Devendorf Selected For USA Pan American Games Team Trials
6/4/2007 2:40:35 PM | Men's Basketball
Junior guard Eric Devendorf (Bay City, MI/Bay City) from the Syracuse men's basketball team has been invited to participate in the USA Basketball Pan American Games team trials, July 12-14, at Haverford College (Pa.). He is one of 30 top collegians who earned the chance to compete at the trials. The selections were made by the USA Basketball Men's Collegiate Committee, chaired by Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.
Accepting invitations to participate in the 2007 USA Pan American Games Team Trials were: Jon Brockman (Washington / Snohomish, Wash.); Brian Butch (Wisconsin / Appleton, Wis.); Josh Carter (Texas A&M / Dallas, Texas); Mario Chalmers (Kansas / Anchorage, Alaska); Sherron Collins (Kansas / Chicago, Ill.); Brandan Costner (North Carolina State / West Orange, N.J.); Eric Devendorf (Syracuse / Bay City, Mich.); Joey Dorsey (Memphis / Baltimore, Md.); Wayne Ellington (North Carolina / Wynnewood, Pa.); Randal Falker (Southern Illinois / St. Louis, Mo.); Shan Foster (Vanderbilt / Kenner, La.); Alonzo Gee (Alabama / Palm Beach, Fla.); James Gist (Maryland / Silver Spring, Md.); Richard Hendrix (Alabama / Athens, Ala.); Roy Hibbert (Georgetown / Adelphi, Md.); Maarty Leunen (Oregon / Redmond, Ore.); Chris Lofton (Tennessee / Maysville, Ky.); Derrick Low (Washington State / Honolulu, Hawaii); Wesley Matthews (Marquette / Madison, Wis.); Eric Maynor (Virginia Commonwealth / Fayetteville, N.C.); Jerel McNeal (Marquette / Chicago, Ill.); Tasmin Mitchell (LSU / Denham Springs, La.); Drew Neitzel (Michigan State / Grand Rapids, Mich.); DeMarcus Nelson (Duke / Elk Grove, Calif.); Ahmad Nivins (Saint Joseph’s / Jersey City, N.J.); Scottie Reynolds (Villanova / Herndon, Va.); Jon Scheyer (Duke / Northbrook, Ill.); Bryce Taylor (Oregon / Encino, Calif.); Kyle Weaver (Washington State / Beloit, Wis.); D.J. White (Indiana / Tuscaloosa, Ala.).
Villanova University head coach Jay Wright is leading the USA’s 2007 Pan American Games Team, while University of Alabama head mentor Mark Gottfried and Yale University head coach James Jones will serve as assistant coaches.
Sixteen of the 30 players boast of prior USA Basketball experience, including Brockman (2005 Nike Hoop Summit and 2004 Youth Development Festival West Team); Butch (2002 Youth Development Festival North Team); Chalmers (2004 Youth Development Festival West Team); Costner ( 2004 Youth Development Festival East Team); Devendorf (2004 Youth Development Festival North Team); Ellington (2006 Nike Hoop Summit, 2005 Youth Development Festival Blue Team); Gist ( 2003 Youth Development Festival East Team); Hendrix (2005 Nike Hoop Summit, 2004 and 2003 Youth Development Festival South teams); Leunen (2003 Youth Development Festival West Team); Mitchell (2004 Youth Development Festival South Team); Neitzel (2003 Youth Development Festival North Team); Nelson (2003 Youth Development Festival West Team); Reynolds (2005 Youth Development Festival White Team); Scheyer (2006 Nike Hoop Summit, 2005 Youth Development Festival Red Team); Taylor (2003 Youth Development Festival West Team); and White (2004 Nike Hoop Summit and 2003 Youth Development Festival South Team).
Of the 30 players partaking in the trials, Lofton earned Associated Press All-America second team and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-America third team recognition. Collegeinsider.com named Maynor to its Mid-Major All-America Team, selected Chalmers, Falker, Hibbert and McNeal for its Defensive All-America Team, and named Costner and Reynolds to its Freshmen All-America Team.
Ten of the players slated to participate in the trials earned all-conference first team honors, three others were second team selections, two were named third team all-conference, and nine garnered honorable mention honors.
Trials for the USA Pan American Games Team will be held July 12-14 at Haverford College (Pa.) with the 30 U.S. hopefuls participating. The first trials session will be held on Thursday, July 12, 5-7 p.m. (all times local, EDT). Two trials sessions (10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.) will be held on July 13 and 14. The selected USA team finalists will remain for the USA's July 15-21 training camp.
The official 12-member USA Pan American Games squad will compete July 25-29 in the 2007 Pan American Games men's basketball competition. The United States has been placed in preliminary round Group A along with Argentina, Panama and Uruguay, and Group B consists of Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The US opens preliminary play July 25 facing Uruguay (10 p.m. Rio de Janeiro local time), then meets Panama on July 26 (7:45 p.m. Rio de Janeiro local time) and the US closes out preliminary round action against Argentina on July 27 (7:45 p.m. Rio de Janeiro local time). Semifinals will be held on July 28 and the finals will be played July 29.
