New Jersey Nets center Brook Lopez, who is recovering from a bout with mononucleosis, withdrew from consideration for the 2010 USA Basketball World Championship Team, USA Basketball announced today. USA Basketball also announced that Washington Wizards’ center JaVale McGee has been added to the USA Basketball Men’s National Team roster and will participate in the USA’s Aug. 10-16 training in New York City.
McGee recently participated in the USA’s National Team training camp in Las Vegas, and accounted for seven points, three rebounds and one blocked shot in nine minutes of action for the USA Blue Team in the 2010 USA Basketball Showcase that was held July 24. McGee also participated in the 2009 USA National Team mini-camp. The 7-0 Wizard center averaged 6.4 ppg., 4.0 rpg. and 1.7 bpg. in 2009-10.
Finalists for the USA World Championship Team are Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets); Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks); Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies); Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers); Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers); Jeff Green (Oklahoma City Thunder); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); McGee; Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); 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 New York Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni, Syracuse University’s Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan and Toronto Raptors head mentor Jay Triano.
The 15 finalists for the 2010 USA World Championship Team are scheduled to reassemble Aug. 9 in New York City and train there Aug. 10-16. The official 12-man USA roster that will compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championship must be submitted to FIBA at the technical meeting that normally is held the day prior to the start of the competition.
While training in New York City, the USA squad will 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 USA World Championship Team hopefuls will begin their training Aug. 10 with a 12 -3 p.m. (EDT) practice at John Jay College. The World Championship Festival tips off Aug. 12 in Radio City Music Hall with a special showcase featuring the USA World Championship finalists and moves uptown to Harlem’s legendary Rucker Park basketball courts on Aug. 13 and 14.
The Festival concludes Sunday, Aug. 15, when the USA squad takes on France at Madison Square Garden,
1 p.m. (EDT), in the first game of an exhibition doubleheader. China will meet Puerto Rico at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) in the second contest. Tickets for the exhibition doubleheader, which start at $15, are available on the Web via www.Ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com, by phone at 1-800-4-NBA-TIX, and at the box office at Madison Square Garden.
In addition to the game against France at Madison Square Garden, the USA 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.