Future Jayhawk Quentin Grimes, a five-star, Top 10 prospect from Texas who signed with Kansas during the early signing period last fall, will get an early taste of what it’s like to play for KU coach Bill Self in a few weeks in Colorado Springs.
Grimes is one of 32 players invited to the U18 training camp, May 31-June 2, to compete for a spot on the USA Basketball team that will represent the United States, under the guidance of Self and former KU great Danny Manning, at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship June 10-16 in Canada.
Seventeen of the 32 players invited to the training camp, including Grimes, have previous USA Basketball experience.
Finalists for the team are expected to be announced on June 2, and the team will continue training June 3-8 in Colorado Springs until departing for the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens who are 18 years old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 2000).
The USA, which will be in the hunt for a fifth-straight U18 gold medal at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, will compete in Group A against Dominican Republic, Panama and Puerto Rico in preliminary round play. Drawn into Group B were Argentina, host Canada, Chile and Ecuador.
Following the June 10-12 round-robin preliminary games, teams will be seeded within each group and all eight teams advance to the June 14 quarterfinal games. The semifinals will be played June 15 and the finals on June 16.
USA men’s teams are 53-2 in the FIBA Americas U18 Championships and won gold in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016, while capturing silver in 2008 and bronze in 2002.
Originally known as the FIBA Americas Junior World Championship Qualifier, the tournament was held every four years between 1990-2006. FIBA changed its calendar following the 2006 championship, and the tournament is now conducted every other year, followed in the next summer, for nations that advance, by the FIBA U19 World Cup.