Invitees Announced for Team USA Squads

USA Basketball announced the list of 52 invitees to the National Team Trials that will take place from May 30 to June 1, 2003 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Two separate twelve-man teams will be selected from this group, the USA Basketball Junior World Championship Team and the USA Pan American Games Team.

Only players 19-years-old or younger are eligible for the Junior World Championship Team. While the majority of the invitees are current collegiate basketball players, five preps from the Classes of 2003 and 2004 will be competiting for one of the 24 slots.

They are:

Player ClassPos. Data School Town

College Mohammed Abukar2003PF 6-9, 200 Rancho Bernardo Escondido, CAFlorida

href="http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=12196">Daniel Gibson2004SG 6-3, 185 Jones Houston, TX Texas

href="http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=4828">Ivan Harris2003SF 6-7, 200 Oak Hill Academy Springfield, OH Ohio State

href="http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=11713">Al Jefferson2004C 6-10, 280 Prentiss Prentiss, MS 

href="http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=9084">Brian Johnson2004PF 6-9, 220 Bishop O'Connell Glenarden, MD 

Also invited is Bradley-bound junior college transfer Marcellus Sommerville from Southwestern Illinois CC. All of these players are eligible to be selected for either team.

The Junior World Championships team will train in Dallas, June 24 through July 6. During this period, the squad will participate in the Fourth Annual Global Games which will be held on the campus of Southern Methodist University from June 29 - July 5. This year's Junior World Championships will take place July 10-20 in Penang and Luala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Pan American Games, held every four years in the year prior to the Olympics, will be held August 1-17, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The men’s basketball competition is slated for August 2-6.

Jed Tai is a Senior Writer with Hoopville.com