Eleven USA Basketball gold medalists are among 24 players who have accepted invitations to take part in the 2015 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team training camp that will take place June 12-22 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The training camp will be utilized to select the 12-member roster for the 2015 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team. The USA will look to defend the USA’s 2013 U19 gold at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship that will be held June 27-July 5 in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens who are 19 years old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1996).
The returning gold medalists include: 6-3 guard Isaiah Briscoe (Roselle Catholic H.S./Union, N.J./signed Kentucky); 6-2 guard Jalen Brunson (Stevenson H.S./Lincolnshire, Ill./signed Villanova); 6-7 guard Terrance Ferguson (Homeschooled/Flower Mound, Texas); 6-10 forward Harry Giles (Wesleyan Christian Academy/Winston-Salem, N.C.); 6-8 guard/forward Josh Jackson (Prolific Prep, Calif./Southfield, Mich.); 6-10 center Diamond Stone (Dominican H.S./Milwaukee, Wis./signed Maryland); 6-8 forward Caleb Swanigan (Homestead H.S./Fort Wayne, Ind./signed Purdue); 6-9 forward Jayson Tatum (Chaminade College Prep/St. Louis, Mo.); 6-5 guard Allonzo Trier (Findlay Prep, Nev./Seattle, Wash./Arizona); and 6-3 guard Tyus Battle (St. Bernard’s School/Edison, N.J./verbaled to Michigan) and 6-2 guard Seventh Woods (Hammond School/Columbia, S.C.).
Others invited include 6-5 guard Justin Bibbs (Virginia Tech/Dayton, Ohio); 6-9 forward Brekkott Chapman (Utah/Roy, Utah); 6-8 forward Vince Edwards (Purdue/Middletown, Ohio); 6-0 guard Jawun Evans (Kimball H.S./Dallas, Texas/signed Oklahoma State); 6-2 guard Riley LaChance (Vanderbilt/Brookfield, Wis.); 6-9 forward T.J Leaf (Foothills Christian H.S./Lakeside, Calif./verbaled to Arizona); 6-4 guard Silas Melson (Gonzaga/Portland, Ore.); 6-4 guard Malik Monk (Bentonville H.S./Lepanto, Ark.); 6-10 center Chinanu Onauku (Louisville/Lanham, Md.); 6-6 guard Eric Paschall (Villanova/Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.); 6-5 forward L.J. Peak (Georgetown/Gaffney, S.C.); 6-10 forward Malik Pope (San Diego State/Sacramento, Calif.); and 7-0 center Thomas Welsh (UCLA/Redondo Beach, Calif.).
The 2015 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team will be coaches by Sean Miller (Arizona) with help from USA assistant coaches Ed Cooley (Providence) and Archie Miller (Dayton).
Training camp will begin on the evening of June 13, followed by two practices each day. Finalists for the team are expected to be announced on June 15, and the roster will be selected prior to the team’s departure for Greece.
Briscoe, Brunson and Trier helped the USA to qualify for the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship by compiling a 5-0 record and winning gold at the 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
Seven players won gold together at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship, including Battle, Ferguson, Giles, Jackson, Stone, Swanigan and Tatum; and six players were on the gold-medal winning 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, including Ferguson, Giles, Jackson, Stone, Tatum and Woods. Briscoe, Brunson, Swanigan and Trier all played for Team USA in the Nike Hoop Summit..
Ten players competed as NCAA freshman in 2014-15, six players recently completed their senior year of high school and eight players have one year of high school remaining and will graduate in 2016.
Bibbs earned Virginia University Division I State Rookie of the Year honors. LaChance made the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team, Paschall was the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Year and Peak made the Big East Conference All-Rookie Team. Briscoe and Giles were on the USA Today All-USA first team, while Stone and Trier listed on the All-USA second team and Brunson was third team.
