DURHAM, N.C. – Duke seniors Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith headline a list of 20 players named to the 2010 USA Basketball Men’s Select Team as announced by USA Basketball on Thursday. The team, featuring the top upperclassman in the NCAA, has been selected to train against the USA Basketball Men’s National Team during its upcoming July training camp in Las Vegas.
Joining Singler and Smith on the 2010 USA Basketball Select squad are: Lavoy Allen (Temple); William Buford (Ohio State); LaceDarius Dunn (Baylor); Jimmer Fredette (BYU); Scotty Hopson (Tennessee); Scoop Jardine (Syracuse); JaJuan Johnson (Purdue); Jon Leuer (Wisconsin); Shelvin Mack (Butler); Marcus Morris (Kansas); Jacob Pullen (Kansas State); John Shurna (Northwestern); Chris Singleton (Florida State); Howard Thompkins (Georgia); Mike Tisdale (Illinois); Kemba Walker (Connecticut); Chris Wright (Dayton); and Tyler Zeller (North Carolina).
Also, USA Basketball announced that serving as co-head coaches of the USA Select Team are accomplished collegiate mentors Lorenzo Romar (Washington) and Jay Wright (Villanova).
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 (12:00-3:00 p.m. PDT). All practices will take place at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion.
“We believe bringing in a USA Basketball select team to train against the USA National Team will help our team get better prepared for the upcoming FIBA World Championship,” said Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball chairman. “In 2007 and 2008 we brought in to the national team training camps USA select teams comprised of young, up-and-coming NBA players and that proved not only beneficial for our national team, but for those 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 get a look at the next level.”
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 on line at www.UNLVtickets.com.
Select Team members with prior USA Basketball experience include Mack, Shurna and Thompkins who were members of USA Basketball’s 2009 U19 World Championship Team that finished 9-0 in New Zealand to claim the gold medal. Additionally, Singler and Smith were teammates on the USA’s U18 Championship that captured gold at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship and they were again teammates on the 2007 USA Junior National Select Team that defeated am international select team in the Nike Hoop Summit. Hopson was a member of the victorious 2008 USA Junior National Select Team in the Nike Hoop Summit, while Walker was a member of the 2008 USA FIBA Americas U18 Championship Team that collected a silver medal. Johnson has USA Basketball experience through the 2009 USA Basketball Trials.
Both Romar and Wright have extensive international experience as USA Basketball coaches. Romar was head coach of the USA’s 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship Team that won gold, and an assistant coach with the 2003 USA Pan American Games and 1997 USA 22 & Under World Championship teams. Wright was head mentor for the USA’s 2007 Pan American Games Team and led the 2005 USA World University Games Team to a gold medal showing, and was an assistant with the 2000 USA World Championship for Young Men Qualifier.
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.
Eight collegiate conferences are represented, with the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 each listing four, while Atlantic 10, Big East and SEC each have a pair, respectively, and the Horizon and Mountain West have one player on the roster.
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.
Tag Archives: Kyle Singler
BDN’s Monday Musings
A friend of mine told me over the weekend that it must be nice to finally have a break in my work with the season over and no sports in play around the Duke campus. As I explained to him, there are no breaks when you run a Duke web site for there is always something going on. Just this past weekend Duke Football held there annual camp as some of their top prospects and area talent put their skills on display. BDN will be bringing you coverage from the event this coming weekend and we'll recap the past weekend as well tomorrow. Coach Cutcliffe is turning the football program around and it's exciting to watch him add building blocks for the future. BDN continues to offer our football prospect interviews for free, so please visit often for we are dedicated to following Duke Football Recruiting.
Returning Duke players Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Seth Curry all attended the CP3 Developmental Camp this past week as well. Reports and sources say that all of them enjoyed a successful camp. And speaking of camps, the Duke Basketball Camp gets underway this weekend as well.
Another big camp kicks off this week and that is the NBA Top 100 Camp in Charlottsville, Virginia. Several Duke prospects will be on hand as will BDN to bring you coverage via out site and our popular twitter page. Be sure to sign up for our twittwer page for updates as the camp progresses. For a complete listing of the prospects on hand, check out BDN Premium's message board. Also, see our trial one month offer for BDN Premium, so that you might see if you like what we have to offer.
BDN's Andrew Slater talked with Isaiah Austin recently and we bring premium members an in depth interview with a kid who is ranked #2 in his class by Prep Stars. Austin is an Arlington, Texas native and stands 6-11 and while listed as a center, he has great perimeter skills. Check out Andrew's in depth interview with a kid who is truly one of the nations elite.
It was good to see former Blue Devil Quin Snyder be tabbed as an assistant coach by Doug Collins, the new coach of Philadelphia 76'ers. This is a great opportunity for Quin.
We still have a couple of offerings on the way from the Coach K Academy including a nice one on one with ESPN anaylist Jay Bilas. Be sure to check out the Chris Collins interview and Elton Brand, both of which have already been posted.
