SoCalHoops College News
Jason Kapono Invited To USA
Mens' Basketball Tryouts--(May 16, 2001)
UCLA sophomore and Artesia HS alum Jason Kapono was among 44 division I college players and one JUCO player who were invited to participate in the USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials. Among the 45 players invited, seven previously participated in the 2001 NCAA Final Four. The USA Basketball Men's Collegiate Committee, chaired by University of Virginia athletic director Terry Holland, will select finalists for two teams - the 2001 USA Basketball World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team, and the 2001 USA Basketball World University Games Team. The trials will be held over a three day period, from June 1-3 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Kapono was the only SoCal player who will participate this year. Word we received is that Casey Jacobsen, who has participated in USA Basketball events in the past was unable to participate this year because Stanford has a foreign trip planned at the same time this year which prevents his participation, and David Bluthenthal will be playing in Israel this summer at the World Maccabi Games as a member of the USA Maccabi team.
From the list of 45 players attending the tryouts, two teams will be selected. One team will play at the FIBA World Championship for Young Men in in Saitama, Japan from August 3-12, while the other team will play at the World University Games, in Beijing, China from Aug. 22 - Sept. 1.
The 2001 FIBA World Championship for Young Men Tournament will feature 12 teams divided into two preliminary round pools consisting of six teams each: the United States was placed in Pool B with Argentina, Croatia, Israel, Japan and South Korea. The six teams comprising preliminary Pool A include Australia, Dominican Republic (gee maybe Jason will see some of his former Artesia buddies), Egypt, Qatar, Slovenia and Spain. Male athletes who are U.S. citizens, 21-years-old or younger is eligible for the 2001 USA Basketball World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team.
Syracuse University (N.Y.) head coach Jim Boeheim will serve as head coach of the 2001 USA world Championship for Young Men squad, and he will be assisted by Ernie Kent of the University of Oregon and Phil Martelli of St. Joseph's University (Pa.). The final 12-member team will be named during the team's July 22-30 training camp which will be held at a site to be determined.
Penn State University (Pa.) head coach Jerry Dunn has been selected to serve as head coach for the 2001 USA Basketball Men's World University Games Team, while collegiate head coaches Rod Barnes from the University of Mississippi and Al Skinner from Boston College (Mass.) will assist Dunn on the sidelines. The final 12-member team will be named during the team's Aug. 10-18 training camp which will be held at a site to be determined.
The 2001 USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials will begin Friday, June 1 from 4:30-7:00 p.m. (all times MDT). Sessions will follow from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 2; and will conclude on Sunday, June 3 with a session from 8:00-10:00 a.m.
Here's the rest of the official press release from USA Basketball, along with a complete list of the 45 players selected. You can always find more information at USA Basketball:
45 Invitees Announced For 2001 USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials
-- Nation's Top Players To Vie For Positions On USA Basketball Squads --
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 15, 2001) -- Highlighted by seven players who participated in the 2001 NCAA Final Four, 45 of the top men's college basketball players have accepted invitations to participate in USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials, USA Basketball Men's Collegiate Committee announced today. Chaired by University of Virginia athletic director Terry Holland, the Committee will select finalists for two teams - the 2001 USA Basketball World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team and the 2001 USA Basketball World University Games Team - following the three-day Trials which will be held June 1-3 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The 2001 USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials will begin Friday, June 1 from 4:30-7:00 p.m. (all times MDT). Sessions will follow from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 2; and will conclude on Sunday, June 3 with a session from 8:00-10:00 a.m.
