Kansas University’s Nick Collison and Drew Gooden have survived the first round of cuts for USA Basketball’s World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team.
The two Jayhawks KU’s Kirk Hinrich was one of nine players cut Sunday after practice in Colorado Springs, Colo. will join 14 other players as finalists for the team that will represent the United States at a qualifying tournament on July 19-23 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Four additional players will be cut following camp July 10-17 in Miami.
“It’s good to make this cut. It’s probably the most competitive USA Basketball tryout I’ve been involved with,” said Collison, KU’s 6-foot-9 sophomore forward from Iowa Falls, Iowa. He has played for three U.S. teams in the past three years.
“I think they are looking for guys who play well in a team setting. We’re looking to get it in the open court and try to play running basketball. I think Drew played well. Kirk played well but I think (he) got caught in a situation where there were too many guards.”
Point guards surviving cuts were Duke’s Jason Williams, Cincinnati’s Steve Logan and Cincinnati combo guard Kenny Satterfield.
Other finalists: Steve Blake, G, Maryland; Carlos Boozer, F, Duke; Brian Cook, F, Illinois; Mike Dunleavy, G, Duke; Joe Johnson, G/F, Arkansas; Tayshaun Prince, F, Kentucky; Zach Randolph, F, Michigan State; Jason Richardson, F, Michigan State; Johnnie Selvie, F, Connecticut; Bobby Simmons, F, DePaul; Marcus Taylor, G, Michigan State.
“It was cool. It was straight,” Gooden said of the weekend tryouts. “There was a lot of talent here. It was like a conditioning test. To make the team, you had to pass the test.
“I still say it isn’t over because we’ve got 16 players going to Florida and there are still four more guys who are going to be chopped off the list, so my main focus is still to display my skills and try and make the team.”
How to best make the club?
“I just tried to play an all-around game,” said Gooden, a 6-9 soph from Richmond, Calif. “I tried to be unselfish, trying to look to score, rebound, play defense. I tried to showcase my overall game. I feel fortunate to get this far and want to make this team.”
The U.S. team is coached by Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim. Collison played for Boeheim two years ago on the silver medal winning Junior World championship team.
“I definitely think that playing for USA Basketball in the past helped me make it,” Collison said. “Playing for college coaches when I was in high school (Jim Boeheim in 1998 and Rob Evans, Arizona State, in 1999) prepared me so much for practice and stuff. Most high school kids don’t get demanding practices as college coaches put you through. I’m looking forward to playing for coach Boeheim again. He lets us get out there and play.
“I think this will help prepare me for next season at Kansas. It’s always helpful to play against this type of competition.”
Boeheim likes the U.S. roster.
“We’ve got great depth in these 16 guys,” Boeheim said. “It was hard for the committee to make the cut because there were more than 16 good players out here.”
The 2000 USA Young Men’s Team will compete July 19-23 in Riberao Preto, near Sao Paulo, in the 2000 COPABA (Confederation of Pan American Basketball Associations) World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Tournament.
The final 12-member U.S. team will compete against seven other teams from the Americas for one of the three Americas Zone qualifying berths for the 2001 FIBA World championship for Young Men. Any male athlete who is a U.S. citizen and is 20-years-old or younger is eligible for the team.
Held every four years, the U.S. qualified for the previous competition which was initiated in 1993 as the FIBA 22 And Under World Championship and originally designed for men 22-years-old or younger. FIBA lowered the age eligibility to 21-years-old or younger in December 1998 and changed the competition name to the World Championship for Young Men.
