Three Athletes Added To USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team, Which Tips-Off Mini-Camp Oct. 15

- U.S. Will Train In Preparation For 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship -

Colorado Springs, Colo. • Oct. 14, 2011

With the additions of Joel Berry (Lake Highland Prep School / Apopka, Fla.), Dwayne Morgan (Baltimore City College H.S./Baltimore, Md.) and Justise Winslow (St. John’s School / Houston, Texas) to the 2011-12 USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team roster, the USA’s mini-camp will now feature participation from 29 athletes on Oct. 15 and 16 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

On the heels of a gold medal at the 2011 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, the USA will utilize four practice sessions to begin its defense of gold at the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship, which will be played June 29 - July 8 in Lithuania.

“The three new additions each bring skills to the mini-camp that we thought would be good to watch along with the rest of the players,” said Mid-Prairie High School (Iowa) head coach Don Showalter, who enters his fourth year as head coach of the USA Men’s Developmental National Team having collected gold at the 2009 and 2011 FIBA Americas U16 Championships and the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship. “Their versatility, skill and competitive attitude all fit for our USA Developmental National Team. They each had some great play this past summer and fall.”

“This weekend is extremely important for the players to play against the best competition and to develop some skills playing against this competition,” Showalter said of the mini-camp. “It is important for the coaches and committee to get as much evaluation time as possible of each player. We also like this mini-camp so the players can play with international rules and develop the mindset of international competition.”

The mini-camp participants will train twice a day, with sessions scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (all times listed are MDT) and 5:30-8 p.m. on Oct. 15, and 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. on Oct. 16.

In addition to Berry, Morgan and Winslow, members of the 2011-12 USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team participating in the mini-camp are: Shaqquan Aaron (Taft H.S. / Apple Valley, Calif.); Beejay Anya (DeMatha Catholic H.S. / Gaithersburg, Md.); Larry Austin (Lanphier H.S. / Springfield, Ill.); Anton Beard (Parkview Magnet H.S. / North Little Rock, Ark.); James Blackmon, Jr. (Bishop Luers H.S. / Fort Wayne, Ind.); Dom Collier (Denver East H.S. / Denver, Colo.); Stephen Domingo (Saint Ignatius Prep / San Francisco, Calif.); DeMonte Flannigan (Villa Angela-St. Joseph H.S. / Richmond Heights, Ohio); Conner Frankamp (Wichita North H.S. / Wichita, Kan.); Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty H.S. / San Jose, Calif.); Justin Jackson (Homeschool Christian Youth Association / Spring, Texas); Rondaé Jefferson (Chester H.S. / Chester, Pa.); Dakari Johnson (Montverde Academy, Fla. / Brooklyn, N.Y.); Stanley Johnson (Mater Dei H.S. / Fullerton, Calif.); Tyus Jones (Apple Valley H.S. / Apple Valley, Minn.); Trey Lyles (Arsenal Technical H.S. / Camby, Ind.); Kendrick Nunn (Simeon H.S. / Chicago, Ill.); Jahlil Okafor (Whitney Young H.S. / Chicago, Ill.); Jabari Parker (Simeon H.S. / Chicago, Ill.); Theo Pinson (Wesleyan Christian Academy / Greensboro, N.C.); Jordan Swopshire (SportsQuest Academy, Va. / O’Fallon, Mo.); Jimmie Taylor (Greenboro H.S. / Greensboro, Ala.); Charles Tucker (Lansing Eastern H.S. / Lansing, Mich.); Paul White (Whitney Young H.S. / Chicago, Ill.); Isaiah Whitehead (Lincoln H.S. / Brooklyn, N.Y.); Johnathan Williams (Southwind H.S. / Memphis, Tenn.); and Justise Winslow (St. John’s School / Houston, Texas).

Under the guidance of Showalter and 2011-12 USA Men's Developmental National Team assistant coaches Rich Gray (St. Louis Eagles AAU, Mo.) and Mike Jones (DeMatha H.S., Md.), twelve members of the 2011-12 USA Men’s Developmental National Team earned a gold medal at the 2011 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, including Austin, Collier, Frankamp, Gordon, Jackson, Stanley Johnson, Jones, Nunn, Okafor, Parker, Pinson and Williams.

After averaging 15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, Parker was named MVP of the zone qualifier, and Gordon led five U.S. players who averaged double-figure scoring with 17.0 ppg. and also paced the eight-team tournament in rebounds after hauling down 11.1 rpg. Okafor contributed 14.6 ppg., while Pinson scored 11. 5 ppg. and Jackson added 10.4 ppg. Further, Jones dished out a tournament-best 5.6 apg., Gordon was second with 4.6 apg., and Austin tied Chile’s Martin Lobos for third-most assists among all participants with 4.4 apg. The USA won its five games by an average margin of 42.2 ppg., and the first place finish qualified the USA for next summer’s U17 World Championship.

Additionally, Aaron, Jefferson, Price-Martin and Swopshire competed in the inaugural FIBA 3x3 Youth World Championship, compiling a 7-5 record for an eighth-place finish Sept. 9-11 in Rimini, Italy.

Assisting the coaching staff during the mini-camp will be USA Basketball Men’s Developmental Committee members: Eric Flannery, 2010 USA Basketball Boys Youth Olympic Games head coach and head coach at St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio); and John Olive, USA Junior National Select Team head mentor for the 2009 Nike Hoop Summit and head coach at Torrey Pines High School (Encinitas, Calif.).

The player selections were made by the USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team Committee, which also includes USA Basketball Men’s National Team Director Sean Ford (non-voting chair), as well as Ron Crawford, head of the Arkansas Wings AAU program; Boo Williams, head of the Boo Williams Summer League (Va.); and 1999 USA Pan American Games Team member Kermit Holmes, who serves as the athlete representative.

USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the United States by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international basketball competitions, as well as for some national competitions.

Since 2008, USA Basketball men’s and women’s teams have compiled a sterling 134-6 win-loss record in FIBA or FIBA Americas competitions. USA teams are the current men’s and women’s champions of the Olympics and the FIBA World Championships; FIBA women’s U19 world champions; the men’s and women’s title holders for the FIBA U17 World Championships; and the men’s and women’s U18 and U16 FIBA Americas champions. USA Basketball currently ranks No. 1 in all five of FIBA's world ranking categories, including combined, men's, women's, boys and girls.

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