University of Connecticut Athletics
Butler Among Men's Basketball Invitees
5/15/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 15, 2001
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 15, 2001) - University of Connecticut standout Caron Butler (Racine, Wisconsin) is among 45 of the top men's college basketball players who have accepted invitations to participate in USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials.
Chaired by University of Virginia athletic director Terry Holland, the USA Basketball National Team Committee will select finalists for two teams -the 2001 USA Basketball World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team and the 2001 USA Basketball World University Games Team - following the three-day Trials which will be held June 1-3 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Butler, a 6-7 forward, completed his freshman season at Connecticut during the 2000-2001 season as the club's leading scorer (15.3/game) and rebounder (7.6/game). He was a unanimous pick on the BIG EAST Conference All-Rookie Team. Was named to the All- BIG EAST Third Team, and was named Rookie of the Year by the New England Basketball Coaches Association.
The 45 invitees accepting their invitation were: Maurice Baker (Oklahoma State / Madison, Ill.), Antwain Barbour (Wabash Valley C.C./ Elizabethtown, Ky.), Earl Barron (Memphis / Clarksdale, Miss.), Andre Barrett (Seton Hall/ Bronx, N.Y.), Lonny Baxter (Maryland / Silver Spring, Md.), Troy Bell (Boston College / Minneapolis, Minn.), Todd Billet (Virginia / Middletown, N.J.), LaVell Blanchard (Michigan / Ann Arbor, Mich.), Carlos Boozer (Duke/ Juneau, Alaska), Cory Bradford (Illinois / Memphis, Tenn.), Caron Butler (Connecticut / Racine, Wis.), Brian Cook (Illinois / Lincoln, Ill.), Dan Dickau (Gonzaga / Vancouver, Wash.), Juan Dixon (Maryland / Baltimore, Md.), Erwin Dudley (Alabama / Uniontown, Ala.), Chris Duhon (Duke /Slidell, La.), Mike Dunleavy (Duke / Lake Oswego, Ore.), Melvin Ely (Fresno State / Harvey, Ill.), Reggie Evans (Iowa / Pensacola, Fla.), Lynn Greer (Temple / Philadelphia, Pa.), Rod Grizzard (Alabama / Birmingham, Ala.), Brooks Hall (Dayton / Troy, Ohio), Tahj Holden (Maryland / Red Bank, N.J.), Joshua Howard (Wake Forest / Winston-Salem, N.C.), Jared Jeffries (Indiana/ Bloomington, Ind.), Donhtay Jones (Duke / Mamilton Square, N.J.), Jason Kapono (UCLA / Lakewood, Calif.), Steve Lepore (Wake Forest / North Olmsted, Ohio), John Linehan (Providence / Chester, Pa.), Steve Logan (Cincinnati / Cleveland, Ohio), Roger Mason, Jr. (Virginia / Silver Spring, Md.), Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph's / Chester, Pa.), Marvin O'Connor (St. Joseph's / Philadelphia, Pa.), Chris Owens (Texas / Duncanville, Texas ), Justin Reed (Mississippi / Jackson, Miss.), Darius Rice (Miami / Jackson, Miss.), Preston Shumpert (Syracuse / Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.), Tamar Slay (Marshall / Beckley, W.V.), Tyler Smith (Penn State / Lake Forest, Ill.), Michael Sweetney (Georgetown / Oxen Hill, Md.), Marcus Taylor (Michigan State / Lansing, Mich.), David West (Xavier / Garner, N.C.), Frank Williams (Illinois / Peoria, Ill.), Kelly Wise (University of Memphis / Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.), Glen Worley (Iowa / Iowa City, Iowa).
The 2001 USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials will begin Friday, June 1 from 4:30-7:00 p.m. (all times MDT). Sessions will follow from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, and will conclude on Sunday, June 3 with a session from 8:00- 10:00 a.m.
The 2001 USA World Championship for Young Men Team will compete August 3-12 in Saitama, Japan, in the 2001 FIBA World Championship for Young Men Tournament. Featuring 12 teams that have been divided into two preliminary round pools consisting of six teams each, the United States was placed in Pool B with Argentina, Croatia, Israel, Japan and South Korea. The six teams comprising preliminary Pool A include Australia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Qatar, Slovenia and Spain. Any male athlete who is a U.S. citizen and is 21-years-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1980) is eligible for the 2001 USA Basketball World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team.
Syracuse University (N.Y.) head coach Jim Boeheim will serve as head coach of the 2001 USA World Championship for Young Men squad, and he will be assisted by Ernie Kent of the University of Oregon and Phil Martelli of St. Joseph's University (Pa.). The final 12-member team will be named during the team's July 22-30 training camp which will be held at a site to be determined.
The World University Games, held every two years, is a multi-sport competition open to men between the ages of 17 and 28 (born between Jan. 1, 1973 and Dec. 31, 1983), who are, or have been within the past year, a student at a college or university. This summer the World University Games will be held Aug. 22 - Sept. 1 in Beijing, China. The men's basketball competition, currently featuring collegiate teams from 28 countries, has been divided into eight preliminary round pools. Placed into Pool B, the United States will face Iran, South Africa and Turkey in preliminary round play.
Penn State University (Pa.) head coach Jerry Dunn has been selected to serve as head coach for the 2001 USA Basketball Men's World University Games Team, while collegiate head coaches Rod Barnes from the University of Mississippi and Al Skinner from Boston College (Mass.) will assist Dunn on the sidelines. The final 12- member team will be named during the team's Aug. 10-18 training camp which will be held at a site to be determined.
