Twenty-four players have accepted invitations to attend the 2012 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team Training camp June 5-12 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., including one player with college experience and three players who represented the USA in the 2012 Nike Hoop Summit. The USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team committee issued the player invitations.

While rising sophomore Jarnell Stokes (University of Tennessee/Memphis, Tenn.) is the lone collegian attending camp, graduating high school seniors Gary Harris (Hamilton Southeastern/Fishers, Ind.);James Robinson (DeMatha Catholic H.S./Mitchellville, Md.); andRasheed Sulaimon (Strake Jesuit College Prep/Houston, Texas) suited up for the USA at the 15th annual Nike Hoop Summit. (more…)

Team USA was stunned by Lithuania Saturday night, 76-74, in the quarterfinals of the World University Games in Shenzen, China.

After battling back from as many as eight points down in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 74-74 with just under two minutes remaining, Team USA missed its last five shot attempts as Lithuania sank two free throws to secure the win.

John Jenkins of Vanderbilt led Team USA with 17 points, Pitt’s Ashton Gibbs had 16 and Alabama’s JaMychal Green added 12, but the Americans shot just 5-of-30 from beyond the arc, 0-for-14 in the second half. (more…)

UC Santa Barbara rising senior Orlando Johnson, who overcame the death of six relatives before he was a teenager, has been selected to represent the USA as a flag bearer for Friday’s Opening Ceremony of the 2011 World University Games.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Johnson, whose mother, Vicki Renée Johnson, passed away when he was 1. “I was proud to make the USA Basketball team and to play for my country, and now to carry the flag and lead the U.S. delegation feels very special. I feel very honored.”

After the death of his mother, his grandmother took Orlando in. Then, when he was six, four of his relatives died in a house fire. Following the death of his grandmother at age 11, his two older brothers put their lives on hold to raise him.

“I just hope I don’t fall,” joked Johnson. (more…)

The 12-member roster for the 2011 World University Games has been finalized.

Shabazz Napier of UConn and Aaric Murray of West Virginia were the final two cuts Wednesday night.

Listed on the roster are: Tim Abromaitis (Notre Dame/Unionville, Conn.); Marcus Denmon (Missouri/Kansas City, Mo.); Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh/Scotch Plains, N.J.);Draymond Green (Michigan State/Saginaw, Mich.); JaMychal Green (Alabama/Montgomery, Ala.); Scoop Jardine(Syracuse/ Philadelphia, Pa.); John Jenkins (Vanderbilt/ Hendersonville, Tenn.); Orlando Johnson (UC Santa Barbara/Seaside, Calif.); Greg Mangano(Yale/Orange, Conn.); Trevor Mbakwe (Minnesota/ St. Paul, Minn.); Ray McCallum (Detroit Mercy/Beverly Hills, Mich.); and Darius Miller (Kentucky/Maysville, Ky.). (more…)

Ashton Gibbs began his summer thinking he might end up in the NBA.

As the summer comes to a close, the Pittsburgh guard is hoping to make the final cut for Team USA in the World University Games.

“There’s a lot of good players so it’s going to be tough making the team, but hopefully I’ll make it,” Gibbs, a Scotch Plains, N.J., native, told SNY.tv by phone from Colorado Springs, Colo.

Gibbs is one of five Big East players among the 14 finalists for the team. The official 12-member roster will be announced prior to Aug. 8, when the team departs for China. (more…)

UConn rising sophomore Jeremy Lamb hit the game-winner and dropped a game-high 35 points to lead the USA to a 107-105 victory over Lithuania Tuesday in the FIBA U19 World Championships in Riga, Latvia.

With the game tied at 105, Lamb hit a step-back jumper over 6-foot-11 Jonas Valanciunas with 1.8 seconds to go.

“We ran a little high ball screen with him and Patric Young and he came off the ball screen and once we got the switch Jeremy knew what to do from there,” Team USA head coach Paul Hewitt said by phone from Latvia. (more…)

Jeremy Lamb of UConn and James Bell of Villanova were named to the 12-man roster for the USA U19 World Championship Team.

The USA squad, featuring five players with prior USA Basketball experience, will look to defend the gold medal won by the U.S. in 2009 at the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship.

Also named to the 2011 USA U19 World Championship Team were: Keith Appling (Michigan State/Detroit, Mich.); Anthony Brown (Stanford/Huntington Beach, Calif.); Jahii Carson (Mesa High School/*Arizona State/Phoenix, Ariz.); Tim Hardaway, Jr. (Michigan/Miami, Fla.); Joe Jackson (Memphis/Memphis, Tenn.); Meyers Leonard (Illinois/Robinson, Ill.); Khyle Marshall (Butler/Davie, Fla.); Doug McDermott (Creighton/Ames, Iowa); Tony Mitchell (North Texas/Dallas, Texas); and Patric Young (Florida/Jacksonville, Fla.). (more…)

USA Basketball on Sunday announced the 10 players and coaching staff for the 2011 USA Junior National Select Team, which will compete against the World Select Team in the 2011 Nike Hoop Summit at 7:00 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday, April 9 at the Rose Garden in Portland Oregon.

Three Kentucky commits and two Duke signees made the team.

Quinn Cook (Duke)

Anthony Davis (Kentucky)

Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse) (more…)

NEW YORK – On his way to Madison Square Garden Sunday morning for Team USA’s exhibition with France, Kevin Durant spoke by phone to his Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Jeff Green.

Green and JaVale McGee were cut Sunday as the roster was whittled to 13 players and Durant tried his best to support his friend.

“That’s always tough, man,” said Durant, who had 14 points and eight rebounds in an 86-55 victory before a sellout Madison Square Garden crowd of 19,763 that included Tony Parker, Eva Longoria and John Wall. (more…)

Team USA trimmed its roster to 13 players Sunday, cutting Jeff Green of the Oklahoma City Thunder (pictured) and JaVale McGee of the Washington Wizards.

The 13 finalists for the USA World Championship team are: Chauncey Billups, Tyson Chandler, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, Eric Gordon, Danny Granger, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Love, Lamar Odom, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook.

With the departure of the 7-foot McGee, the 7-1 Chandler remains the only 7-footer on the roster. (more…)