USA Basketball U17 World championship team finalizes roster

    USA Basketball has announced its final 12-player roster for the U17 World Championships that begin Friday, Aug. 8, in Dubai.

   Nine of the 12 players involved– 6-10 senior center Diamond Stone of Domincian High in Milwaukee, 6-5 senior guard Malik Newman of Jackson, Miss. Callaway, 6-10 senior  forward Ivan Rabb from Bishop ODowd in Oakland, 6-9 junior guard Jayson Tatum of Chaminade Prep  in St. Louis,  5-11 junior guard Devearl Ramsay of Sierra Canyon High in Los  Angeles,  6-6 junior forward V.J. King of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, 6-6 junior Terence Ferguson of Prime Prep in Dallas, Tex.,  6-9 junior forward Henry Giles  of Weleyan Christian in Winston-Salem, N.C., 6-8 junior forward Josh Jackson of Consortium College Prep in Southfield, Mich– were members of the 2013 U16 national team that won the gold medal at the FiBA Americas  tournament Uraguay.

    Three others — 6-5 junior guard Tyus Battle of Gill-St. Bernard, N.J. Prep, 6-10 senior Henry Ellenson of Rice Lake, Wis. and 6-7 senior Caleb Swannigan of Ft. Wayne, Ind. Homestead– are first time members of the team.

    The U.S. opens  play Friday against Angola in Group A pool play. The Americans, who have never lost a game in the U16 and U17 competition, play Greece Saturday and the Phillipines Monday.