Good Monday all, and Go Duke. Oh! And there is never an off season if you want to cover Duke Athletics right. Don't forget to sign up and follow us on twitter where we are listed as BlueDevilNation. Also, see and join us on our facebook page as well.
Duke’s Singler and Smith named team captains for 2010-11
DURHAM, N.C. – Seniors Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith were named team captains for the 2010-11 men’s basketball season, head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced on Tuesday. Both players are first time team captains.
“We’re really excited about naming our co-captains so early this year, and the reason is obvious – Nolan and Kyle are our leaders,” Krzyzewski said. “They have big shoes to fill. Losing the three seniors, who all were outstanding leaders, is the biggest gap we have to fill. But we’re confident that these two young men can do it.”
Singler, the 2010 Final Four Most Outstanding Player, averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game as a junior while leading Duke to a 35-5 record and the school's fourth NCAA Championship. He became one of 18 players in school history to score over 700 points in a single season, finishing with 707 points in 2010. Singler, a two-time AP honorable mention All-America selection, ranks 18th on Duke's career scoring list with 1,767 points. He is also 11th on the career three-point field goals chart with 205, 18th with 762 rebounds and 15th with 95 blocked shots. Singler has scored in double-figures 95 times with 32 games with 20 or more points scored. He also has 20 career double-doubles to his credit. Singler, a three-time All-ACC selection and the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2008, has helped Duke to a 93-18 (.838) record over the last three seasons. He has been a member of back-to-back ACC Tournament Championship teams in 2009 and 2010, making the ACC All-Tournament team both years and earning ACC Tournament MVP honors this year.
"Nolan and I have grown so much over the last three years and now it is time for both of us step forward and become vocal leaders of this team,” Singler added. “I am honored to be a team captain and take great pride in my ability to help lead the team. We had three great senior leaders a year ago and Nolan and I are determined to follow their example.”
Smith is coming off a breakout junior campaign in which he averaged 17.4 points per game, a 9.0 point per game increase over his sophomore season. He collected NCAA Tournament South Region Most Outstanding Player honors after scoring a career-high 29 points in Duke’s 78-71 win over Baylor in Houston. Smith also earned NCAA All-Final Four Team, ACC All-Tournament Team and second team All-ACC honors a year ago. Smith became the 60th player in Duke history to top the 1,000-point plateau in 2010 and ranks 45th at Duke with 1,147 career points. He has scored in double figures in 59 career games, including 36 times as a junior.
"Being named team captain along with Kyle is a huge honor," Smith said. "I am excited about my leadership role with the 2010-11 team. We have high goals set for this team and the only way we can accomplish them is with hard work and great leadership."
The Blue Devils are 93-18 since Singler and Smith joined the program, with the 93 victories matching the fifth-best three-year win total in school history. Duke is 52-8 over the last three seasons with the tandem in the starting lineup.
Watzone’s Monday Musings
Now that it's known which college players will officially enter the NBA Draft the picture for the 2011 college basketball season is coming into focus. As expected Gordan Hayward who missed a desperation shot in the national final as the buzzer sounded has elected to stay in. Many have said the Boston Celtics assured him he would not fall past them, so that made his decision easier. While college basketball loses here, Hayward has elected to go out on top. This makes sense in that Butler would be hard pressed to equal their story book run in 2010. A player like Hayward is cashing in on being hot but had the Celtics not offered the supposed guarantee, he would have been better off returning. The Duke-Butler game will suffer as will the Bulldogs with his decision. His return would land Butler in the pre season top five but his loss means they'll likely struggle to remain in the top 25. Of course, who wants to sell them short?
Speaking of departures, UNC loses not only Ed Davis but David and Travis Wear to transfer. While some didn't see the Wear twins leaving, many who are close to the program had an idea. This means UNC is really thin up front but don't fret for the Tar Heels for they will be a team with a lot of potential scorers. Despite heavy rumors, UNC managed to keep it's other freshman and that will allow them a roster full of perimeter guys. If you think teams cannot regroup after losses, look no further than Duke who had no recourse when Elliot Williams transffered to Memphis. Duke came together and everyone worried about their guard depth and in the end Duke gelled and nobody saw them coming.
Enough with departures, let's talk about the returns starting with Malcolm Delaney to Virginia Tech. The Hokie Nation is smiling from ear to ear for there the 2011 Techsters should garner an NCAA berth. Look for Delaney and Duke's Kyle Singler to run neck and neck for pre season ACC Player of the Year per local media. Both are shoe ins for All ACC.
Delaney will put the Hokies in the upper division of the ACC but they'll have plenty of competition from their company. Duke will not only be the pre season choice for the regular season title in the ACC but the country as well. As mentioned earlier, expect UNC to rebound from a lack luster season by their standards. UNC will add a ton of scoring with the addition of Harrison Barnes and Reggie Bullock and they'll likely rotate Henson and Zeller down low while playing a quicker team than a season ago. The addition of C.J. Leslie in Raleigh will propel the Pack to the top of the conference. Sydney Lowe has a terrific, yet young starting line up and the excitement will rekindle rivalries in the Triangle area. The other two teams we see in the upper division are Florida State and Miami, but there is a lot of time between now and tip off, so we'll hold off on our official predictions.