The 45 invitees accepting their invitation were: Maurice Baker (Oklahoma State / Madison, Ill.); Antwain Barbour (Wabash Valley C.C./ Elizabethtown, Ky.); Earl Barron (Memphis / Clarksdale, Miss.); Andre Barrett (Seton Hall / Bronx, N.Y.); Lonny Baxter (Maryland / Silver Spring, Md.); Troy Bell (Boston College / Minneapolis, Minn.); Todd Billet (Virginia / Middletown, N.J.); LaVell Blanchard (Michigan / Ann Arbor, Mich.); Carlos Boozer (Duke / Juneau, Alaska); Cory Bradford (Illinois / Memphis, Tenn.); Caron Butler (Connecticut / Racine, Wis.); Brian Cook (Illinois / Lincoln, Ill.); Dan Dickau (Gonzaga / Vancouver, Wash.); Juan Dixon (Maryland / Baltimore, Md.); Erwin Dudley (Alabama / Uniontown, Ala.); Chris Duhon (Duke / Slidell, La.); Mike Dunleavy (Duke / Lake Oswego, Ore.); Melvin Ely (Fresno State / Harvey, Ill.); Reggie Evans (Iowa / Pensacola, Fla.); Lynn Greer (Temple / Philadelphia, Pa.); Rod Grizzard (Alabama / Birmingham, Ala.); Brooks Hall (Dayton / Troy, Ohio); Tahj Holden (Maryland / Red Bank, N.J.); Joshua Howard (Wake Forest / Winston-Salem, N.C.); Jared Jeffries (Indiana / Bloomington, Ind.); Dahntay Jones (Duke / Mamilton Square, N.J.); Jason Kapono (UCLA / Lakewood, Calif.); Steve Lepore (Wake Forest / North Olmsted, Ohio); John Linehan (Providence / Chester, Pa.); Steve Logan (Cincinnati / Cleveland, Ohio); Roger Mason, Jr. (Virginia / Silver Spring, Md.); Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph's / Chester, Pa.); Marvin O'Connor (St. Joseph's / Philadelphia, Pa.); Chris Owens (Texas / Duncanville, Texas ); Justin Reed (Mississippi / Jackson, Miss.); Darius Rice (Miami / Jackson, Miss.); Preston Shumpert (Syracuse / Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.); Tamar Slay (Marshall / Beckley, W.V.); Tyler Smith (Penn State / Lake Forest, Ill.); Michael Sweetney (Georgetown / Oxen Hill, Md.); Marcus Taylor (Michigan State / Lansing, Mich.); David West (Xavier / Garner, N.C.); Frank Williams (Illinois / Peoria, Ill.); Kelly Wise (University of Memphis / Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.); Glen Worley (Iowa / Iowa City, Iowa).
Three members from Duke's 2001 NCAA championship team, Boozer, Duhon and Dunleavy, three members of Maryland's Final Four squad, Baxter, Dixon, Holden, and Michigan State Final Four team member Taylor will vie for roster positions on one of the two USA Basketball teams being selected during the Trials. The lone participant from the junior college ranks, Barbour, led his squad to the 2001 NJCAA championship, earning MVP honors of the 2001 NJCAA Tournament in the process.
Of the 45 athletes who are expected to participate in the 2001 Trials, 10 have been involved with USA Basketball teams in the past. The Trials group includes 16 who recently completed their junior seasons, 18 who concluded their sophomore years, 10 were NCAA freshmen in 2000-01, and one finished his first season at the NJCAA Division I level. Of the 45 athletes, 11 earned All-America honors; eight earned Freshman All-America honors; eight claimed postseason tournament honors; 33 earned all-conference honors; five were Player of the Year in their conference; five were Freshman/Rookie/Newcomer of the Year in their conference; one was Defensive Player of the Year; one was Most Improved; five were MVPs of their conference Tournament; 12 were selected to their conference all-tournament teams; and five were named to their conference All-Defensive team.
All told, there are 31 NCAA universities and one NJCAA school represented, with Duke sending four players, Illinois and Maryland both list three, while Alabama, Iowa, Memphis, St. Joseph's, Virginia and Wake Forest each feature a pair. Players from 11 NCAA conferences will attend the Trials, with the ACC leading the way with 10 athletes, while the Big Ten and Big East conferences have nine and eight players each respectively, the Atlantic 10 Conference features five, Conference-USA three, Big 12 has two, and the Mid-American, Pac-10, Western Athletic and West Coast feature one each.
