Duke Trio Lands on USA Team

July 27, 2001

DALLAS, Texas - Following five days of training and two exhibition games in Dallas, Texas, USA Basketball announced today the official 12-member USA Basketball Team that will compete Aug. 3-12 in the 2001 FIBA World Championship For Young Men in Saitama, Japan. Included on the roster are three current Duke players -- junior Carlos Boozer, sophomore Chris Duhon and junior Dahntay Jones.

"This was an extremely difficult decision. I told the players that no one on this team deserved to be cut. I wish we could take all 13 finalists to Japan, however, in international basketball only 12 players are allowed to compete," said USA World Championship For Young Men head coach and Syracuse University (N.Y.) mentor Jim Boeheim. "Our progress has been good and we've come together very quickly, but we still have a lot of work to do before the start of the World Championship For Young Men.

"This championship is very tough every four years and we'll see the best in the world in this age bracket and it will be a challenge for us. When USA Basketball goes to play in any championship, there's really only one medal you're looking at - the gold medal," added Boeheim of the expectations for his team."

Named members of the USA World Championship For Young Men Team were: Troy Bell (Boston College / Minneapolis, Minn.), Carlos Boozer (Duke / Juneau, Alaska), Caron Butler (Connecticut / Racine, Wis.), Nick Collison (Kansas / Iowa Falls, Iowa), Brian Cook (Illinois / Lincoln, Ill.), Chris Duhon (Duke / Slidell, La.), Reggie Evans (Iowa / Pensacola, Fla.), Dahntay Jones (Duke / Hamilton Square, N.J.), Jason Kapono (UCLA / Lakewood, Calif.), Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph's / Chester, Pa.), Michael Sweetney (Georgetown / Oxen Hill, Md.) and Marcus Taylor (Michigan State / Lansing, Mich.).

Eligibility for the 2001 USA World Championship For Young Men Team is limited to any male who is 21-years-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1980).

Boeheim, Syracuse's successful and long-time head coach, will serve as head coach of the 2001 USA World Championship For Young Men squad, and he will be assisted by Ernie Kent of the University of Oregon and Phil Martelli of St. Joseph's University (Pa.).

During its July 22-26 training in Dallas, the USA team posted victories in two exhibition games. The U.S. squad easily defeated Lithuania 113-66 on July 25, then recorded an 87-77 comeback win over Yugoslavia on July 26. The team's training now shifts to Oakland, Calif., where it will train July 27-30 at the Golden State Warriors practice facility. The team's training schedule in Oakland is: from 5:00-7:00 p.m. (all times PDT) on Friday, July 27, from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 28, from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 7:00-9:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 29, and from 8:00-10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 30.

The USA World Championship For Young Men Team will compete August 3-12 in Saitama, Japan, in the 2001 FIBA World Championship for Young Men Tournament. Featuring 12 teams that have been divided into two preliminary round pools consisting of six teams each, the United States is in Pool B with Argentina, Croatia, Israel, Japan and South Korea. The six teams comprising preliminary Pool A include Australia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Qatar, Slovenia and Spain.

The USA opens play on Aug. 3 facing Croatia, then meets South Korea on Aug. 4, Argentina on Aug. 5, Japan on Aug. 7 and the U.S. squad concludes preliminary play against Israel on Aug. 8. Tournament quarterfinals play gets underway Aug. 10, with the semifinals being conducted Aug. 11 and the medal games being held Aug. 12.

Held every four years and originally designed for men 22-years-old or younger, FIBA lowered the age eligibility to 21-years-old or younger in December 1998 and changed the competition name to the World Championship For Young Men. The U.S. captured gold in the inaugural competition which was held in 1993 in Spain and known as the FIBA 22 And Under World Championship, and in 1997 in Melbourne, Australia, finished fifth with a 6-2 record.

For related information, click on USABasketball.com

2001 USA World Championship For Young Men Team Finalists

NAME	POS	HGT	WGT	DOB	YOG	SCHOOL / HOMETOWN
Troy Bell	G	6-1	176	11/10/80	2003	Boston College / Minneapolis, MN
Carlos Boozer	F	6-9	265	11/20/81	2003	Duke University / Juneau, AK
Brian Cook	F	6-10	231	12/04/80	2003	University of Illinois /Lincoln, IL
Chris Duhon	G	6-1	190	08/31/82	2004	Duke University / Slidell, LA
Reggie Evans	F	6-8	245	05/18/80	2002	University of Iowa / Pensacola, FL
Dahntay Jones	G/F	6-5	210	12/27/80	2003	Duke University / Hamilton Square, NJ
Jason Kapono	F	6-8	206	02/04/81	2003	Univ. of California atLos Angeles / Lakewood, CA
Jameer Nelson	G	6-0	190	02/09/82	2004	St. Joseph's University/ Chester, PA
Michael Sweetney	F	6-8	260	10/25/82	2004	Georgetown University/ Oxen Hill, MD
Marcus Taylor	G	6-3	190	11/25/81	2004	Michigan State University/ Lansing, MI
Frank Williams	G	6-3	205	02/25/80	2003	University of Illinois/ Peoria, IL

Head Coach: Jim Boeheim, Syracuse University (N.Y.)
Assistant Coach: Ernie Kent, University of Oregon
Assistant Coach: Phil Martelli, St. Joseph's University (Pa.)
Team Physician: Jeff Goudreau, Dallas, Texas
Athletic Trainer: Jayd Grossman, University of Cincinnati (Ohio)

Duke Trio Lands on USA Team

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