Two Big Ten teams benefited by returns as well in Purdue and Michigan State. The Spartans are loaded with the return of Kalin Lucas and they'll be in the top ten all season long. In fact, rumor has it that Duke will face Michigan State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Purdue got some great news when Ja Juan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore pulled their names out of the draft to join an rehabbing Robbie Hummel to form one of the nations top starting lineups.
I started working on an ACC Football preview for a group this weekend and the one thing which stands out is how many of the top teams return most of their starters. The Coastal division probably has the top four teams in the conference all in one division and any of them could be in the title game in Charlotte. Duke will be rebuilding and a leap beyond last seasons fifth place division finish will prove tough. A huge early season barometer will be when Duke travels to Wake Forest in the second game of the season. The Blue Devils have an interesting schedule where there appears to be some winnable games, but the conference structured it in a way when Duke could have used an off week later in the season. If there are must wins on the schedule I'd say that Elon and Army fall into that category. The bottom line is that Duke will be painfully young but quick and with a massive rebuilding job on defense they will lean on their offense while breaking in a new quarterback.
We appreciate your patience of late in that most of our staff has a lot going on from moves to family health issues. Look for a lot of recruiting coverage in the coming days on both the hardwood and gridiron as we return to normal. We hope to debut our first prospect video this week as well. BDN has a lot of changes coming in the near future in that we are always trying to make the site better.
Kyle Singler talks of his decision to stay at Duke
DURHAM - Duke Basketball got some great news early last evening when Kyle Singler announced that he would continue to play basketball in Durham this coming season. Singler averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a steal during his junior season and that helped pave the way for Duke to win the national title while sporting a 35-5 record.
During today's press conference, Singler was wide eyed and bushy tailed, meaning he was beaming with happiness about returning to the Gothic Wonderland for his senior campaign. Singler sat beside Coach Krzyzewski who was wearing his new championship ring and there was a sense that all things are right in the Blue Devil Nation.
The sounds of camera flashes flushed through the air of the media room as Singler began to explain his decision.
"I feel really good about my decision and with having two good choices I couldn't lose, which meant less pressure to make a choice," said Singler.
"We're still basking in the glow of winning the national championship," said Singler who was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four. Despite this being his day in the limelight, he was definitely thinking of his beloved teammates.
"I wanted to base my season on whether I wanted to be in school and I enjoy playing at Duke, so I didn't base my decision on whether there would be a lockout or not," said Singler addressing the questions of why and how he came about his choice.
Some media members didn't seem able to wrap their mind around that fact Singler would return, which bred questions about past comments concerning his desire to play in the NBA. "It was his dream to come to Duke and he is finishing one dream before he starts another and he wants to maximize the dream," said Krzyzewski who continued "He's an amazing guy to coach, he's got a great heart and is a warrior. Through leadership, I think he can bring that out in others on the team."
Singler's return guarantees that his name will go down as one of the great four year players at Duke and we'll simply have to wait and see if his number hangs in the rafters of hallowed Cameron Indoor Stadium. In order for that to happen Singler must win a player of the year award if past criteria applies, and Krzyzewski wasted little time in throwing his name out for one of the trophies.
"Kyle will captain our defense, he has a great understanding and was one of the best defensive players in the country this year," said Krzyzewski.
Singler's decision came after he analyzed all facets of his situation and Krzyzewski said he talked with GM's, Coaches and about half the league to get accurate information.
The junior All American's draft stock rose as the season progressed, but fans of college basketball underestimated just how much Singler enjoyed campus life. His decision was made over the weekend as we hinted would happen to members of BDN Premium.
When asked what he thought he could improve upon, Singler stated, "I think one thing I do want to improve on is my leadership. Being a senior and coming back with Nolan Smith and some other guys, my leadership will grow and that will help me as a player."
In the end Singler just wanted to play for Duke and his experiences this season certainly helped him make, in the end, what seemed to be an easy decision. "I just had a great time playing this season and being around guys who enjoyed getting better. Just being around that team made me better."
But, to close, we defer to the reasons he told Krzyzewski he was staying in the fold for his senior year. Kyle told me, "I love Duke, the players, the people, everything about Duke, " said Krzyzewski.
The bottom line is that Singler wants to experience his senior season. He doesn't want to miss out on being a leader and seeing if he can once again propel Duke to the top of the college basketball world.
Coming – Kyle Singler press conference and more
We will be bringing you audio from Kyle Singler's press conference shortly, where he will join Mike Krzyzewski to give the media their comments on the star players return. We also have an Austin Rivers interview on the way and more, so check back with the Blue Devil Nation around 11:00.
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