Seen here accepting his 2011 FIBA Americas U16 Championship MVP trophy, Jabari Parker will receive his 2011 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year trophy from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel during a school assembly.

FIBA on Jan. 10 conducted the draw to determine the two first-round pools for the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship For Men, and the U.S. has been placed into Group A with Australia, China, Czech Republic, Egypt and France for the June 29 - July 8 tournament, set to be held in Kaunas, Lithuania. Drawn into Group B were: Argentina, Canada, Croatia, Lithuania, South Korea and Spain.

The U.S., currently the defending U17 World Champion after capturing gold with a perfect 8-0 record at the inaugural event in Hamburg, Germany, in 2010, opens play against Australia on June 29. The USA will next face the Czech Republic on June 30 and Egypt on July 1. Following a day off, play continues on July 3, when the USA is pitted against France, and a July 4 contest against China will cap the opening round games for the Americans.

The top four finishing teams from each preliminary round pool will advance to the July 6 medal quarterfinals. Winners of the quarters will compete for the July 7 medal semifinals and the gold medal game will be contested on July 8.

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