USA - Trey Thompkins spent summer in New Zealand with USA
It's an opportunity he wouldn't trade for anything. It's an opportunity that can only be replicated if you're the best of the best in your sport. It's an opportunity to proudly wear USA across your chest on the globe's biggest stage in international competition.
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It's an opportunity he wouldn't trade for anything.
It's an opportunity that can only be replicated if you're the best of the best in your sport.
It's an opportunity to proudly wear USA across your chest on the globe's biggest stage in international competition.
An opportunity Trey Thompkins of the Georgia men's basketball team received this summer when he helped the United States U19 team win the gold medal in the FIBA U19 World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand with a win over Greece in the gold medal game.
"It was great," Thompkins said of the chance to play for his country. "It was something that you can't trade for anything in the world."
"I think Trey, one of the things he was able to do this summer was he did play for team USA and that's a privilege, a privilege that very few of us ever have the chance to experience - wear the USA on your chest - so I think he was really able to gain an appreciation for that," Georgia head coach Mark Fox said.
The win marked the first victory in the competition for the American squad since 1991, snapping an 18-year drought.
Thompkins was able to continue his stellar play from the 2008-2009 season, in which he was named SEC 1st-team All-Freshman, averaging 10.6 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game for a United States team that went 9-0 in the competition.
"I feel like I played pretty good. I think I played good enough to win, which we did, so that was good enough for me," said Thompkins of his play.
Along with representing your country, competing for one's national team also affords players the opportunity to learn under some of the sport's best coaches.
Thompkins was able to learn from three of the college game's premier coaches: USA U19 national team and University of Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon, U19 national team assistant coach Chris Lowery, head coach of Southern Illinois and Matt Painter, head coach of Purdue.
Playing for three coaches known for their team's defensive prowess, Thompkins learned