April 2012 National Wiretap

Colangelo Will Consider Expanding Team USA Roster Candidates

Apr 29, 2012 10:50 AM

Jerry Colangelo said that he will consider expanding the pool of finalists for this summer's Olympics in London.

Colangelo made the decision in response to the loss of Derrick Rose, who suffered a torn ACL in Game 1 of Chicago’s opening round series against the Sixers.

"What I said [previously] was that we didn't plan to do any additions, but we had to continue to monitor the injury situation," Colangelo said. "Obviously this is a big loss. [Point guard] seems to be, at this point, still a pretty strong position. But at this stage, quite honestly, I think all bets are off."

Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge have also been removed from consideration due to injury, leaving the United States perilously thin in the post.

"We've said that the strength of the team is going to be athleticism, wing players, the backcourt, but we'll see," Colangelo said. "We're going to have to consider a lot of things. The good news is that so many people wish and desire to play that we will be very deep regardless of what happens here -- unless there's another rash of things happening here. I pray that it's over."

SI.com

Tags: NBA, NBA Injury, National, National Olympics

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Team USA Won't Expand Roster Candidates

Apr 26, 2012 10:11 AM

USA Basketball will not add any players to their preliminary squad for this summer's Olympics despite injuries that have ruled Chauncey Billups, Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge out of the London Games.

"We're not going to add anyone," Colangelo said. "Even with the losses, we still feel like we're pretty well covered."

The loss of Howard, Aldridge, and Lamar Odom, who was removed from consideration after being deactivated by the Mavericks, has left the US with four recognized centers and power forwards on their list of 20 finalists: Kevin Love, Chris Bosh, Tyson Chandler and Blake Griffin.

DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis are among the big men contending for select team invites.

"That's wide open," Colangelo said. "We're getting calls from a lot of agents with players who want to play on the select team, which is very good. That's very positive."

Marc Stein/ESPN

Tags: DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Southeastern Conference, NCAA, NBA, National, National Olympics

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Bynum Will Skip Olympics

Apr 21, 2012 11:31 AM

Andrew Bynum confirmed on Friday that he is uninterested in playing in the 2012 Olympics.

Bynum would prefer the extra rest and will undergo the same procedure in Germany that Kobe Bryant had last summer.

"I've got to take care of my legs in the off-season," Bynum said Friday. "I've got some things planned for my knees.... I've got to do some therapy that I'm going overseas to do."

Mike Bresnahan/Los Angeles Times

Tags: Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA Injury, National, National Olympics

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USA Basketball Releases List Of U18 National Team Invitees

Apr 20, 2012 10:39 AM

USA Basketball released the 24-player roster that will compete for the 12 roster spots on the U18 national team.

Training camp will be held June 5-12 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Accepting invitations to attend the training camp are:

Andrew Harrison (Travis H.S./Richmond, Texas); Julius Randle (Prestonwood Christian Academy/ McKinney, Texas); Aaron Harrison (Travis H.S./Richmond, Texas); Troy Williams (Phoebus H.S./Hampton, Va.); Jarnell Stokes (University of Tennessee/Memphis, Tenn.); Gary Harris (Hamilton Southeastern/Fishers, Ind.); James Robinson (DeMatha Catholic H.S./Mitchellville, Md.); Rasheed Sulaimon (Strake Jesuit College Prep/Houston, Texas); Ryan Arcidiacono (Neshaminy H.S./Langhorne, Pa.); Robert Carter (Thomasville H.S./Thomasville, Ga.); Sam Dekker (Sheboygan Lutheran H.S./Sheboygan, Wis.); Kris Dunn (New London H.S./Oakdale, Conn.); Shaq Goodwin (Southwest Dekalb H.S./Decatur, Ga.); Jerami Grant (DeMatha Catholic/Bowie, Md.); Montrezl Harrell (Hargrave Military Academy/Tarboro, N.C.); Joel James (Dwyer H.S./West Palm Beach, Fla.); Jake Layman (King Phillip Regional H.S./Wrentham, Mass.); Devonta Pollard (Kemper County/Porterville, Miss.); Rodney Purvis (Upper Room Christian/Raleigh, N.C.); Marcus Smart (Marcus H.S./Flower Mound, Texas); Robert Upshaw (Edison H.S./Fresno, Calif.); Adam Woodbury (East H.S./Sioux City, Iowa); Jabari Bird (Salesian H.S./Vallejo, Calif.); Nathaniel Britt, II (Gonzaga H.S., D.C./Upper Marlboro, Md.).

USABasketball.com

Tags: National

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Oberto Named To Argentinian Preliminary Team

Apr 18, 2012 11:02 AM

Argentina has included Fabricio Oberto in their initial 16-man training squad for the South American Championship.

