USA Basketball cut its initial roster to 17 finalists today as it progressed with its attempt to put together a cohesive 12-player team that will participate in the 19-and-under World Cup July 1-9 in Cairo.
The list includes center Bol Bol (Mater Dei H.S./Santa Ana, Calif.); center Jordan Brown (Woodcreek H.S./Roseville, Calif.); Kentucky freshman guard Hamidou Diallo; Purdue sophomore guard Carsen Edwards; Maryland sophomore guard Kevin Huerter; forward Louis King (Hudson Catholic H.S./Columbus, N.J.); Kevin Knox II (Tampa Catholic H.S./Tampa, Fla.); guard Romeo Langford (New Albany; H.S./New Albany, Ind.); UNLV freshman center Brandon McCoy; Auburn freshman forward Chuma Okeke; Georgia Tech sophomore guard Josh Okogie; Oregon sophomore guard Payton Pritchard; guard Immanuel Quickly (John Carroll School/Bel Air, Md.); forward Cameron Reddish (Westtown School/Norristown, Pa.); Western Kentucky freshman center Mitchell Robinson; Temple sophomore guard Quinton
Rose; Kentucky freshman forward PJ Washington; and Auburn sophomore center Austin Wiley.
“I felt really good until this morning,” USA Basketball U19 coach John Calipari said. “There was anxiety this morning for me because you know you’re going to disappoint some of these kids. What I hope is that the games they played here against really good players helped them. I also told them after, we only had four sessions to figure you guys out. This committee went through every name, talked about every kid, and came up with a list. I told these kids, we may be wrong, please prove us wrong, use this as fuel if you don’t make the team, and I’ll be watching everybody. But, I hope you prove us wrong. And for the guys that make it, now it’s on. Now the real stuff begins. I haven’t really coached yet, I’ve just kind of watched you.
“I think we’ve got a good group of finalists. We’re pretty long and athletic. It looks like we’re going
to be somewhat positionless and we’re going to have some 6-8 guys that can play point guard, bring it up and make plays. We’re young, there is a group of six rising (high school) seniors that now, in this setting, it’s a little different. Now you’ve got some cagey veterans that have gone through a college season and played, some of them started for their teams or were significant players, and you’re a high school rising senior playing against that kid, now you see where you are as a player.
“I told some kids in our meeting (after naming the finalists) that if you want make this team you’re going to have rebound, and show us you’re going to rebound; if you’re going to make this you’re going to have pass the ball, you can’t be trying to shoot every ball. You’re responsible for you. I went around the room, not every guy, but I wanted to let them know I’m going to keep it real. I’m going to be real about what we have to do. The reason is we don’t have time, we have three practices and then we’ve got to make another cut and get it to 12.”
All three of Calipari’s Kentucky recruits– Diallo, P.J. Washington and guard Kevin Knox– made the initial cut. Calipari kept five bigs– 7-1 Bol Bol, 6-11 Jordan Brown; 6-11 UNLV freshman center Brandon McCoy; 6-10 Auburn sophomore center Austin Wiley; 6-11 and 6-11 Western Kentucky freshman Mitchell Robinson as well as six high school senior prospects– Bol, Langford, Quickly, King, Reddish and Brown.
This is a really young team. There are only five finalists with college experience– Purdue sophomore guard Carsen Edwards; Temple 6-8 sophomore guard Quinton Rose; Wiley; Maryland sophomore guard Kevin Huerter; Georgia Tech sophomore guard Josh Okogie; and Oregon sophomore guard Payton Pritchard;
The biggest surprises of the camp had to be Rose and Jordan Brown. Brown, who played on the U17 gold medal team last year, was a late addition to the roster Duke’s 6-11 sophomore center Marques Bolden, a former McDonald’s All America who struggled through an injury-plagued freshman season with the Devils, was among the first cuts. Duke coaches were hoping Bolden could use the summer experience against high level international competition to improve his game so he would split playing time in the post with incoming 6-10 freshman Wendell Carter. But Bolden left practice Monday night with what Calipari told the media was a hip injury and was treated by USA Basketball medical staff.
The selected finalists will remain in Colorado Springs and will train twice a day through June 25. The 12-member team is expected to be announced June 22.
