Training camp for the 2018 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team, which will take place May 31-June 2 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will feature 32 athletes overall, including 17 with experience from at least one prior USA Basketball training camp.
“We are excited about the group of players that are competing for roster spots on the 2018 USA Men’s U18 National Team,” said Matt Painter (Purdue), chair of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee. “This group is a versatile and diverse collection of players that will work together on the court and will represent USA Basketball very well.”
Quentin Grimes (College Park H.S./The Woodlands, Texas) and Zion Williamson (Spartanburg Day School/Spartanburg, S.C.) return from the 2018 USA Junior National Select Team that played in the 2018 Nike Hoop Summit, though Williamson was injured and unable to play.
Fifteen 2018 U18 hopefuls took part in the NCAA Next Generation Sunday at the 2018 NCAA Men’s Final Four as members of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Select Team, including Cole Anthony (Archbishop Molloy H.S./Briarwood, N.Y.); Bryan Antoine (Ranney School/Tinton Falls, N.J.); Armando Bacot (Trinity Episcopal School/Richmond, Va.); Joey Baker (Trinity Christian School/Fayetteville, N.C.); Will Baker(Westlake H.S./Austin, Texas); Keion Brooks (North Side H.S./Fort Wayne, Ind.); Matthew Hurt (John Marshall H.S./Rochester, Minn.); Trayce Jackson-Davis (Center Grove H.S./Greenwood, Ind.); Josiah James (Porter-Gaud School/Charleston, S.C.); Jalen Leque (Christ School/Teaneck, N.J.); Scottie Lewis(Ranney School/Hazlet, N.J.); Tyrese Maxey (South Garland H.S./Dallas, Texas); Pat McCaffery (West H.S./Iowa City, Iowa); Trendon Watford (Mountain Brook H.S./Mountain Brook, Ala.); and Mark Watts Jr.(Old Redford Academy/Detroit, Mich.).
The @usabasketball U18 training camp invitees will be released later today. Guys confirmed to be going include:@Scott_lewis_23 @BryanAntoine_ @The_ColeAnthony @Trendon_2 pic.twitter.com/iWzyYpuBBk
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) May 7, 2018
Taking part in their first USA Basketball camp will be: DJ Carton (Bettendorf H.S./Bettendorf, Iowa); Hunter Dickinson (DeMatha Catholic H.S./Hyattsville, Md.); Ayo Dosunmu (Morgan Park H.S./Chicago, Ill.); Joe Girard III (Glens Falls H.S./Glens Falls, N.Y.); Kamaka Hepa (Jefferson H.S./Portland, Ore.); Talen Horton-Tucker (Simeon Career Academy/Chicago, Ill.); Musa Jallow (Ohio State University/Bloomington, Ind.); Alex Lomax (East H.S./Memphis, Tenn.); Justin Moore (DeMatha Catholic H.S./Hyattsville, Md.); Kevin Porter (Rainier Beach H.S./Seattle, Wash.); Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Bishop Miege H.S./Shawnee Mission, Kan.); Earl Timberlake (DeMatha Catholic H.S./Hyattsville, Md.); Anton Watson (Gonzaga Prep/Spokane, Wash.); Coby White (Greenfield H.S./Goldsboro, N.C.); and Bryce Wills (Iona Prep/White Plains, N.Y.).
Additionally, McCaffery was named MVP of the 2018 USA Basketball 3×3 U18 National Championship that took place at the USOTC on March 24 and 25, where his team finished a perfect 8-0 and won the title; and he will represent the USA at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games from Oct. 6-18 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the basketball tournament will feature 3×3 basketball.
The 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men will be held June 10-16 in St. Catharines, Canada, and the top four finishing teams will qualify for the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup for Men.
The USA will be led by Bill Self (Kansas) with USA assistant coaches Anthony Grant (Dayton) and Danny Manning (Wake Forest).
Jallow is the lone 2017- 18 NCAA freshman expected at training camp.
The remaining 10 members of the high school class of 2018 have committed – Joey Baker and Zion Williamson verbally committed to Duke University; Dosunmu signed with the University of Illinois; Grimes signed with the University of Kansas; Hepa signed with the University of Texas; Horton-Tucker signed with Iowa State University; Lomax signed with the University of Memphis; Porter verbally committed to the University of Southern California; White signed with the University of North Carolina; and Wills verbally committed to Stanford University.
Among the 19 athletes set to conclude their prep careers in 2018-19, two have verbally committed, including McCaffery to the University of Iowa and Watson to Gonzaga University.
Two athletes – Dickinson and Timberlake, will graduate high school in 2020.
Finalists for the team are expected to be announced on June 2, and the team will continue training June 3-8 in Colorado Springs until departing for the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens who are 18 years old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 2000).
Release and photo via USA Basketball
