Argentina, here they come.
After nearly a week in Colorado Springs, Colo., the 2009-10 USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team has been paired to 12 high school players who will compete in Mendoza, Argentina later this month.
The goal will be to finish in the top three and move on to next summer’s FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Hamburg, Germany.
“It’s been a real great experience for the kids as well as the coaching staff,” head coach Don Showalter (Mid-Prairie High School, Iowa) said. “It was hard to make the final cuts. They were all really good and there wasn’t a player there that was uncoachable. They have all been a pleasure to work with.”
James McAdoo, Norfolk Christian (Norfolk, Va.)
Photo by Steven Maikoski/USA Basketball
The final 12 along with school and home state:
Justin Anderson (Montrose Christian School, Md.);
Brad Beal (Chaminade, Mo.);
Quinn Cook (DeMatha, Md.);
Andre Drummond (Capital Prep, Conn.);
Sterling Gibbs (Seton Hall Prep, N.J.);
Brandan Kearney (Southeastern, Mich.);
James McAdoo (Norfolk Christian, Va.);
Johnny O’Bryant (East Side, Miss.);
Tony Parker (Miller Grove, Ga.);
Chasson Randle (Rock Island, Ill.);
L.J. Rose (Second Baptist, Texas); and
Adonis Thomas (Melrose, Tenn.).
“We are missing a couple of kids (in the U16 pool) in Tony Wroten Jr. and (Michael) Gilchrist, but we are focused on kids we have here and we like our team,” Showalter said.
Showalter, assisted by Herman Harried of Baltimore’s Lake Clifton High School and Kevin Sutton of Florida’s Montverde Academy, said McAdoo – a 6-foot-8 forward that averaged over 24 points per game as a sophomore – is a player that grabbed his attention immediately and has a chance to be special.
“He is soft-spoken and a little bit reserved, but I think he could just be a great player,” Showalter said. “At 6-7 or 6-8 he can play on the perimeter and has a great second jump.”
St. Louis guard Beal has also made a positive impression on the USA coaching staff.
“He is an excellent shooter and at this point will probably be one of our starters,” Showalter said. “He doesn’t take bad shots, works within system and I think can be a good defensive player.”
O’Bryant, a 6-9, 227-pound post player from Mississippi, has helped set the tone of practices and will be a factor in Argentina.
“Johnny is one of our hardest workers and it has been a pleasure to watch him progress through training camp,” Showalter said. “He might not be quite as talented as a guy like McAdoo, but he makes up for it in other ways.”
Among the 12 are three players that were freshmen last season in Anderson, Parker and Rose. Anderson played for a loaded Montrose Christian program last year and was among the nation’s most highly-touted high school rookies.
Justin Anderson, Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.)
Photo by Steven Maikoski/USA Basketball
“He’s very athletic. He’s a lefty and I think can be the type of kid that can spark a team,” Showalter said of the 6-5 wing.
"This is the biggest accomplishment I feel like I have made in my whole life," Anderson said. "Last night, I don't think it hit me until right before I went to sleep. I was like, 'Wow, this is big.' What 15-year-old do you know in the world that has a chance to come out and play with a 16-and-under USA Basketball team? It's a once in a lifetime thing."
Parker, a 6-9, 274-pound Georgian, should give the USA a powerful presence in the paint after helping Miller Grove High School take the Peach State’s Class AAAA title in March.
“He might be the most improved player since we got here,” Showalter said. “He gets a little better every practice and he runs the court well. He is always around the ball, he works hard and he is quicker than you would expect.”
The team will continue to train twice a day through Friday before heading to the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Mendoza June 17-21. It will mark the first international basketball experience for all 12 members of the team, a reality that is beginning to take hold.
“Once we named the 12 we were taking and we took the team picture Tuesday morning with their USA jerseys on, I think it sunk in that ‘hey we are going to represent our country,’ “ Showalter said. “It’s an exciting time for them and I think they are starting to understand that this is not an AAU thing, not a high school thing, it’s a big event and a huge honor to represent our country.”
The Argentina-bound Men's Developmental National Team.
Photo by Steven Maikoski/USA Basketball
PRIMETIME SHOOTOUT ANNOUNCES LINEUP
The nation’s premier shootout-style high school basketball event announced its lineup this week. The 2010 PrimeTime Shootout will take place at four different venues over seven days and feature teams from 13 different states and Puerto Rico.
New to the event next January will be a weekend dip into West Virginia, where the likes of Chester (Pa.), Columbia (Decatur, Ga.), Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.), Lake Clifton (Baltimore, Md.), Rice (New York, N.Y.) and Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) will compete in front of a Mountain State crowd.
The event moves to Philadelphia Jan. 29-30 where a 9 p.m. Saturday night showdown between city schools Roman Catholic and Bartram should have Villanova University buzzing.
ESPN2 will televise a clash of the titans between St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) from Rutgers University Feb. 12.
The final two days of the event – Feb. 12-13 – will be staged at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J., where Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), Oak Hill Academy, St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), St. Patrick, St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.) and Rice are among the featured attractions.
