Jared Sullinger, who was a first-team All-American and finished third in voting for the Wooden Award, given to the national player of the year, has been invited by USA Basketball to try out for the under-19 team that will represent the United States in the world championship this summer.
Sullinger said he will decline the invite.
"Actually, I'm going into hiding this summer pretty much," Sullinger said. "It's something coach Matta brought to my attention, that it might be best for me. Just to get better on my own terms. Be able to stay here and get the conditioning and the weights that I need instead of just playing basketball. I need to do some of the lifts here, and I need to run.
"And I've also got five freshmen coming in and two of them are big men, so I have to be a leader."