Roberts Invited to USA Basketball U21 Tryouts

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Syracuse junior Terrence Roberts is one of 21 players that have accepted invitations to attend the July 21-23 USA Basketball Men’s U21 National Team Trials in Dallas, Texas. Trials will be used to select the final 12-member U.S. U21 squad that will look to defend the USA’s gold medal at the 2005 FIBA U21 World Championship in Mar de Plata, Argentina, Aug. 5-14. Athlete selections were made by the USA Basketball Men’s Collegiate Committee, chaired by Syracuse University (N.Y.) head coach Jim Boeheim.

In addition to Roberts, athletes expected to compete for spots on the 2005 USA U21 National Teaminclude: Josh Boone (Connecticut); Aaron Brooks (Oregon); Shannon Brown(Michigan State); Rodney Carney (Memphis); JamesOn Curry(Oklahoma State); Glen Davis (Louisiana State); Jared Dudley(Boston College); Nick Fazekas (Nevada); Rudy Gay (Connecticut); C.J. Giles (Kansas); Justin Gray (Wake Forest); Taj Gray (Oklahoma); Malik Hairston (Oregon); Adam Morrison (Gonzaga); Allan Ray (Villanova); J.J. Redick (Duke); Rajon Rondo(Kentucky); Darius Washington, Jr. (Memphis); Marcus Williams(Connecticut); and Curtis Withers (Charlotte).

Saint Joseph’s University (Pa.) head coach Phil Martelli has been named as the USA team’s head coach and acting as his assistants will be collegiate head coaches James ‘Bruiser’ Flint from Drexel University (Pa.)and Dennis Felton from the University of Georgia. Collegiate head coaches Jeremy Cox of the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, Mike Dunlap of Metropolitan State College of Denver (Colo.) and Paul Patterson of Taylor University (Ind.) will serve as court coaches at the 2005 USA Basketball Men’s U21 National Team Trials.

Trials will be conducted at the Dallas Mavericks practice facility inside the American Airlines Center and the first Trials session will be held on Thursday, July 21 at 10:00 a.m. (all times local), followed by a 5:00 p.m. session that night. July 22 and 23 will again feature two-a-days with starting times at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Team finalists will remain in Dallas for the USA’s July 24 - Aug. 1 training camp, which will feature a July 24 scrimmage against the Dallas Mavericks summer team at the Dr. Pepper Star Center in Frisco, Texas, near Dallas. The training camp will conclude with a pair of daily practices at the Dallas Mavericks practice facility at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on July 25 and July 26.

The U.S. squad will then compete in the July 27-31 Global Games at the Dr. Pepper Star Center. The eventual 12-member USA team will be announced during the training camp. Following one more practice session on Aug. 1 (site and time TBD), the American team will travel to Argentina for its final practices before tipping off play at the 2005 FIBA U21 World Championship on Aug. 5.

Contested Aug. 5-14 in Cordoba and Mar del Plata, Argentina, the 2005 FIBA Men’s U21 World Championship will consist of 12 national teams split into two groups for preliminary round-robin play. The top four teams in each group will advance to the medal quarterfinals, while the 5th and 6th place finishing teams in each group will compete for 9th-12th place. The U21 World Championship draw took place March 10 in Argentina and the USA (Americas No. 1) will compete in Mar del Plata in preliminary round Group B, opening up Aug. 5 against China (Asia No. 2).Facing Lithuania (Europe No. 3) on Aug. 6, the United States will go up against Puerto Rico (Americas No. 2) on Aug. 7, before closing out the first round against Nigeria (Africa No. 1) on Aug. 9 and Slovenia (Europe No. 1) on Aug. 10. Group A, which will compete in Cordoba, includes Argentina (Americas No. 3 & host), Australia (Oceania No. 1), Canada (Americas No. 4), Greece (Europe No. 4), Iran (Asia No. 1) and Israel (Europe No. 2).

Initiated in 1993 as the FIBA 22 & Under World Championship, the USA captured gold in the inaugural tournament with a perfect 8-0 record. In 1997, the Americans compiled a 5-2 record and finished fifth. Most recently in 2001, with the event known as the FIBA World Championship For Young Men and Martelli assisting on the sidelines, the USA was impressive, rolling to an unblemished 8-0 mark to capture gold. The USA men are not only defending FIBA World Champs at the U21 level, but the U.S. squad last summer dominated its FIBA Americas competition in striking gold with a 5-0 record. Overall, in the three previous FIBA World Championships for this age group, the USA has won gold twice and compiled a 22-2 record.

Syracuse University Athletics

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