The 2001 USA World Championship for Young Men Team will compete August 3-12 in Saitama, Japan, in the 2001 FIBA World Championship for Young Men Tournament. Featuring 12 teams that have been divided into two preliminary round pools consisting of six teams each, the United States was placed in Pool B with Argentina, Croatia, Israel, Japan and South Korea. The six teams comprising preliminary Pool A include Australia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Qatar, Slovenia and Spain. Any male athlete who is a U.S. citizen and is 21-years-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1980) is eligible for the 2001 USA Basketball World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team.
Held every four years and originally designed for men 22-years-old or younger, FIBA lowered the age eligibility to 21-years-old or younger in December 1998 and changed the competition name to the World Championship for Young Men. The U.S. captured gold in the inaugural competition which was held in 1993 and known as the FIBA 22 And Under World Championship, and in 1997 finished fifth with a 6-2 record.
Syracuse University (N.Y.) head coach Jim Boeheim will serve as head coach of the 2001 USA world Championship for Young Men squad, and he will be assisted by Ernie Kent of the University of Oregon and Phil Martelli of St. Joseph's University (Pa.). The final 12-member team will be named during the team's July 22-30 training camp which will be held at a site to be determined.
The World University Games, held every two years, is a multi-sport competition open to men between the ages of 17 and 28 (born between Jan. 1, 1973 and Dec. 31, 1983), who are, or have been within the past year, a student at a college or university. This summer the World University Games will be held Aug. 22 - Sept. 1 in Beijing, China. The men's basketball competition, currently featuring collegiate teams from 28 countries, has been divided into eight preliminary round pools. Placed into Pool B, the United States will face Iran, South Africa and Turkey in preliminary round play.
Penn State University (Pa.) head coach Jerry Dunn has been selected to serve as head coach for the 2001 USA Basketball Men's World University Games Team, while collegiate head coaches Rod Barnes from the University of Mississippi and Al Skinner from Boston College (Mass.) will assist Dunn on the sidelines. The final 12-member team will be named during the team's Aug. 10-18 training camp which will be held at a site to be determined.
The USA Basketball Men's Collegiate Committee, in addition to chair Holland, consists of: NCAA appointees Boeheim; Rob Evans (head coach, Arizona State University); Jim O'Brien (head coach, Ohio State University) and Tubby Smith (head coach, University of Kentucky); NABC appointee Oliver Purnell (head coach, University of Dayton, Ohio); NAIA appointee Ralph Turner (head coach, Union University, Tenn.); NJCAA appointee Dan Sparks (head coach, Vincennes University, Ind.), and athlete representatives Steve Wojciechowski (1995 Junior World Championship team / assistant coach, Duke University, N.C.) and A.J. Wynder (1995 Pan American Games team / head coach, Nassau Community College, N.Y.).
*** MEDIA NOTE ***
Media members interested in attending the 2001 USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials, or those who are unable to attend and wish to coordinate a telephone interview with an athlete or coach during Trials, should contact the USA Basketball Communications Department at (719) 590-4800.2001 USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials Schedule
