COLORADO SPRINGS (United States) - The United States preliminary roster for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019 comprises of 34 players and features  10 former world champions, including Jalen Green, who won the MVP award at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018.

Green is one of eight players from the team that won the title at last summer's FIBA U17 World Cup, where he averaged 15.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals. Also members of the USA team that won its fifth straight U17 crown are Scottie Barnes, R.J. Hampton, Evan Mobley, Isaac Okoro, Jalen Suggs, Isaiah Stewart and Romeo Weems. There are also two players who helped United States win the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2018 to qualify for the FIBA U19 World Cup: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who averaged 10.7 points, a team-high 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals; and Mark Watts Jr., who picked up 6.8 points, 2.5 assists and 1.5 rebounds.

Head coach Bruce Weber will call together the 34 players from June 15-18 at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The coaching staff will announce the final 12 players on June 18 before leaving for the FIBA U19 World Cup on June 24.

“The (USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee) is excited at the level of talent that will be at training camp for the USA U19 World Cup Team, and we expect to have a difficult decision in trying to narrow down the group to 12 team members,” Committee’s chairman Matt Painter said.

Seven of the 34 players will enter the training camp already having completed their freshman season in college - Kessler Edwards (Pepperdine), Tyrese Haliburton (Iowa State), Kira Lewis Jr. (Alabama), Isaac Likekele (Oklahoma State), Jayden Scrubb (John A. Logan College), Trevion Williams (Purdue) and Bryce Wills (Stanford). Edwards, Haliburton, Likekele, Scrubb and Williams all will be spending their first time with USA Basketball along with Dajuan Gordon and Samuell Williamson.

The 34 players are from 17 states throughout the country with California the top producer with six players followed by Texas with four and Georgia and Illinois with three players each. The only two current teammates are Nimari Burnett and Jalen Green, who play together at Prolific Prep high school in California.

The United States will take on Lithuania, New Zealand and Senegal in Group A at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019, which runs from June 29-July 7 and where the United States hope to avenge their Semi-Final loss to Canada in the Semi-Finals from 2017.

FIBA