COLORADO SPRINGS (FIBA U19 World Championship) - Headlined by four returning USA Basketball veterans, including the MVP of the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, 17 of the nation’s most talented 19-and-younger basketball players have been selected to attend the 2009 USA U19 National Team Trials, held June 16-18 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The athletes, born on or after Jan. 1, 1990, will compete for one of 12 roster spots on the 2009 USA U19 World Championship Team. The trials invitations were extended by the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee, chaired by NCAA representative Jim Boeheim (head coach, Syracuse University).

Following the trials, the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee is expected to announce finalists for the 12-member USA U19 World Championship Team roster. Training camp for the selected finalists will begin June 19, with the 12-member USA roster being announced prior to the teams’ departure for New Zealand on June 25.

Kemba Walker (Connecticut / New York, N.Y), who was named MVP of the 2008 FIBA Americas Championship that qualified the U.S. for this year’s World Championship, will return in hopes of making his second USA roster. Walker averaged 13.4 ppg., 5.0 apg., and 4.6 rpg. while leading the USA to a silver medal in the 2008 FIBA Americas.

In addition to Walker, Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest / Norcross, Ga.), Dominic Cheek (Villanova / Jersey City, N.J.), and Drew Gordon (UCLA / San Jose, Calif.) have all previously represented the USA. Cheek was a teammate of Walker in the 2008 FIBA Americas, while Aminu and Gordon played together on the 2007 Youth Developmental Festival Red Team that finished 5-0 and captured the gold medal and the 2008 USA Junior Select Team that defeated the World Select Team 98-78 in the 2008 Nike Hoop Summit.

Rounding out the 2009 USA Men’s U19 World Championship Team Trials roster are newcomers: Kenny Boynton (Florida / Pompano Beach, Fla.), Darryl Bryant (West Virginia / Brooklyn, N.Y.), DeAngelo Casto (Washington State / Spokane, Wash.), Seth Curry (Duke / Charlotte, N.C.), Gordon Hayward (Butler / Brownsburg, Ind.), Darius Miller (Kentucky / Maysville, Ky.), Arnett Moultrie (UTEP / Memphis, Tenn.), Ralph Sampson III (Minnesota / Duluth, Ga.), John Shurna (Northwestern / Glen Ellyn, Ill.), Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas / Jersey City, N.J.), Howard Thompkins (Georgia / Lithonia, Ga.), Klay Thompson (Washington State / Ladera Ranch, Calif.) and Terrico White (Mississippi / Memphis, Tenn.).

Included in the roster are 15 student-athletes who recently completed their freshman year at a NCAA Division I school and two who finished their high school campaigns this year. Washington State is the lone school sending multiple representatives with Casto and Thompson.

Ten athletes listed among their NCAA conference all-freshman squads following the 2008-09 season, including three who were named their conference’s freshman of the year. Curry was named Big South Conference Freshman of the Year; Hayward was named Horizon League Conference Newcomer of the Year; and White was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year. Also named to their respective all-freshman teams were: Aminu (ACC); Casto (Pacific-10); Moultrie (Conference USA); Taylor (Big 12); Thompkins (SEC); Thompson (Pacific-10); and Walker (Big East).

Additionally, Aminu was named to the CBSSportsline.com Freshman All-America first team and to the FoxSports.com National All-Freshman team. Hayward was named to the CBSSportsline.com Freshman All-America second team and to the FoxSports.com National All-Freshmen team; and White was named to the CBSSportsline.com Freshman All-America second team.

Seven players helped seven teams reach the 2009 NCAA Tournament, including Walker, who advanced to the Final Four with Connecticut. Leading their teams to the first round were Aminu, Bryant, Hayward and Sampson III; while Gordon advanced to the second round; and Taylor advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Walker was also named to the NCAA West Regional all-tournament team.

Both high school athletes were named 2009 McDonald’s All-Americans. Boynton was named to the Parade All-America first team and Cheek was named a Parade All-America third team member.

University of Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon was named head coach of the U19 World Championship team, and Chris Lowery of Southern Illinois and Matt Painter of Purdue will serve as assistant coaches.

In addition to Boeheim, the 2009-12 Men’s Junior National Committee, which was formerly known as the Men’s Collegiate Committee, includes NCAA appointees Lorenzo Romar (head coach, University of Washington), Bruce Weber (head coach, University of Illinois) and Roy Williams (head coach, University of North Carolina); and athlete representative Jay Williams, a member of the 2002 USA World Championship Team.

FIBA U19 World Championship
Led by Davidson College head coach Bob McKillop, the 2008 USA U18 National Team secured the USA’s berth to the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship with a silver medal finish in its zone qualifier, the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, held July 14-18 in Mendoza, Argentina.

Sixteen nations will battle for the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship for Men title. The United States has been placed in Group B, along with Egypt, France and Iran. The 12 remaining 19-and-under national teams were distributed as such: Group A includes Angola, Greece, Lithuania and Puerto Rico; Group C consists of Australia, Canada, Spain and Syria; and Group D is comprised of Argentina, Croatia, Kazakhstan and host New Zealand.

The U.S. squad’s preliminary round slate opens with a July 2 contest against Iran, followed by France on July 3, and the USA squad will celebrate the Fourth of July by taking on Egypt. The top three teams from each preliminary group will qualify for the preliminary second round, while the fourth place teams will qualify for the classification round to determine 13th to 16th places.

The twelve teams qualified for the second round, which will be played July 6-8, will be divided into groups E and F, with six teams in each group. The top three preliminary round teams from groups A and B will advance to Group E, and the top three from C and D will advance to Group F. Each team will play the three new teams in its new group, with the final scores of all games played in the preliminary round carrying over to determine the second round standings.

Teams finishing in first through fourth places in the two second round groups will qualify for the quarterfinals, with the opportunity to advance to the semifinals and finals. Teams finishing in fifth and sixth places in Groups E and F will play for ninth through 12th places. The quarterfinals will be held on July 10, semifinals are slated for July 11 and the gold medal game will be contested on July 12.

Originally known as the FIBA Junior World Championship, the tournament was held every four years from 1979 – 2007. FIBA recently changed its calendar and now holds age-based world championships every other year. USA men's teams are 53-11 in the U19/Junior World Championships, capturing silver with an 8-1 record at the most recent U19 Worlds, held in Serbia in 2007.

USA U19 World Championship for Men Players of note include: Stacey Augmon (1987), Vin Baker (1991), Michael Beasley (2007), Dee Brown (2003), Vince Carter (1995), Nick Collison (1999), Stephen Curry (2007), Paul Davis (2003), Eric Floyd (1979), Jonny Flynn (2007), Larry Johnson (1987), Stephon Marbury (1995), Gary Payton (1987), Sam Perkins (1979), Wesley Person (1991), Kevin Pittsnogle (2003), J.J. Redick (2003), Bobby Simmons (1999), Scott Skiles (1983), Deron Williams (2003) and James Worthy (1979).

USA Basketball