usa basketball men's juniors

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Abukar, Wright & Padgett Make The Final
Cut: US Junior National Team--(July 18, 2002)

This is a very unofficial report, and we certainly don't want to leak any news out about who has been named to the US Junior National team which will compete in Venezuela later this month, but our sources are really, really good on this one, so we'll go with what they're telling us:

There were originally 16 finalists named to the Qualifying Team which has been trying out down in Florida this week (but the number was reduced to 15 when Texas signee Brad Buckman of Austin, Texas, opted to decline the invitation to compete in the Qualifying round and instead focused on getting ready for this upcoming season at the University of Texas). Unfortunately, the US Men's Junior National team will only carry 12 players, not 15, so three of the Qualifying Round players didn't make the squad. Our sources tell us that those three were Derrick Byars from Ridgeway, TN, Dion Harris from Detroit, and Matt Gorman from Watertown, NY. If this report is accurate (and we assume it is), here's what the U.S. Men's Junior National Team for 2002 will now look like when they make the trip to Venezuela later in the month:

Name   Hgt   Class   School

Aaron Brooks   6'00"   2003   Franklin HS (WA)

Dee Brown   6'00"   2002   Proviso East HS (IL)

Mustafa Shakur   6'03"   2003   Friends Central (PA)

Deron Williams   6'03"   2002   The Colony (TX)

Daniel Horton   6'03"   2002   Cedar Hill HS (MI)

Andre Iguodala   6'06"   2002   Lanphier HS (IL)

Antoine Wright   6'07"   2002   Lawrence Academy (MA)

Kris Humphries   6'08"   2003   Hopkins HS (MN)

Carmelo Anthony   6'08"   2002   Oak Hill Academy (VA)

Mohamed Abukar   6'09"   2003   Rancho Bernardo HS (CA)

Chris Bosh   6'11"   2002   Lincoln HS (TX)

David Padgett   6'11"   2003   Reno HS (NV)

We're pretty certain that the official USA Basketball website will issue a press release shortly. Congratulations to everyone who made it and even to those who didn't. Just being considered as one of the players worthy of representing the United States in international competition is quite an accomplishment and we're proud to know several of these guys and to have had the opportunity to see them compete, because they are all fine players.

Name	Hgt	Class	School
Aaron Brooks	6'00"	2003	Franklin HS (WA)
Dee Brown	6'00"	2002	Proviso East HS (IL)
Mustafa Shakur	6'03"	2003	Friends Central (PA)
Deron Williams	6'03"	2002	The Colony (TX)
Daniel Horton	6'03"	2002	Cedar Hill HS (MI)
Andre Iguodala	6'06"	2002	Lanphier HS (IL)
Antoine Wright	6'07"	2002	Lawrence Academy (MA)
Kris Humphries	6'08"	2003	Hopkins HS (MN)
Carmelo Anthony	6'08"	2002	Oak Hill Academy (VA)
Mohamed Abukar	6'09"	2003	Rancho Bernardo HS (CA)
Chris Bosh	6'11"	2002	Lincoln HS (TX)
David Padgett	6'11"	2003	Reno HS (NV)