Source : Sportspagemagazine

Date : 21/09/2012

Link : http://bit.ly/SQMlEz

USA Men’s 3x3 U18 Team Set To Kick Off Training Camp

While the four-member 2012 USA Men’s 3x3 U18 World Championship Team is set to kick of its first training camp Sept. 23-25 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., the USA Women’s 3x3 U18 Team announced its final member – (Buford H.S./Suwanee, Ga.) – after (Washington County H.S./Sandersville, Ga.) withdrew due to a knee injury.

2012 USA U18 3x3 National Team members (from left to right) DeMonte Flannigan, Larry Austin, Brett Brady and Rondae Jefferson. - Photo courtesy of USA Basketball

The U.S. men’s 3x3 U18 team will train Sept. 23-25 before departing on Sept. 26 for the 2012 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship that will be played Sept. 28-30 in Alcobendas, Spain.

The USA women’s 3x3 U18 team, which conducted a four-day training camp July 28-31, will join the men’s team on Sept. 26 as the teams travel to Spain.

“As USA Basketball prepares for the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship, we first have our U18 men’s team coming together in Colorado Springs for training camp, where we hope to see them develop chemistry as a team and learn some strategic and situational plays and skills necessary to go far in the competition,” said Travis Johnson, USA Basketball 3x3 Director. “Our women’s team had a training camp at the end of July, minus Kaela Davis of course, and all four team members played together on the gold-medal winning USA Women’s U17 World Championship Team just a few weeks ago, so they will join us when we depart for Spain. We also have two or three practices scheduled once we arrive in Madrid, so we are hopeful for a good result on both sides.”

The U.S. men’s 3x3 U18 team, which consists of Larry Austin (Lanphier H.S./Springfield, Ill.), Brett Brady (Highlands Ranch H.S./Highlands Ranch, Colo.), DeMonte Flannigan (Villa Angela-St. Joseph H.S.) and Rondaé Jefferson (Chester H.S./Chester, Pa.), will practice at 4:30 p.m. (all times MDT) on Sept. 23, at 11:15 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. on Sept. 24 and at 11:15 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 25.

Austin, Flannigan and Jefferson played on Team Bulldogs, which won the 2012 USA Basketball 3x3 U18 Men’s Tournament with an 8-0 record and were selected as members of the U18 3x3 National Team. Brady competed for Team TCI at the tournament and earned the fourth spot on the squad.

Austin, Flannigan and Jefferson also were members of the 2011-12 USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team, and they attended training camp(s) at the USOTC. Jefferson was a member of the 2011 USA Basketball 3x3 Youth World Championship Team that went 7-5 in posting an eighth-place finish at the inaugural FIBA 3x3 Youth World Championship, which is now the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship, and Austin was a member of the 2011 USA FIBA Americas U16 Championship Team that won gold in Cancun, Mexico.

Joining Davis on the women’s 3x3 team are Diamond DeShields (Norcross H.S./Norcross, Ga.), Erica McCall (Ridgeview H.S./Bakersfield, Calif.) and (Manvel H.S./Pearland, Texas).

Like Jefferson, Davis also competed in the 2011 FIBA 3x3 Youth World Championship, and she returned to the U.S. with an honorary bronze medal. The USA fell in the semifinal contest after playing with two athletes for the majority of the game and then was unable to start the bronze medal contest with just two players.

Davis, DeShields, McCall and Turner helped the USA to a gold medal and perfect, 8-0 record Aug. 17-26 at the FIBA U17 World Championship in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and DeShields was named MVP of the tournament. Additionally, DeShields won gold medals with USA Basketball’s 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship Team and 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship Team; while Davis and McCall won gold at the 2011 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.

The 2012 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship for Men includes 32 teams divided into four groups of eight, and each team plays the seven other teams in its group. The top team from each group earns a berth into the quarterfinals, while the No. 2 and No. 3 finishing teams will play one game to advance four teams to the quarterfinals. From there, the tournament continues in a standard knockout format.

The USA men have drawn Group D, and will take on Hungary, Turkey, Spain and Israel on Sept. 28, before wrapping up its preliminary round pool play against Germany, Italy and Brazil on Sept. 29.

Playing in Group A will be Belize, Canada, China, France, Iran, New Zealand, Poland and Slovakia; Group B consists of Angola, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Tunisia; while Group C features Australia, Estonia, Jordan, Lithuania, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland and Venezuela.

The 2012 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship for Women will feature 24 teams divided into four groups of six. Each team will play the other five teams in its group. The top team from each group earns a berth into the quarterfinals, while the No. 2 and No. 3 finishing teams will play one game to advance four teams to the quarterfinals. From there, the tournament continues in a standard knockout format.

Playing in Group B, the USA women will take on Hong Kong, Lithuania and Poland on Sept. 28, followed by Taiwan and China to close out pool play on Sept. 29. Competing in Group A will be Estonia, France, Jordan, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey; Group C lists Andorra, Australia, Canada, England, Romania and Tunisia; and Group D includes Brazil, Czech Republic, Guam, Italy, the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.

The 3x3 U18 World Championship events also include individual skills challenges.

Johnson and Don Showalter (Iowa City H.S./Iowa City, Iowa) served as the 2012 USA Basketball U18 3x3 National Team Committee. Athletes eligible for this competition must have been born on or after Jan. 1, 1994.