Complete 2010 PrimeTime Shootout Lineup
Friday, Jan. 22 – West Virginia University
Morgantown (W.Va.) vs. Chester (Pa.), 6 p.m.
Woodrow Wilson (Beckley, W.Va.) vs. Trenton Catholic (N.J.), 7:30 p.m.
Mountain State Academy (Beckley, W.Va.) vs. Columbia (Decatur, Ga.), 9 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 23 – West Virginia University
Woodrow Wilson (W.Va.) vs. Chester (Pa.), noon
Paterson Catholic (N.J.) vs. Lake Clifton (Baltimore, Md.), 1:30 p.m.
Half Hollow Hills West (Dix Hills, N.Y.) vs. City College (Baltimore, Md.), 3 p.m.
Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) vs. Rice (New York, N.Y.), 4:30 p.m.
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) vs. Columbia (Decatur, Ga.), 6 p.m.
Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) vs. Hotchkiss School (Lakeville, Conn.), 7:30 p.m.
Huntington Academy (W.Va.) vs. Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Friday, Jan. 29 – Villanova University
Pennington Prep (N.J.) vs. East Longmeadow (Mass.), 5 p.m.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) vs. Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.), 6:30 p.m.
Penn Wood (Lansdowne, Pa.) vs. Coatesville (Pa.), 8 p.m.
Chester (Pa.) vs. Trenton Catholic (N.J.), 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 30 – Villanova University
Parkland (Allentown, Pa.) vs. Lower Merion (Ardmore, Pa.), noon
Friends Central (Pa.) vs. Hill School (Pottstown, Pa.), 1:30 p.m.
Westtown (Pa.) vs. Shabazz (Newark, N.J.), 3 p.m.
Camden Catholic (N.J.) vs. Malvern Prep (Pa.), 4:30 p.m.
Academy of the New Church (Bryn Athyn, Pa.) vs. Hotchkiss School (Lakeville, Conn.), 6 p.m.
Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburgh, Pa.) vs. Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.), 7:30 p.m.
Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) vs. Bartram (Philadelphia, Pa.), 9 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 12 – Rutgers University
Penn Wood (Lansdowne, Pa.) vs. Ridge (Basking Ridge, N.J.), 5:30 p.m.
St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) vs. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
Plainfield (N.J.) vs. St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.), 9:15 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 13 – Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, N.J.
Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.) vs. Northern Guilford (Greensboro, N.C.), noon
St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.) vs. Middle Township (Cape May Court House, N.J.), 1:30 p.m.
St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) vs. Carmen Sol (Puerto Rico), 3 p.m.
Hotchkiss School (Lakeville, Conn.) vs. Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 4:30 p.m.
St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) vs. Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), 6 p.m.
Trenton Catholic (N.J.) vs. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 7:30 p.m.
Rice (New York, N.Y.) vs. St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.), 9 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 14 – Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, N.J.
Pennington Prep (N.J.) vs. Montgomery (N.J.), 11 a.m.
Nichols School (Buffalo, N.Y.) vs. Albany Academy (N.Y.), 12:30 p.m.
Shabazz (Newark, N.J.) vs. Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 2 p.m.
Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) vs. Half Hollow Hills West (Dix Hills, N.Y.), 3:30 p.m.
Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) vs. Huntington Academy (W.Va.), 5 p.m.
Trenton Catholic (N.J.) vs. Carmen Sol (Puerto Rico), 6:30 p.m.
Monroe (N.J.) vs. New Egypt (N.J.), 8 p.m.
HUSTLE POINTS
Seattle’s Franklin Quakers were 13-0 in tournament play last season, winning the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic in Kentucky, the Metro League tournament title, the Sea-King district tournament title and the 16-team Class 3A state tournament.
Unofficially – and somewhat surprisingly – Franklin extended its tournament win streak to 18 games over the weekend by capturing its own “Quaker Summer Slam” against a strong 32-team field.
Though expectations remain high despite the loss of talented seniors Peyton Siva (Louisville), Chris Holmes, Domonique Wilson and Freddy Wilson, assistant coach Craig Jackson and the Quaker staff were a bit surprised by the accomplishment, which culminated in a 90-83 championship game victory over Oregon defending 5A champion Jefferson of Portland.
The field included Puget Sound-area powers like Federal Way, Garfield, Kentwood, Lakes, O’Dea and Rainier Beach, yet Franklin – expected by many to be in rebuilding mode in 2010 – prevailed behind the play of Vonchae Richardson and breakout performer Juwuan Buchanan, who Jackson says swatted away around 50 shots in five games.
Buchanan, a 6-5 rising senior, was a member of the school’s state championship team in March but saw most of his action on junior varsity. The Quakers were also aided by three eighth graders in the event.
Outside of his own program, Jackson also highlighted the play of Rainier Beach wing Hakeem Stewart. Stewart’s older twin brothers Lodrick and Rodrick were highly-touted stars for Mike Bethea’s Vikings that went on to play at USC and Kansas (Rodrick).
“He’s going to be a beast of a player,” Jackson said.
Will Dorsey Jr., an incoming freshman headed to Garfield, also caught Jackson’s eye despite standing just 5-6. He expects the heady guard to be one of Seattle’s top frosh next winter.
