USA basketball finalized its 12-man roster for the U16 Americas tournament later this month in Argentina and there were no real surprises.
The roster includes 6-10 Jordan Brown (Woodcreek H.S./ Roseville, Calif.); 6-9 3/4 center Wendell Carter Jr. (Pace Academy/Fairburn, Ga.); 67 forward Jalen Hill (Corona Centennial H.S./Corona, Calif.); 6-1 point guard Markus Howard (Findlay Prep, Nev./Chandler, Ariz.); 6-2 point guard Tre Jones (Apple Valley H.S./Apple Valley, Minn.); 6-7 forward Kevin Knox II (Tampa Catholic H.S./Tampa, Fla.); 6-4 guard Jaylen Nowell (Garfield H.S./Seattle, Wash.); 6-4 guard Ja’Vonte Smart (Scotlandville HS/Baton Rouge, La.); 6-5 guard Gary Trent, Jr. (Apple Valley H.S./Apple Valley, Minn.); 6-8 forward Jarred Vanderbilt (Victory Prep School/Houston, Texas); 7-3 center Connor Vanover (Arkansas Baptist H.S./Little Rock, Ark.); and 6-5 wing Robert Woodard (Columbus H.S./Columbus, Miss.).
The team will continue practicing at the U.S. Training Center in Colorado Springs through Sunday morning before flying to Argentina.
“I really like what we’ve done so far and now we have it down to 12,” said USA head coach Don Showalter (Iowa City H.S., Iowa). “We have a very versatile group at a lot of positions, guys who can play a lot of positions. I think this could be maybe the best defensive team we’ve had at the 16-and-under level, from a quickness standpoint, from being able to put ball pressure on, to rebounding. It’s going to be a really good group to work with.”
Assisting Showalter are Miles Simon (California Supreme AAU) and Sharman Miller (Miller Grove H.S., Ga.). the U.S. has won all three U16 tournaments and has a perfect 15-0 record overall under Showalter.
The USA was drawn into Group A and opens preliminary play against Puerto Rico on June 10, faces Dominican Republic on June 11 and caps the preliminary round with a June 12 clash against Brazil.
