USA – Emerging stars shine bright at Nike Hoop Summit

PORTLAND (Nike Hoop Summit) - Kevin Garnett and Tony Parker took part in the Nike Hoop Summit as youngsters before playing in big games with their national teams.

Garnett went on to capture an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 2000 while Parker is the leading light of France’s national side and will this summer attempt to lead Les Bleus into the EuroBasket via the Additional Qualifying Round.

Twenty rising stars who could have big roles in the future with their respective countries competed at the annual Hoop Summit over the weekend in Portland.

A world select team defeated a USA Basketball men's junior national select team 97-89 in front of more than 11,000 spectators. The game was also broadcast on national television in the United States.

“That was the biggest crowd I have ever played in front of,” said the USA’s Xavier Henry, who led the hosts with 22 points.

“Every time we scored or got a steal, it was the loudest crowd I had ever heard. It was a great atmosphere to play in.”

Twelve Hoop Summits have been held and the USA still hold a commanding advantage with nine victories.

Some on show in Portland will compete for their national sides at July’s FIBA U19 World Championship in New Zealand.

The world select player who caused the biggest stir was Milan Macvan of Serbia, a vital member of the Hemofarm side in the Adriatic League and the EuroCup.

Macvan led the world select outfit with 23 points and a world team Hoop Summit record 14 rebounds.

Nine of those boards were on the offensive end.

"Number 10 (Macvan), he was the glue to that group," said USA head coach John Olive.

"I don't know if there was a key turning point, but whenever they needed something, he seemed to get it done."

Emerging Lithuania international center Dontas Motiejunas of Kaunas, who is still only 18 years old and should feature in New Zealand in July, contributed 21.

One certain selection for the Greek side that will play in Auckland in July is 18-year-old Nikos Pappas, the MVP of Greece's gold-medal winning side at the U18 European Championship last year in Amaliada-Pyrgos.

Pappas played 24 minutes for the world select and had 10 points and three assists, and also came up with two steals.

Croatia will play in New Zealand and their forward, Tomislav Zubcic, impressed in Portland with 17 points and five rebounds.

A couple of French players were in the world select side in Edwin Jackson and Kevin Seraphin.

The 6ft 9in Seraphin of French club Cholet had nine rebounds and four blocks to go with his eight points.

Nanterre point guard Jackson had five points, four rebounds and four assists but also turned the ball over five times.

“The crowd was here to see the US team beat the world team by 20 and see some nice dunks, but all of a sudden, it turned into a good basketball game,” Jackson said.

“Maybe they were disappointed that they didn’t have the show that they came for and see the US team beat the world by 20. For us, this is huge.”

Argentina’s Mateo Gaynor of Benetton Treviso in Italy and Matias Nocedal of Spanish LEB side Vic Girona played at the Hoop Summit.

China’s 19-year-old center Zhang Dayu played and had six points in 10 minutes.

Rob Beveridge, who coached the world team, said: “Individually, we are never going to beat the USA. The USA players one-on-one are way too talented, too athletic. They are far better athletes than what we have.

“We have some good athletes but they have superior athletes, so we had to get through to our players that the only way to beat USA is to play as a team. We had to get the players to play out of position as well.

"By putting people in different situations, it makes it real tough and unbelievable credit to these guys for the sacrifice they made for each other and the common goal of trying to play our best.”

The USA will be among the favorites in New Zealand.

The outlook of its national teams at junior and senior level remains bright.

Two of the Americans’ star players in Portland, Leslie McDonald and John Henson, are headed to the University of North Carolina.

Carolina were recently crowned NCAA champions after thrashing Villanova and Michigan State at the Final Four in Detroit.

The Memphis Tigers had to like what they saw from their prize recruit, 6ft 5in forward Henry. He drilled six three-pointers.

Avery McDonald, a guard who is to play for Rick Barnes at Texas, poured in 21 points.

FIBA