Northwestern University Athletics
Shurna Selected to Compete for United States Select Team
7/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 8, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern rising junior John Shurna (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West) is one of 20 collegiate individuals named to the United States Select Team which will train alongside the 2010 USA Basketball Men's National Team during its July 19-24 training camp in Las Vegas, Nev.
Shurna earned the rare opportunity to represent the U.S. in international competition last summer when he earned a gold medal at the FIBA World Championships in New Zealand as a member of the country's under-19 squad.
"This is another fantastic opportunity for John," Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody said. "Anytime you get the chance to compete against some of the very best players in the world, it can only make you better. His experience while winning a gold medal with the United States U-19 team last summer helped him reach a new level of play. I'd expect this opportunity to help him in a similar fashion."
The Big Ten Conference leads all conference by having five individuals named to the Select Team. Joining Shurna will be Illinois' Mike Tisdale, Ohio State's William Buford, Purdue's JaJuan Johnson and Wisconsin's Jon Leuer.
Lorenzo Romar of the University of Washington and Jay Wright of Villanova University will serve as co-head coaches of the USA Select Team.
"The USA Basketball Junior National Team Committee is thrilled to be able to give some of the top older college players this opportunity to be involved with USA Basketball this summer. I want to thank Jerry (Colangelo) and Mike Krzyzewski for involving the college players," said Jim Boeheim, chair of the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Committee and an assistant coach with the USA National Team.
"These 20 players now have an opportunity to be involved with USA Basketball in a summer when they normally wouldn't and they'll get a chance to play against some great NBA players. It will help them improve and it will help our national team be better prepared for this summer's World Championship.
Members of the USA Select Team will converge on Las Vegas and conduct a private training session July 19 (11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. PDT), then train with the USA National Team July 20-23 (12-3 p.m. PDT). All practices will take place at UNLV's Cox Pavilion.
"We believe bringing in a USA Basketball Select Team will help the USA National Team be better prepared for the upcoming FIBA World Championship," said Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball chairman. "We had USA select teams comprised of young, up-and-coming NBA players train against the national team in 2007 and 2008. That proved not only beneficial for our national team, but also for the select team players who got a great training opportunity and became involved in USA Basketball's pipeline. This will be a tremendous opportunity for these collegians to be involved in USA Basketball and to get a look at the next level."
Featuring players from 19 different colleges, Duke is the only institution to feature two players. The 20 Select Team players include nine who will be seniors in 2010-11 and 11 who will be juniors. Shurna will be reunited with Shelvin Mack of Butler and Howard Thompkins of Georgia who were teammates of his on last summer's gold medal-winning U-19 team.
USA Basketball Men's National Team, in preparation for the Aug. 28-Sept. 12 FIBA World Championship, will open its 2010 training with a July 19-24 team training camp in Las Vegas. The USA training camp will feature daily practice sessions from 12-3 p.m. (PDT) July 20-23 at UNLV's Cox Pavilion. The USA practices are closed to the general public. The camp will culminate with the 2010 USA Basketball Showcase, a Blue-White intra-squad game that will be held on Saturday, July 24, 7 p.m. (PDT) at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV. The USA training camp will also feature daily practice sessions from 12-3 p.m. (PDT) July 20-23 at UNLV's Cox Pavilion.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2010 USA Basketball Showcase. Tickets are priced $75, $50, $35 for plaza seats and $18 and $12 for balcony and can be purchased by calling 866-388-FANS or online at www.UNLVtickets.com.
USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the United States by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international basketball competitions, as well as for some national competitions. For more information about USA Basketball, visit www.usabasketball.com.
2010 USA Basketball Select Team
| NAME | POS | HT | WT | YEAR | COLLEGE/HOMETOWN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lavoy Allen | C | 6-10 | 225 | 2011 | Temple University/Morrisville, Pa. |
| William Buford | G | 6-5 | 190 | 2012 | Ohio State University/Toledo, Ohio |
| LaceDarius Dunn | F | 6-4 | 205 | 2012 | Baylor University/Monroe, La. |
| Jimmer Fredette | G | 6-2 | 195 | 2011 | Brigham Young University/Glens Falls, N.Y. |
| Scotty Hopson | G | 6-7 | 200 | 2012 | University of Tennessee/Hopkinsville, Ky. |
| Scoop Jardine | G | 6-2 | 190 | 2012 | Syracuse University/Philadelphia, Pa. |
| JaJuan Johnson | F | 6-10 | 216 | 2011 | Purdue University/Indianapolis, Ind. |
| Jon Leuer | C | 6-10 | 230 | 2011 | University of Wisconsin/Orono, Minn. |
| Shelvin Mack | G | 6-3 | 215 | 2012 | Butler University/Lexington, Ky. |
| Marcus Morris | F | 6-8 | 225 | 2011 | University of Kansas/Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Jacob Pullen | G | 6-0 | 200 | 2011 | Kansas State University/Maywood, Ill. |
| John Shurna | F | 6-8 | 210 | 2012 | Northwestern University/Glen Ellyn, Ill. |
| Kyle Singler | F | 6-8 | 230 | 2011 | Duke University/Medford, Ore. |
| Chris Singleton | F | 6-9 | 227 | 2012 | Florida State University/Canton, Ga. |
| Nolan Smith | G | 6-2 | 185 | 2011 | Duke University/Upper Marlboro, Md. |
| Howard Thompkins | F | 6-10 | 247 | 2012 | University of Georgia/Lithonia, Ga. |
| Mike Tisdale | C | 7-1 | 235 | 2011 | University of Illinois/Riverton, Ill. |
| Kemba Walker | G | 6-1 | 172 | 2012 | University of Connecticut/Bronx, N.Y. |
| Chris Wright | F | 6-8 | 226 | 2012 | University of Dayton/Trotwood, Ohio |
| Tyler Zeller | F | 7-0 | 240 | 2012 | University of North Carolina/Washington, Ind. |
Coach: Lorenzo Romar, University of Washington
Coach: Jay Wright, Villanova University
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