Friday, June 1
Session#1 4:30-7:00 p.m.Saturday, June 2
Session #2 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Session #3 5:00-7:00 p.m.Sunday, June 3
Session #4 8:00-10:00 a.m.Note:
All Trials session times are MDT
All Trials session will be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, Sports Center II
2001 USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials Roster
NAME POS HGT WGT DOB YOG SCHOOL / HOMETOWN *Maurice Baker G 6-1 180 07/28/79 2002 Oklahoma Sate University / Madison, Illinois Antwain Barbour G 6-5 180 06/27/82 2002 Wabash Valley C.C. / Elizabethtown, Kentucky Earl Barron C 6-11 230 08/14/81 2003 University of Memphis / Clarksdale, Mississippi Andre Barrett G 5-8 160 02/21/82 2004 Seton Hall University / Bronx, New York *Lonny Baxter F/C 6-8 260 01/27/79 2002 University of Maryland / Silver Spring, Maryland Troy Bell G 6-1 176 11/10/80 2003 Boston College / Minneapolis, Minnesota Todd Billet G 6-0 180 11/10/80 2003 #University of Virginia / Middletown, News Jersey LaVell Blanchard G 6-7 215 02/23/81 2003 University of Michigan / Ann Arbor, Michigan Carlos Boozer F 6-9 265 11/20/81 2003 Duke University / Juneau, Alaska *Cory Bradford G 6-3 200 12/04/78 2002 University of Illinois / Memphis, Tennessee Caron Butler F 6-8 230 03/13/80 2004 University of Connecticut / Racine, Wisconsin Brian Cook F 6-10 231 12/04/80 2003 University of Illinois / Lincoln, Illinois *Dan Dickau G 6-1 180 09/16/78 2002 Gonzaga University / Vancouver, Washington *Juan Dixon G 6-3 164 10/09/78 2002 University of Maryland / Baltimore, Maryland Erwin Dudley F 6-8 252 10/01/81 2003 University of Alabama / Uniontown, Alabama Chris Duhon G 6-1 190 08/31/82 2004 Duke University / Slidell, Louisiana Mike Dunleavy G/F 6-7 200 09/15/80 2003 Duke University / Lake Oswego, Oregon *Melvin Ely C 6-10 256 05/02/78 2002 Fresno State University / Harvey, Illinois Reggie Evans F 6-8 245 05/18/79 2002 University of Iowa / Pensacola, Florida *Lynn Greer G 6-1 170 10/23/79 2002 Temple University / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rod Grizzard F 6-8 215 06/13/80 2003 University of Alabama / Birmingham, Alabama Brooks Hall F/G 6-6 205 07/23/81 2003 University of Dayton / Troy, Ohio Tahj Holden F 6-10 247 01/17/81 2003 University of Maryland / Red Bank, New Jersey Joshua Howard F 6-6 191 04/28/80 2003 Wake Forest University / Winston-Salem, North Carolina Jared Jeffries F 6-10 220 11/25/81 2004 Indiana University / Bloomington, Indiana Dahntay Jones G/F 6-5 210 12/27/80 2003 Duke University / Hamilton Square, New Jersey Jason Kapono F 6-8 206 02/04/81 2003 Univ. of California at Los Angeles / Lakewood, California Steve Lepore G 6-5 200 02/24/80 2003 Wake Forest University / North Olmsted, Ohio *John Lineham G 5-9 165 05/01/78 2002 Providence College / Chester, Pennsylvania Steve Logan G 5-10 200 03/20/80 2002 University of Cincinnati / Cleveland, Ohio Roger Mason G 6-5 205 09/10/80 2003 University of Virginia / Silver Spring, Maryland Jameer Nelson G 6-0 190 02/09/82 2004 St. Joseph's University / Chester, Pennsylvania *Marvin O'Connor G 6-4 200 07/11/78 2002 St. Joseph's University / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania *Chris Owens F/C 6-8 245 03/01/79 2002 University of Texas / Duncanville, Texas Justin Reed F 6-8 235 01/16/82 2004 University of Mississippi / Jackson, Mississippi Darius Rice F 6-10 215 10/16/82 2004 University of Miami / Jackson, Mississippi *Preston Shumpert F 6-7 200 08/20/79 2002 Syracuse University / Ft. Walton Beach, Florida Tamar Slay G 6-9 210 04/02/80 2002 Marshall University / Beckley, West Virginia Tyler