From USA Basketball Communications

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The first of the major postseason senior all-star games has been announced. Get this … just in time for Christmas.

Three-time USA Basketball gold medalists Terrance Ferguson (Advanced Prep International/Dallas, Texas),Josh Jackson (Prolific Prep Academy, Calif./Southfield, Mich.) and Jayson Tatum (Chaminade College Prep/St. Louis, Mo.) headline the 2016 USA Junior National Select Team that will face off against the World Select Team in the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit at 13 p.m., EST on April 9 at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore.

Also playing for USA Basketball will be Portland-area guard Payton Pritchard (West Linn H.S./West Linn, Ore.), who was a member of the 2015 USA Basketball 3×3 U18 World Championship Team; as well as USA Basketball training camp veterans Edrice Adebayo (High Point Christian H.S./High Point, N.C.), Jarrett Allen (Saint Stephen’s Episcopal H.S./Austin, Texas), Marques Bolden (De Soto H.S./Dallas, Texas), De’Aaron Fox (Cypress Lakes H.S./Katy, Texas), Markelle Fultz (DeMatha Catholic H.S./Upper Marlboro, Md.), Jonathan Isaac (IMG Academy/Naples, Fla.) and Joshua Langford (Madison Academy/Huntsville, Ala.); and USA Basketball newcomer Wenyen Gabriel (Wilbraham and Monson/Manchester, N.H.).

L.J. Goolsby (KC Run GMC, Kan.) will lead the 2016 USA Junior National Select Team and will be assisted by Eric Flannery (St. Edward H.S., Ohio). The duo return after serving as the USA coaching staff for the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit and as gold-medal winning USA assistant coaches at the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship. Additionally, three-time USA gold medalist Harry Giles (Forest Trail Academy/Winston-Salem, N.C.), who is injured and unable to play, will attend the event as an honorary USA team captain.

The Nike Hoop Summit is an annual basketball game for top U.S. high school senior boys that features the USA Basketball Junior National Select Team against a World Select Team that is comprised of elite international players who are 19 years old or younger.

“The strengths of our team will be our versatility and experience,” Goolsby said. “Most of our guys are capable of playing multiple positions, and that will allow us to use a wide variety of lineups making us more difficult to defend. Just as importantly, many of our guys have been involved with USA Basketball for the last four years and have already been tested and exposed to international play. They all understand what an honor it is to play for their country.”
Ferguson, Jackson and Tatum are 19-0 together in major international competitions, claiming gold medals at the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship and the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship.

On Oct. 3-4, nine of the USA Nike Hoop Summit players took part in the 2015 USA Basketball Junior National Team October minicamp, including Allen, Bolden, Ferguson, Fox, Fultz, Isaac, Jackson, Langford and Tatum.

At the 2015 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Championship, Pritchard finished as the men’s tournament’s fourth-leading scorer as the USA finished 4-3 and in eighth place.

Adebayo, Langford and Pritchard also have attended previous USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team training camps, while Gabriel will be taking part in his first USA Basketball experience.

Adebayo, Fox and Gabriel have signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and play basketball at the University of Kentucky; Ferguson has verbally committed to the University of Alabama; Fultz signed with the University of Washington; Isaac signed with Florida State University; Langford signed with Michigan State University; Pritchard signed at the University of Oregon; Tatum signed with Duke University; and Allen, Bolden and Jackson remain uncommitted.

Earning Gatorade State Player of the Year honors in 2014-15 were Langford (Alabama), Pritchard (Oregon) and Tatum (Missouri). Tatum was named his state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2013-14, and Langford was his state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a freshman in 2012-13.

All 12 players are top-ranked athletes for the class of 2016. The ESPN 100 lists Tatum second, Jackson third, Adebayo sixth, Fox seventh, Isaac ninth, Ferguson 10th, Fultz 12th, Langford 17th, Allen 19th, Bolden 20th, Gabriel 23rd and Pritchard 42nd. Scout.com ranks the players as such: Jackson second, Tatum third, Fox fourth, Fultz seventh Isaac ninth, Gabriel 10th, Bolden 12th, Ferguson 13th, Adebayo 15th, Allen 16th, Langford 19thand Pritchard 61st. And finally, Rivals.com lists Jackson first, Tatum third, Fox fifth, Adebayo seventh, Ferguson 12th, Fultz 13th, Isaac 14th, Bolden 16th, Gabriel 17th, Langford 18th, Allen 20th and Pritchard 51st.

The 2016 World Select Team roster will be announced in March and is expected to include 11 or 12 of the best, young basketball players from FIBA’s five geographic zones (FIBA Africa, FIBA Americas, FIBA Asia, FIBA Europe and FIBA Oceania), with the approved sanctioning of FIBA, the governing body of international basketball.

USA Basketball teams have compiled a 12-6 overall advantage in the series. Most recently, 30 points from Jamal Murray (Kentucky/Canada) helped the World Team capture an exciting 103-101 win that saw Luke Kennard (Duke/Franklin, OH) score 22 points for the USA. In 2014, the USA won 84-73 as Justise Winslow (Duke/Houston, Texas) lead the USA with 16 points.

An incredible 178 former USA and World Select Team members have been drafted by NBA teams, including 13 alumni in the 2015 NBA Draft and 14 players in the 2014 NBA Draft, and as of Oct. 21, 2015, a remarkable 78 former U.S. players and 33 former World team members were active in the NBA.  Additionally, 31 former Hoop Summit players currently are competing on the collegiate level, including 20 U.S. players and 11 World Team athletes.