Michigan State University Athletics
Ager And Davis Prepare For USA Basketball Trials
6/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 24, 2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State rising sophomores Maurice Ager (G; Detroit, Mich.) and Paul Davis (C; Rochester, Mich.) left Tuesday morning for Dallas, Texas, for the USA Basketball Men's Junior World Championship Team training camp. The two Spartans will be among 18 athletes competing for 12 spots on the USA Basketball squad that will represent the United States at the FIBA Junior World Championship in Thessaloniki, Greece.
"This should be a great experience for me and Paul," said Ager. "This is a great opportunity to represent Michigan State and our country. I just want to play hard and do what the coaches tell me to do."
"I've been looking forward to the training camp ever since I was named one of the finalists," said Davis. "I'm a little nervous and a lot excited. Over the past few weeks, I've been working hard to get in great shape for training camp and I look forward to having the opportunity to represent my country."
The training camp will run from June 24 to July 6. In preparation for the Junior World Championship, the U.S. squad will participate in the 2003 Global Games that are being conducted in Dallas. Featuring 10 teams, the USA will play five games between June 30 and July 5.
The 2003 FIBA Junior World Championship Tournament takes place July 10-20. Featuring 16 junior national teams that qualified last summer, the teams have been placed into four groups of four for preliminary round-robin play. The top two teams from each group will advance to the medal quarterfinals, while the remainder of the field will compete for places 9-16. The USA has been placed in Group C, joining China, Nigeria and Slovenia.
Eligibility for the 2003 USA Basketball Men's Junior World Championship Team is limited to any male athlete who is a U.S. citizen and 19-years-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1984).
Finalists for the 2003 USA Basketball Men's Junior World Championship Team include: Mohamed Abukar (Rancho Bernardo H.S. / Escondido, Calif.); Ager; DeAngelo Alexander(Oklahoma / Midwest City, Okla.); Brandon Bowman (Georgetown / Santa Monica, Calif.); Daniel Brown (Illinois / Maywood, Ill.); Graham Brown (Michigan / Mio, Mich.); David Burgess (Woodbridge H.S. / Irvine, Calif.); Davis; Ryan Hollins (UCLA / Pasadena, Calif.); Daniel Horton (Michigan / Cedar Hill, Texas); Brian Johnson (Bishop O'Connell H.S., Va. / Glenarden, Md.); Jonathan Modica (Arkansas / Smackover, Ark.); Kevin Pittsnogle (West Virginia / Martinsburg, W.Va.); Mitch Platt (Green Valley, H.S. / Henderson, Nev.); J.J. Redick (Duke / Roanoke, Va.); Mustafa Shakur (Philadelphia Friends Central H.S. / Wynnewood, Pa.); C.J. Watson (Tennessee / Las Vegas, Nev.) and Deron Williams (Illinois / The Colony, Texas). Oregon head coach Ernie Kent will coach the USA squad, while being assisted by Georgia's Dennis Felton and Kentucky Wesleyan's Ray Harper.