Smith F 6-8 230 01/07/80 2002 Penn State University / Lake Forest, Illinois Michael Sweetney F 6-8 260 10/25/82 2004 Georgetown University / Oxen Hill, Maryland Marcus Taylor G 6-3 190 11/25/81 2004 Michigan State University / Lansing, Michigan David West F/C 6-8 232 08/29/80 2003 Xavier University / Garner, North Carolina Frank Williams G 6-3 205 02/25/80 2003 University of Illinois / Peoria, Illinois Kelly Wise G 6-10 213 01/11/80 2002 University of Memphis / Ft. Walton Beach, Florida Glen Worley F 6-7 220 11/27/81 2004 University of Iowa / Iowa City, Iowa *Eligible for only the USA World University Games Team
#Indicates the university he has announced that he is transferring to
2001 USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials Player Accolades
USA Basketball Experience:
2000 Trials: Blanchard; Boozer; Cook; Dunleavy; Hall; Jones, Logan; Taylor.2000 Teams:
World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team: Cook; Dunleavy USA Select Team: Bradford Hoop Summit Team: Duhon, Jeffries, Rice; Taylor1999 Teams:
Junior World Championship: Lepore Hoop Summit Game: Dunleavy Youth Development Festival: Barrett, Duhon, Rice,1998 Teams
Junior World Championship Qualifying: Lepore Youth Development Festival: Holden, Taylor; World Youth Games: Holden2001 All-Conference 1st Team: (14)
Baker (Big 12 Conference); Bell (Big East Conference); Dickau (West Coast Conference); Dixon (Atlantic Coast Conference); Ely (Western Athletic Conference); Greer (Atlantic 10 Conference); Grizzard (Southeastern Conference); Kapono (Pac-10 Conference); Logan (Conference-USA); O'Connor (Atlantic 10); Shumpert (Big East); West (Atlantic 10); Williams (Big Ten); Wise (Conference-USA).2001 All-Conference 2nd Team: (11)
Baxter (ACC); Blanchard (Big Ten); Cook (Big Ten); Dudley (SEC); Evans (Big Ten); Howard (ACC); Jeffries (Big Ten); Linehan (Big East); Nelson (Atlantic 10); Owens (Big 12); Slay (Mid-American Conference).2001 All-Conference 3rd Team: (4)
#Billet (Big East); Butler (Big East); Mason (ACC); Reed (SEC).2001 All-Conference Honorable Mention: (4)
Boozer (ACC); Bradford (Big Ten); Dunleavy (ACC); Sweetney (Big East).2001 Conference Player of Year: (5)
Bell (Big East); Ely (WAC); Logan (Conference-USA); West (Atlantic 10); Williams (Big Ten).Conference Rookie/Freshman/Newcomer of Year: (5)
Baker (Big 12 Newcomer of the Year); Duhon (ACC Rookie of the Year); Jeffries (Big Ten Freshman of the Year); Nelson (Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year); Reed (SEC Freshman of the Year).Conference Defensive Player of Year: (1)
Linehan (Big East).Conference Most Improved: (1)
Shumpert (Big East co-Most Improved).2001 Conference Tournament MVP/MOP: (5)
Barbour (NJCAA Tournament MVP); Bell (Big East MOP); Dickau (WCC MVP); Evans (Big Ten MOP); Greer (Atlantic 10 MVP).2001 Conference All-Tournament Teams: (12)
Baxter (ACC 2nd team); Dickau (WCC 1st team); Dixon (ACC 1st team); Dunleavy (ACC 1st team); Evans (Big Ten 1st team); Greer (Atlantic 10 1st team); Jeffries (Big Ten 1st team); Logan (Conference-USA 1st team); Owens (Big 12 1st team); Reed (SEC 1st team); Shumpert (Big East 1st team); Wise (Conference-USA 1st team).2001 Conference All Defensive Team: (5)
Dixon (ACC); Ely (WAC); Greer (Atlantic 10); Owens (Big 12); West (Atlantic 10).2001 Conference All-Rookie Team: (6)
Butler (Big East All-Rookie 1st team); Duhon (ACC All-Freshman 1st team); Nelson (Atlantic 10 All-Rookie 1st team); Reed (SEC All-Freshman 1st team); Rice (Big East All-Rookie 1st team); Sweetney (Big East All-Rookie 1st team).2001 All-Americans: (11)
