Lobo Alex Kirk of Los Alamos has been chosen to attend the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team training camp June 24-30. Courtesy photo
SPORTS News:
COLORADO SPRINGS – Including three players with prior USA Basketball national team experience and 29 collegiate athletes overall, USA Basketball Monday announced the roster for the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team training camp, which will take place June 24-30 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee issued the invitations. Finalists for the team are expected to be announced June 27 or 28, and the 12-member roster will be announced prior to the team’s departure for Russia on July 1.
Lobo Kendall Williams also will attend the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team training camp. Courtesy photo
Alex Kirk (New Mexico/Los Alamos, N.M.) and Kendall Williams (New Mexico/Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) will be attending training camp together with Eric Atkins (Notre Dame/Columbia, Md.); Markel Brown (Oklahoma State/Alexandria, La.); Deonte Burton (Nevada/Los Angeles, Calif.); Quinn Cook (Duke/Washington, D.C.); Bryce Cotton (Providence/Tucson, Ariz.); Spencer Dinwiddie (Colorado/Woodland Hills, Calif.); C.J. Fair (Syracuse/Baltimore, Md.); Yogi Ferrell (Indiana/Indianapolis, Ind.); Davante Gardner (Marquette/Suffolk, Va.); Treveon Graham (Virginia Commonwealth/Temple Hills, Md.); Jerian Grant (Notre Dame/Bowie, Md.); P.J. Hairston (North Carolina/Greensboro, N.C.); A.J. Hammons (Purdue/Gary, Ind.); Luke Hancock (Louisville/ Roanoke, Va.); Joe Harris (Virginia/Chelan, Wash.); Tyler Haws (BYU/Alpine, Utah); Andre Hollins (Minnesota/ Memphis, Tenn.); Rodney Hood (Duke/Meridian, Miss.); Josh Huestis (Stanford/Great Falls, Mont.); Cory Jefferson (Baylor/Killeen, Texas); Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati/Yonkers, N.Y.);Devyn Marble (Iowa/Southfield, Mich.); Doug McDermott (Creighton/Ames, Iowa); Adreian Payne (Michigan State/Dayton, Ohio); Chasson Randle (Stanford/Rock Island, Ill.); Will Sheehey (Indiana/Stuart, Fla.) and Aaron White (Iowa/Strongsville, Ohio.)
“The committee has assembled one of the strongest World University Games training camp rosters USA Basketball has ever had,” said Jim Boeheim, head coach at Syracuse University and chair of the USA Men’s Junior National Team Committee. “It includes some of the top players in college basketball, several of whom have international experience. Selecting the players for the final roster is going to be a real challenge.”
The 2013 World University Games (WUGs) men’s basketball competition is scheduled to be played July 6-17 in Kazan, Russia. Davidson College’s Bob McKillop will lead the USA, with assistant coaches John Beilein of the University of Michigan and Frank Martin of the University of South Carolina. Additionally, Tad Boyle of the University of Colorado, Jim Kessler of Grace College (NAIA) and Matt Matheny from Elon University were tabbed as court coaches for training camp.
“I’m really happy for our three student-athletes,” said head coach Craig Neal back in May when the announcement of Williams and Kirk trying out for USA Basketball was originally made, along with the announcement of Cameron Bairstow trying out for the Australian team. “All of their hard work has paid off and it’s great publicity and exposure for our program. It’s a well deserved honor for all three of them, and hopefully all three of them will get to compete in Russia.”
Alex Kirk rebounded from redshirting a year ago with a back injury to become one of the top centers in the nation last year, leading the team in rebounding and scoring 12.1 points per game, blocking a team-high 63 shots.
Kendall Williams was the 2013 Mountain West Player of the Year and an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American. He is on pace to become one of the most decorated four year players in UNM history, and he can join Lobo great Kenny Thomas as one of only two players with at least 400 points in four straight seasons.
Both Kirk and Williams were named preseason 2013 All-Americans by ESPN in May.
Cook and Randle are two-time USA Basketball gold medalists, having helped the USA to a 5-0 record at the inaugural 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Mendoza, Argentina, and an 8-0 record in the first FIBA U17 World Championship in 2010 in Hamburg, Germany.
Cook also helped the USA Junior National Select Team to a 92-80 win over the World Select Team in the 2011 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Ore.
Additionally, McDermott was a member of the 2011 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team that finished in fifth place with a 7-2 record in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship in Latvia.
McDermott is a two time Associated Press (AP) All-American (2012 and 2013), who also earned 2013 All-America first team honors from the NABC, USBWA and Basketball Times.
At the 2013 NCAA Tournament, Hancock earned Final Four Most Outstanding Player and All-Final Four, while Fair and Gardner listed on the East Regional All-Tournament Team.
Twenty-four players took home end of the year conference honors, including McDermott, the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and an all-conference first-team selection, and Williams, who listed as the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and on its first team.
