Will Barton, a 6-6 guard out of Brewster Academy in Maryland, is one of seven team members who have signed a National Letter of Intent for the 2010-11 college season. Barton will attend the University of Memphis. (Kelly Kline / NIKE)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 19, 2009) B Featuring top-ranked athletes from throughout the nation, USA Basketball today announced the first nine members and the coaching staff for the 2010 USA Junior National Select Team, which will face off against the World Select Team in the 13th annual Nike Hoop Summit at 7:00 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday, April 10 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore.
The Nike Hoop Summit is the country's premier annual basketball game for high-school age boys and features America's elite, young athletes against a World Select Team comprised of top international players 19-years-old or younger.
Tickets are now on sale, with reserved courtside seats priced $25 and $50 and all other general admission tickets at $10. Tickets can be purchased through the Rose Quarter Ticket Office, by calling 877-789-ROSE (7673) or by visiting www.rosequarter.com.
The first nine members of the eventual 10-man USA roster include: guards Harrison Barnes (Ames H.S. / Ames, Iowa), Will Barton (Brewster Academy / Baltimore, Md.), Reggie Bullock (Kinston H.S. / Kinston, N.C.), Kyrie Irving (St. Patrick H.S. / Elizabeth, N.J.), Brandon Knight (Pine Crest H.S. / Lauderdale, Fla.) and Kendall Marshall (Bishop O'Connell H.S. / Arlington, Va.); forwards Tobias Harris (Half Hollow Hills West H.S. / Brookville, N.Y.) and Terrence Jones (Jefferson H.S. / Portland, Ore.); and Jared Sullinger (Northland H.S. / Columbus, Ohio) at center.
Serving as head coach for the USA will be Bob Cimmino, who has been the head coach at Mount Vernon High School (N.Y.) since 1994, compiling a 324-57 overall record (as of 09/09). Cimmino previously coached for USA Basketball at a 2004 skills development clinic in New York.
"It's a tremendous honor to be associated with USA Basketball and the Nike Hoop Summit, and I'm absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to work with 10 of the best players in the United States against 10 of the best players in the world," Cimminosaid. "It's a high school coach's dream.
"I think the roster has been set up so that the coaching staff has the talent, we just have to get down to business early and work very hard in our practices. We want to bring the title back to the U.S."
Assisting Cimmino will be Rich Gray (St. Louis Eagles AAU, Mo.), who for more than 23 years has served as president of the St. Louis Basketball Club, a two-time AAU national championship program that has featured NBA talents such as Tyler Hansbrough, Larry Hughes and David Lee. Gray was an assistant coach for the USA in the 1997 Nike Hoop Summit, which the USA won 97-90, and an assistant coach for the USA North Team in the 1999 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival
"I'm honored to be chosen again as a coach for USA Basketball. It is something that I will always cherish, and I cherished the last time that I had the chance to coach in the Hoop Summit," Gray said. "That team was trying to come back after a loss the year before, much like the situation this year. The experience I gained, with the building of teamwork and getting the kids to understand the importance of USA, definitely gives me an advantage this time around."
Players and coaches for the 2010 USA Junior National Select Team are selected by the USA Basketball Men's Developmental National Team Committee, chaired in a non-voting position by Sean Ford, the USA Basketball Men's National Team Director. The committee also includes AAU appointees Ron Crawford and Boo Williams, National Federation of High School appointees Eric Flannery and John Olive and athlete representative Kermit Holmes (1999 USA Pan American Games Team).
"I think these first nine players give this USA team a solid foundation, and we certainly have confidence in our accomplished coaching staff," said Ford. "The committee has an important decision to make in filling the last roster spot in the next couple of weeks, and we are fortunate to have a lot of talent to choose from in this country. We aren't looking for the 10 best athletes, we are looking for players that help us achieve balance and depth. This is a very tough game, and we are all determined to come away with a win in 2010." |