The South American Championship will be held June 16-22 in Chaco, Argentina.

The 37-year-old Oberto hopes to compete for his country at the London Games.

FIBA.com

Tags: Fabricio Oberto, National

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Billy Donovan To Coach US Junior National Team

Apr 17, 2012 10:16 PM

Billy Donovan will serve as head coach of the USA Basketball junior national team.

Donovan’s coaching staff will include Gonzaga head coach Mark Few and VCU head coach Shaka Smart.

“It’s always an honor to be selected to represent your country, and I’m incredibly thankful for this opportunity to be a part of USA Basketball,” Donovan said. “I have great respect for Shaka Smart and Mark Few, and I’m looking forward to working alongside them.”

The 2012 FIBA Americas under-18 Championships will be held this summer in Sao Sebastiao do Paraiso, Brazil.

Gainesville Sun

Tags: Florida Gators, Southeastern Conference, NCAA, National

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Wiggins Leads World Team To Win Over Team USA; Muhammad Sets Single-Game Scoring Record

Apr 8, 2012 12:00 PM

Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points to lead the World Select Team to an 84-75 win over Team USA on Saturday night.

“Wow, special win for us,” said World Team coach Roy Rana. “I know it hasn’t happened too often, so anytime you get a win over the USA it’s a good feeling. I thought we got off to a tremendous start and then hung on for our lives.”

The World Team dominated the interior with a 57-34 advantage on the glass as China center Wang Zhelin added 19 points, and Croatia’s Dario Saric scored 13 points to go with 14 rebounds.

Shabazz Muhammad scored 35 points in a losing effort, setting a Hoop Summit record.

“I wasn’t really aware of (the scoring record),” Muhammad said. “I just thought my shot was going in tonight. I thought we really played well in the second half with the rotations on defense. If we would have done that in the first half, we would have come closer to winning the game.”

UCLA signee Kyle Anderson finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.

Nerlens Noel contributed 5 points and 4 rebounds for Team USA.

USABasketball.com

Tags: Andrew Wiggins, Shabazz Muhammad, Kyle Anderson, Dario Saric, Zhelin Wang, Nerlens Noel, NCAA, International, National

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Jerebko Won't Play In Eurobasket Qualifier

Apr 7, 2012 10:45 PM

Jonas Jerebko will spend most of his summer at the Pistons' practice facility in Auburn Hills and will not play for Sweden during European championship qualifiers.

“With me having no time to work on my game – it's been a long season and I went straight from rehab into the season, basically, and had no time to recover on my Achilles' – Arnie said that I need a summer off to just work on my game and get stronger,” Jerebko said. “He's the expert on that stuff. I haven't been able to work my leg in a while. So we just came to a decision that that's the best thing to do.”

The 2013 Eurobasket Qualifiers will be held from mid-August through mid-September.

“I'm very disappointed,” he said. “Of course, I want to represent my country and play. But I'm looking forward to next summer and joining them again, and I wish them all the luck this summer. I'm definitely going to keep a close eye on it.

“I know my teammates, on that team, will understand my decision after coming off an injury like that, so I'm not really worried about it. I'm just looking forward to playing with them next summer and I wish them all the luck.”

David Mayo/MLive.com

Tags: Jonas Jerebko, Detroit Pistons, NBA, National, National Euro Championship

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Vytenis Cizauskas, Tauras Jogela Added To World Select Team

Apr 3, 2012 6:33 PM

The World Select Team added two Lithuanian players to its roster – guard Vytenis Cizauskas and small forward Tauras Jogela – after Evan Fournier and Dmitry Kulagin were forced to withdraw due to injury.

Cizauskas averaged 13.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.9 steals for Lithuania in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship this past summer, helping his team to a 7-2 record and a gold medal finish.

Jogela averaged 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds for Lithuania at the same event.

USABasketball.com

Tags: Vytenis Cizauskas, Tauras Jogela, International, National

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James Robinson To Replace Marcus Paige On USA Junior Select Team

Apr 3, 2012 6:28 PM

James Robinson, a 6-foot-3 guard out of DeMatha Catholic High School, will replace Marcus Paige on the USA Junior National Select Team.

Paige, who is expected to replace Kendall Marshall at North Carolina next season, was forced to withdraw because of a foot injury.

Robinson averaged 19.7 points per game this past season to help DeMatha to a 30-5 record, the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament title and a No. 10 national ranking in the most recent USA Today Super 25.

He committed to Pittsburgh last summer.

USABasketball.com

Tags: Marcus Paige, High School, NCAA, National

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