Kansas senior-to-be Sherron Collins is one of 15 collegians that has accepted an invitation to attend the 2009 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team training camp June 16-24 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The team will be trimmed from 15 to 12 before departing for Serbia on June 25.
The 2009 competition will take place July 2-12 in Belgrade, Serbia, with 24 men’s teams expected to compete. Athletes for Team USA are only eligible if they currently enrolled in a college or university and have remaining NCAA athletic eligibility.
“I am looking forward to the chance to make this team,” Collins said in a release. “Mario (Chalmers) and I were cut from the Pan Am trials a couple of summers ago and I think having gone through that, I will be better prepared this time. There are some great players invited and I look forward to competing with them in Colorado.”
Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan will serve as the team’s coach, though his two assistants have not yet been announced.
Collins joins North Carolina’s Deon Thompson as the only two invites that have played in an NCAA championship game. Villanova’s Corey Fisher is the only other player to have participated in a Final Four.
Other players invited to the team trials were: James Anderson (Oklahoma State); Talor Battle (Penn State); Trevor Booker (Clemson); Craig Brackins (Iowa State); Da’Sean Butler (West Virginia); Mike Davis (Illinois); Lazar Hayward (Marquette); Robbie Hummel (Purdue); JaJuan Johnson (Purdue); Quincy Pondexter (Washington); Evan Turner (Ohio State); and Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi State).
Collins’ interest in the World University Games was first reported by the Journal-World on May 8, though an official announcement had not yet been made.