COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 10, 2004) – Syracuse sophomore Demetris Nichols is one of 24 student-athletes invited to try out for the 2004 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Men Team. The players were selected by the USA Basketball Men's Collegiate Committee, chaired by former Virginia Athletic Director and Coach Terry Holland, and announced on June 10.
The USA National Team Trails and training camps is scheduled for July 16-23 in East Rutherford, N.J. Athletes eligible for selection to this age-based team include anymale who is a U.S. citizen and is 20-years-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1984).
Nichols had a productive freshman year with the Orange. He played in 26 games, earned 15 starts, and averaged 4.2 points and 2.2 rebounds an outing. He had a career-best 17 points at Providence.
Nichols will be joined by 18 players with previous USA Basketball experience,including 2003 USA Basketball Junior World Championship Team members Maurice Ager (Michigan State / Detroit,Mich.), Daniel "Dee" Brown (Illinois / Maywood, Ill.),Ryan Hollins (UCLA / Pasadena, Calif.), J.J. Redick (Duke /Roanoke, Va.), Mustafa Shakur (Arizona / Philadelphia, Pa.), C.J. Watson (Tennessee / Las Vegas, Nev.), and DeronWilliams (Illinois / The Colony, Texas ). In addition, Hassan Adams (Arizona / Los Angeles, Calif.);Sean Banks (Memphis / Englewood, N.J.); Josh Boone(Connecticut / Mt. Airy, Md.); Aaron Brooks (Oregon / Seattle,Wash.); Shannon Brown (Michigan State / Maywood, Ill.); JustinGray (Wake Forest / Charlotte, N.C.); Sean May (North Carolina/ Bloomington, Ind.); Rashad McCants (North Carolina /Asheville, N.C.); David Padgett (TBD / Reno, Nev.); Chris Paul (Wake Forest /Lewisville, N.C.); Curtis Sumpter (Villanova / Brooklyn, N.Y.),P.J. Tucker (Texas / Raleigh, N.C.); Charlie Villaneuva(Connecticut / Brooklyn, N.Y.); Eric Williams (Wake Forest /Wake Forest, N.C.); Curtis Withers (UNC Charlotte / Charlotte,N.C.) and Bracey Wright (Indiana / The Colony, Texas) have accepted invitations to the camp.
Seven return from the 2003 USA Men's Junior World Championship Team that journeyed to Thessaloniki,Greece, and finished fifth with a 7-1 record, a mark that tied gold medalist Australia for the best record in the tournament. The USA squad also went 5-0 to win gold at the 2003 Global Games in Dallas, Texas. Dee Brown led the team at the Junior Worlds in scoring averaging 17.3 ppg. and added 4.1 apg., while Illini teammate Deron Williams contributed 8.4 ppg. and handed out a team best 4.8 apg. Hollins accounted for 7.8 ppg., 6.3 rpg., and 1.1 bpg., Ager added 6.0 ppg. and 3.0 rpg., Watson was credited with 6.0 ppg. and 2.0 apg., Shakur posted averages of 5.0 ppg. and 2.8 apg., while Redick was injured and limited to action in just two games.
Supplying additional USA Basketball experience is Brooks, Dee Brown, Padgett and Deron Williams who helped the U.S. qualify for the 2003 FIBA Junior World Championship after finishing with a 4-1 record and the bronze medal atthe 2002 FIBA Americas Junior World Championship Qualifier in Venezuela.
A four-time USA Basketball team member, Redick, as well as McCants, competed in a pair of USA Basketball Youth Development Festivals. The duo head a list of 12 who got their USA Basketball start at the Festival, including Adams, Banks, Shannon Brown, Gray, May, Nichols, Padgett, Paul, Deron Williams and Wright.
A total of five 2004 All-Americans further underscore the strength of the USA team candidates. May was an ESPN.com All-America third team selection and Associated Press (A.P.) All-America honorable mention; McCants listedas an All-America second team by Basketball Times and third team by the A.P.; Redick was named by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-America third team and he, along with Paul, were A.P. All-America honorable mentions following the 2003-04 season. The fifth All-American listed among the USA National Team Trials roster is Withers, a Basketball Times All-America third team selection, who will experience his first taste of USA Basketball in July.
Guiding the U.S. squad will be Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson, who will be assisted by collegiate head coaches Tom Crean of Marquette and Dan Monson of Minnesota. Finalists for the USA Team will be selected following trials July 16-18 at the New Jersey Nets practice facility in East Rutherford. The USA Trials schedule will see the candidates competing twice a day, at 10:00 a.m. (all times local) and 5:00 p.m. Finalists will remain in New Jersey for the team's training camp, which will again feature two-a-days at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., and the eventual 12-member squad will be finalized sometime prior to the USA's final NewJ ersey practice at 10:00 a.m. on July 23. Following a 2:00 p.m. practice session in Saint John, Canada, on July 24, the U.S. will take on Canada's Young Men's National Team on July 25 in a 2:00 p.m. exhibition game at Harbour Station in Saint John.
Tickets for the exhibition game can be purchased at the Harbour Station box office or by calling 800-267-2800 or 506-657-1234 in Canada.The young American squad will get in a final pair of practices in Halifax, Canada, on July 26 and 27 before tipping off play at the 2004 FIBA Americas World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Tournament on July 28. The U.S. will compete against seven other teams from the Americas for one of the three Americas Zone qualifying berths for the 2005 FIBA World Championships For Young Men, which will be hosted next summer by Argentina. Featuringeight nations divided into two groups of four, the competition schedule, which will be released at a later date, includes a preliminary round with round-robin play between teams in each group July 28-30. The top two finishing teams in each group will advance to the July 31 semifinals and the gold medal will be contested Aug. 1.
The World Championship For Young Men and its zone qualifying tournaments are held every four years. Originally held in 1993 and known as the FIBA 22 And Under World Championship, it was 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 USA has qualified for all three previous World Championship For Young Men tournaments and has compiled a 22-2 overall record while winning gold medals in 1993and 2001. United States squads have also compiled a 15-2 win-loss record in the three Young Men Qualifiers, winning gold in 1996 and silver in 2000 and 1993.