p.m. (PDT) at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion.
Following a short break, selected USA national team players will reassemble in New York City to take part in the first-ever World Basketball Festival, a four-day celebration of the game’s performance and culture hosted by NIKE Inc. and USA Basketball in New York City. The festival tips off Aug. 12 in Times Square with a special showcase featuring the USA Basketball Men’s National Team and moves uptown to Harlem’s legendary Rucker Park basketball courts on Aug. 13 and 14.
The USA squad will face France at 1 p.m. (EDT) in the first game of an exhibition doubleheader, while China will meet Puerto Rico at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) in the second contest.
In addition to the game against France at Madison Square Garden, the USA Team will play three world basketball powers in exhibition games, or “friendlies,” in preparation for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. In advance of that tournament, the Americans will meet Lithuania on Aug. 21 and Spain on Aug. 22 in Madrid, Spain, and play Greece in Athens on Aug. 25.
All of these friendlies are part of the new Global Community Cup, which will include all USA Basketball exhibition games played outside of formal international competitions. Along with the games, the Global Community Cup features a social responsibility element that will highlight USA Basketball’s commitment to giving back to communities in the U.S. and abroad.
Chandler completed in 2009-10 his ninth NBA season overall and has played in 588 games, averaging 8.1 ppg.,
8.8 rpg. and 1.4 bpg., while shooting 55.7 percent from the field. A member of the 2007 USA Basketball FIBA Americas Championship Team that finished a perfect 10-0 and qualified the U.S. for the 2008 Olympics, Chandler played in all 10 games and averaged 2.1 ppg., 3.6 rpg., 1.64 bpg. (2nd best on team), 16.0 mpg., while shooting 56.3 percent from the field.
Robin Lopez, who joins twin Brook on the USA National Team roster, completed his second NBA season in 2009-10 and averaged career highs of 8.4 ppg., 4.9 rpg., 1.0 bpg., while shooting 58.8 percent from the field for the Suns. He was selected for the 2008 USA Basketball Men’s Select Team that helped the USA Men’s Senior National Team train for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Wrapping up his fourth season with the Celtics in 2009-10, Rondo helped lead Boston to the 2010 NBA Finals and averaged during the regular season 13.7 ppg., 4.4 rpg., an NBA third best 9.8 apg. and an NBA best 2.3 spg. Selected 2009-10 NBA All-Defensive first team, Rondo too possesses USA Basketball experience having been a member of the 2005 USA U21 World Championship Team that finished 7-1 and in fifth place. The 6-1 guard averaged a U.S. team third best 11.0 ppg., passed off for a team best 4.5 apg., and recorded 27 steals (3.4 spg.) to not only lead the team but set a new USA U21 record.
USA Basketball experience is plentiful among the selected 35 national team players with 32 possessing prior USA Basketball experience. Eleven are Olympians, 15 were members of the 2006-08 USA National Team, while 13 others were involved with the 2007 and 2008 USA Select Teams, and or the 2009 national team mini-camp.
Players owning prior USA Basketball playing experience include: Aldridge, Anthony, Billups, Boozer, Bosh, Bryant, Chandler, Curry, Durant, Evans, Gay, Gordon, Green, Howard, Iguodala, James, Jefferson, Lee, Brook Lopez, Robin Lopez, Love, Mayo, Odom, Paul, Prince, Rondo, Rose, Stoudemire, Wade, Westbrook and Williams.
2010 FIBA World Championship
The 2010 FIBA (International Basketball Federation) World Championship for Men will be held Aug. 28-Sept. 12 in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Kayseri, Turkey. Twenty-four teams will compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Men and those teams were divided into four preliminary round groups consisting of six teams each. The United States was drawn on Dec. 15 into preliminary round Group B, and is joined by Brazil, Croatia, Iran, Slovenia and Tunisia.
The U.S. will open the ‘10 Worlds on Aug. 28 against Croatia, a team it has never faced in World Championship play, but a squad the USA is 3-0 versus in Olympic action. Facing its second European team in as many days, the Americans on Aug. 29 will meet Slovenia, a team it defeated 114-95 in 2006 World Championship preliminary play in their only prior World Championship meeting. FIBA Americas Zone champion Brazil will challenge the U.S. on Aug. 29. The USA-Brazil World Championship series stands at 6-5 in favor of the United States with the two teams’ last meeting in the 1998 World Championship. Following a day off on Aug. 31, the USA resumes play Sept. 1 against Asia Zone champ Iran, a team it has not faced previously in World Championship play, then closes out preliminary play with a contest versus Tunisia on Sept. 2, another team that the Americans have not met in World Championship action.
Held every four years and considered international basketball’s diamond event, the U.S. has had mixed results in World Championship play.
Claiming the bronze medal with an 8-1 record in 2006 when the championship was held in Japan, the U.S. last claimed gold at the 1994 World Championship in Toronto, Canada, with a team comprised of NBA all-stars.
All told, the USA has won 10 medals in World Championship play - three gold medals (1954, 1986 and 1994), three silver medals (1950, 1959 and 1982) and four bronze medals (1974, 1990, 1998 and 2006). USA teams have compiled an overall 105-27 win-loss record in the World Championships for a 79.5 winning percentage.
The winner of the 2010 FIBA World Championship automatically earns a berth in the 2012 London Olympics.
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 United States 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 basketball competitions, as well as for some national competitions.
USA Basketball is governed by a 10-member Board of Directors, who are appointed and elected by active members. Colangelo serves as Chairman of USA Basketball for the 2009-2012 term. Serving since January 2001 as USA Basketball's CEO/Executive Director is Jim Tooley, who has been with USA Basketball since 1993.
USA Basketball is an organization made up of organizations. There are five member categories – Professional; Collegiate; Scholastic; Youth; and Associate. All told, 25 organizations are members of USA Basketball.
During the 2005-2008 quadrennium, 707 men and women players and 147 coaches participated in USA Basketball, including USA Basketball trials and USA Basketball teams. USA teams competed in 31 major international events from 2005-2008 and won medals an astounding 28 times, including gold or top finishes 22 times, silver four times and bronze medals twice. All told those teams compiled a sparkling 199-23 win-loss record for an 89.6 winning percentage.
For further information about USA Basketball, go to the official Web site of USA Basketball at Usabasketball.com.