Team USA’s Las Vegas hoops roster released

By Rob Miech

Thursday, June 25, 2009 | 12:27 p.m.

The roster for the U.S. national basketball team that will convene in Las Vegas next month was released early today. As USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo recently told the Sun, Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) and Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers) are on the list.

Here's the official release from USA hoops:

25 Players Expected For USA Basketball National Team Mini-Camp

-- USA Basketball Showcase To Be Held July 25 In Las Vegas --

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June  25, 2009) – Twenty-five top rising NBA players have accepted invitations from USA Basketball to participate in the 2009 USA Basketball Men’s National Team mini-camp that will be conducted July 22-25 in Las Vegas, Nev. The selections were announced by USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo.

The July USA Basketball Men’s National Team mini-camp will feature practice sessions on July 23 and July 24 at Valley High School, and the mini-camp will be capped by the USA Basketball Showcase, a Blue-White intra-squad game, on Saturday, July 25, 8 p.m. (PDT) at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2009 USA Basketball Showcase, with seats priced at $10 to $75. Tickets can be purchased through www.UNLVtickets.com or 702-739-FANS.

Accepting an invitation to attend the July 22-25 mini- camp were: LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers / Texas); Trevor Ariza (Los Angeles Lakers / UCLA);  D.J. Augustin (Charlotte Bobcats / Texas); Jerryd Bayless (Portland Trail Blazers / Arizona); Ronnie Brewer (Utah Jazz / Arkansas); Glen Davis (Boston Celtics / LSU); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder / Texas); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies / Connecticut); Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers / New Mexico); Jeff Green (Oklahoma City Thunder / Georgetown); Blake Griffin (University of Oklahoma); Devin Harris (New Jersey Nets / Wisconsin); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers / Arizona); Kyle Korver  (Utah Jazz / Creighton); David Lee (New York Knicks / Florida); Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets / Stanford); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves / UCLA); O.J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies / USC); Paul Millsap (Utah Jazz / Louisiana Tech); Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers / Ohio State); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls / Memphis); Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers / Washington); Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks / Oak Hill Academy, Va.);  Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder / UCLA); and Thaddeus Young (Philadelphia 76ers / Georgia Tech).

USA Basketball announced on May 21 that Toronto Raptors head coach Jay Triano, Utah Jazz assistant coach Tyrone Corbin, Detroit Pistons assistant Dave Cowens, former New Orleans Hornets assistant Kenny Gattison, and innesota Timberwolves assistant Jerry Sichting, would serve as the staff for the 2009 USA Basketball Men’s National Team mini-camp.

“While we look to continue to build continuity within the USA national team program and continue to improve, in 2009 we will get a look at some of the top young NBA players who haven’t been involved in USA Basketball at the top national program level previously.   Although some of these players have represented USA Basketball in the past, this is their opportunity to be considered for the next generation of players who will help make up the USA Basketball National program.  As was the case in 2005-08, the roster for the national team program will be fluid in 2010-2012 and we will make adjustments to the roster each year to help insure we have the strongest program and the strongest teams possible,” said Colangelo.

Twenty-one of the 25 expected mini-camp participants have prior USA Basketball team experience.

Aldridge, Bayless, Durant, Green, Iguodala, Mayo, Rose and Russell were all members of the 2008 USA Basketball Select Team that trained with and scrimmaged against the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in Las Vegas, while in 2007 Harris, Iguodala and Lee were members of the 2007 USA Basketball Select Team that trained with and scrimmaged against the 2007 USA FIBA Americas Team in Las Vegas.

Additionally, player involvement with USA Basketball includes Durant and Oden who were selected as members of the 2007-08 USA Basketball National Team program;  Davis  and Gay were members of the 2005 USA Basketball U21 World Championship Team; Brewer was a finalist for the 2005 USA U21 Team and a member of the U.S. squad that played in the ’05 Global Games; Bayless (2006) and Iguodala (2002) were members of USA Basketball U18 Championship teams; Bayless (2007), Durant (2006), Gay (2004), Love (2007), Mayo (2007), Rose (2007), Smith (2004) and Young (2006) were  named to USA Basketball’s Junior Select National Teams that competed in the Nike Hoop Summit; while alums of the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival include Augustin (2005 YDF Red Team), Lopez (2005 YDF  Red Team), Mayo (2005 YDF Blue Team), Oden (2005 YDF White Team), and Young (2005 YDF Blue Team).  Finally, Ariza (2002) and Griffin (2006) participated in USA Basketball trials.

The mini-camp list of attendees also includes numerous 2008-09 NBA award winners.

Chicago Bulls rookie guard Rose was selected the recipient of the 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year award, while Mayo, Lopez and Westbrook ranked second through fourth, and Love listed sixth in the award voting in 2009. Durant won the award in 2008. Claiming 2009 NBA All-Rookie first team honors were Rose, Mayo, Westbrook and Lopez, second team distinction went to Love and Augustin, and Oden also received votes for All-Rookie team honors.

Granger was named the NBA Most Improved Player for 2008-09, while Harris, Durant, and Millsap finished second through fourth in the voting, and Lee (7th), Young (9th), Roy (11th) and Davis (14th) ranked among the top 15 vote getters.  In the NBA Sixth Man Award voting, Ariza and Millsap both received votes for the honor.

Roy was tagged All-NBA second team, while Durant, Granger, Harris, Aldridge, Lee, Millsap, Mayo, Rose and Iguodala all received votes.  Earning votes for the NBA All-Defensive team honors were Ariza, Brewer, Iguodala, Lee and Roy.

The 27 mini-camp attendees were also well represented among the NBA regular season top 50 statistical leaders.  Granger ranked fifth in scoring (25.8 ppg.), while Durant was sixth (25.3 ppg.), Roy ranked 12th (22.6 ppg.), Harris 17th (21.3 ppg.), Gay 35th (18.9ppg.), Iguodala 37th (18.8 ppg.); Mayo 39th (18.5 ppg.) and Aldridge 43rd (18.1 ppg.).

Lee listed third in rebounding (11.7 rpg.), Love 17th (9.1 rpg.), Millsap 23rd (8.6 rpg.), Lopez 34th (8.1 rpg.), Aldridge 44th (7.5 rpg.) and Smith was 49th (7.2 rpg.).

For assists, Harris ranked 12th (6.9 apg.), Iguodala 25th (5.3 apg.) and Roy 27th (5.1 apg.), while Brewer listed tied for sixth in steals (1.7 spg.), Ariza 9th (1.67 spg.), Harris 11th (1.65 spg.), Iguodala 12th (1.6 spg.), Smith 25th (1.36 spg.), Westbrook 26th (1.34 spg.), Young 27th (1.33 spg.), Durant 31st (1.3 spg.) and Gay 38th (1.24 spg.).  Lopez listed 10th for blocked shots (1.84 bpg.), Smith 16th (1.61 bpg.), Granger 20th (1.45 bpg.) and Oden ranked 41st (1.13 bpg.).