COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Former Wolf Pack center JaVale McGee will compete for a chance to represent the United States at the World Championships this week, USA Basketball announced last week.
The 7-footer was added to the USA Basketball World Championship training camp roster, and the 15 finalists for the 2010 USA World Championship Team reassembled Aug. 9 in New York City and will train there Aug. 10-16.
McGee spent two seasons with the Wolf Pack, earning second-team All-Western Athletic Conference and All-Defensive Team honors in 2007-08 after leading the conference in blocked shots and ranking among its leaders in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. He was drafted in the first round of the 2008 National Basketball Association Draft as the 18th overall selection of the Washington Wizards and has spent the last two seasons with the Wizards.
He has participated in the USA Basketball men's national team mini-camps in 2009 and 2010, including the training camp in Las Vegas in July. McGee hopes to become the second member of his family to represent the USA with his mother, Pam, winning a gold medal as part of the United States' women's basketball team at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
The 15 finalists for the USA World Championship Team are: Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets); Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks); Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies); Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers); Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers); Jeff Green (Oklahoma City Thunder); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); McGee; Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder).
The 2010-12 USA National Team coaching staff is led by Duke University's Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, and features as USA assistant coaches New York Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni, Syracuse University's Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan and Toronto Raptors head mentor Jay Triano.
The official 12-man USA roster that will compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championship must be submitted to FIBA at the technical meeting that normally is held the day prior to the start of the competition.
While training in New York City, the USA squad will take part in the first-ever World Basketball Festival, a four-day celebration of the game's performance and culture hosted by NIKE, Inc. and USA Basketball in New York City. The World Championship Festival tips off Aug. 12 in Radio City Music Hall with a special showcase featuring the USA World Championship finalists and moves uptown to Harlem's legendary Rucker Park basketball courts on Aug. 13 and 14.
The Festival concludes Sunday, Aug. 15, when the USA squad takes on France at Madison Square Garden. In addition to the game against France, the USA will play three world basketball powers in exhibition games, or "friendlies," in preparation for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. In advance of that tournament, the Americans will meet Lithuania on Aug. 21, Spain on Aug. 22 in Madrid, Spain, and Greece in Athens on Aug. 25.
The 2010 FIBA World Championship will be hosted Aug. 28 to Sept. 12 in Turkey.