Bell (Basketball Times 1st Team / AP, USBWA, NABC, The Sporting News 2nd team); Bradford (AP honorable mention); Dixon (Basketball Weekly and NABC 3rd team / AP honorable mention); Ely (AP honorable mention); Evans (AP honorable mention); Kapono (AP honorable mention); Logan (AP honorable mention); O'Connor (Basketball Times 3rd team); Shumpert (AP honorable mention); West (AP honorable mention); Williams (NABC 2nd team / AP 3rd team).2001 Preseason/Postseason Tournament Awards: (8)
Barbour (NJCAA Tournament MVP); Baxter (NCAA West Region MOP, NCAA West All-Region); Boozer (Preseason NIT MVP); Dixon (NCAA West All-Region); Dudley (NIT All-Final Four); Dunleavy (NCAA All-Final Four); Greer (Preseason NIT All-Tournament, NCAA South All-Region); Wise (NIT All-Final Four).2001 All-Freshman Honors: (8)
Barrett (All-Star Sports 5th team); Butler (All-Star Sports 2nd team); Duhon (All-Star Sports 2nd team / College Basketball News 4th team); Jeffries (The Sporting News, All-Star Sports 1st team); Nelson (Basketball Times Freshman of the Year / All-Star Reports, The Sporting News 1st team); Reed (All-Star Sports 3rd team); Rice (All-Star Sports 3rd team); Sweetney (All-Star Sports 4th team); Taylor (All-Star Sports 4th team).School Breakdown: (32 schools, 45 players)
Duke (4): Boozer, Duhon, Dunleavy, Jones
Maryland (3): Baxter, Dixon, Holden
Illinois (3): Bradford, Cook, Williams
Alabama (2): Dudley, Grizzard
Iowa (2): Evans, Worley
Memphis (2): Baron, Wise
St. Joseph's (2): Nelson, O'Connor
Virginia (2): #Billet, Mason
Wake Forest (2): Howard, Lepore
Boston College (1): Bell
Cincinnati (1): Logan
Connecticut (1): Butler
Dayton (1): Hall
Fresno State (1): Ely
Georgetown (1): Sweetney
Gonzaga (1): Dickau
Indiana (1): Jeffries
Marshall (1): Slay
Miami (1): Rice
Michigan (1): Blanchard
Michigan State (1): Taylor
Mississippi (1): Reed
Oklahoma State (1): Baker
Penn State (1): Smith
Providence (1): Linehan
Seton Hall (1): Barrett
Syracuse (1): Shumpert
Temple (1): Greer
Texas (1): Owens
UCLA (1): Kapono
Wabash Valley C.C. Barbour
Xavier (1): West
Conference Breakdown: (11 conferences, 1 NJCAA)
(ACC 10; Big Ten 9; Big East 8; Atlantic 10 5; Conference-USA 3; Southeastern Conference 3: Big 12 2; Mid-American Conference 1; Pacific 10 Conference 1; Western Athletic Conference 1; West Coast Conference 1.
Atlantic 10 Conference: (5)
Greer (Temple), Hall (Dayton), Nelson (St. Joseph's), O'Connor (St. Joseph's), West (Xavier).
Atlantic Coast Conference: (10)
Baxter (Maryland), Boozer (Duke), Dixon (Maryland), Duhon (Duke), Dunleavy (Duke), Holden (Maryland), Howard (Wake Forest), Jones (Duke), Lepore (Wake Forest), Mason (Virginia).
Big East Conference: (8)
Barrett (Seton Hall), Bell (Boston College), #Billet (Rutgers), Butler (Connecticut), Linehan (Providence), Rice (Miami), Shumpert (Syracuse), Sweetney (Georgetown).
Big 12 Conference: (2)
Baker (Oklahoma state), Owens (Texas).
Big 10 Conference: (9)
Blanchard (Michigan), Bradford (Illinois), Cook (Illinois), Evans (Iowa), Jeffries (Indiana), Smith (Penn State), Taylor (Michigan State), Frank Williams (Illinois), Worley (Iowa).
Conference-USA: (3)
Baron (Memphis), Logan (Cincinnati), Wise (Memphis).
Mid-American Conference: (1)
Slay (Marshall).
Pacific 10 Conference: (1)
Kapono (UCLA).
Southeastern Conference: (3)
Dudley (Alabama), Grizzard (Alabama), Reed (Mississippi).
Western Athletic Conference: (1)
Ely (Fresno State).
West Coast Conference: (1)
Dickau (Gonzaga).
NJCAA: (1)
Barbour (Wabash Valley C.C.).
#Player for Rutgers University in 2000-01 and has announced he is transferring to Virginia
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