USA Men’s National Team to conduct training camp July 19-24 in Las Vegas

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- USA Basketball and Las Vegas Events (LVE) today announced that for a fifth consecutive summer the USA Basketball Men’s National Team will conduct a training camp in Las Vegas, Nev. The 2010 USA National Team training camp will be conducted July 19-24 in Las Vegas and will culminate with the 2010 USA Basketball Showcase, a Blue-White intra-squad game that will be held on Saturday, July 24, 7 p.m. (PDT) at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV. The USA training camp will feature daily practice sessions from 12-3 p.m. (PDT) July 20-23 at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion. The USA practices are closed to the general public.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2010 USA Basketball Showcase. Tickets are priced $75, $50, $35 for plaza seats and $18 and $12 for balcony and can be purchased by calling 866-388-FANS or on line at www.UNLVtickets.com.

The USA’s Las Vegas training camp will feature all available players of the 2010-12 USA Basketball Men’s National Team and will be utilized to determine finalists for the 2010 USA World Championship Team that will participate in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. The 2010 World Championship is being held Aug. 28-Sept. 12 in Turkey.

“It will again be very exciting when we converge on Las Vegas and open the first training camp for the 2010-12 USA Basketball Men’s National Team. This will also be an important first step in the selection and training preparation of the 2010 USA World Championship Team,” stated Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball chairman. “We have again asked for serious commitments from each player and coach involved in the national team program, and as was the case in 2006-08, this will again be a program that emphasizes character and pride, respect for our opponents and respect for the game.

“For all basketball fans, the 2010 USA Basketball Showcase will be an entertaining and extremely competitive game featuring many of our nation’s best players. As was the case when we held similar games last summer and in 2007 in Las Vegas, I’m sure the 2010 USA Basketball Showcase will be another exciting and memorable event,” added Colangelo.

“The July 19-24 training camp in Las Vegas not only launches the USA National Team on another three year quest but it will be an important part of the USA team selection process and its preparations for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey. Our training in Las Vegas is our first opportunity to bring all of the available national team players together for four practices and we’ll end the camp with the USA Basketball Showcase on July 24. With all the talent we will have on the court, the 2010 USA Basketball Showcase should be a great night of basketball. I’m excited to get back on the court with my staff and the USA National Team players and begin our preparations for what I know will be an extremely competitive World Championship,” said 2010-12 USA Basketball National Team head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

“Las Vegas will again take center stage this summer as the host of the training camp and USA Basketball Showcase,” said Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas Events. “This is another great opportunity for fans in Las Vegas and throughout the country to see many of the best players in the world all in one place as they prepare for international competition. Las Vegas has been a proud partner of USA Basketball since 2006, and we look forward to hosting this outstanding group of athletes again this year.”

With the addition earlier today of four standout NBA players to the 2010-12 USA Men’s National Team, the roster now consists of 31 players, including 10 members of the gold medalist 2008 USA Olympic Team.

Members of the 2010-12 USA National Team include: LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers); Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets); Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); 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); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Al Jefferson (Minnesota Timberwolves); David Lee (New York Knicks); Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); O.J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies); Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets); Kendrick Perkins (Boston Celtics); Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); Amar’e Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns); Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat); Gerald Wallace (Charlotte Bobcats); Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz).

The 2010-12 USA National Team coaching staff is led by Duke University’s Hall of Fame coach 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.

The remainder of the USA Men’s National Team’s summer 2010 training plans will be announced at a later date.

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.

2010-2012 USA Basketball Men’s National Team

Over the course of 2010-2012, USA Men’s National Teams will compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championship (Aug. 28-Sept. 12 in Turkey); if necessary the 2011 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament (dates and site TBD); and if the USA qualifies, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games (July 26-Aug. 12 in London, England).

The USA Basketball Men's National Team Program is again headed by Colangelo, the Phoenix Suns and USA Basketball Chairman, who served as Managing Director of the USA Men’s National Team for 2006-2008.

Returning in 2010-2012 for a second run with the USA Basketball Men’s National Team is the entire USA Basketball Men’s National Team coaching staff from 2006-08. Led by head coach Krzyzewski, and assistant coaches Boeheim, D’Antoni and McMillan, the American men under the four heralded mentors won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and compiled a three-year record of 36-1.

USA Basketball initiated its historic men’s national team program in 2005 and capped the 2005-2008 quad competitions with a magnificent gold medal run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

During the three-year period between 2006 and 2008, USA Basketball's National Team program compiled a striking 36-1 overall win-loss record and just as importantly reestablished the USA team and its members as positive ambassadors for the United States and the sport.

The USA squad culminated the 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.

Since first fielding a USA Basketball team of legendary NBA stars in 1992, USA Basketball National Teams comprised of NBA players have claimed gold medals in 10 of 13 major international basketball competitions, while compiling an impressive 100-7 overall record (.935 winning percentage) in those competitions and a record of 33-1 (.971 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 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 lasvegasevents.com.

About Las Vegas Events

Las Vegas Events is a private, not-for-profit organization that serves as the exclusive major special events agency for the city. Founded in 1983, LVE is funded by hotel room tax. Through its Signature Event initiative, LVE has created a model to integrate all elements of special events and formally improve communication between event producers and Las Vegas’ hotel properties and sponsors. Since 1991, Las Vegas Events has produced, presented or supported more than 500 events. lasvegasevents.com

2010 USA Basketball Men’s National Team Schedule