July 14, 2000
MIAMI – University of Kentucky junior forward Tayshaun Prince has been named to the 2000 USA Young Men’s National Team, USA Basketball announced today.
After three days of training camp in Miami, Prince was selected to the 12-man squad from a field of 16 finalists under the age of 20. Syracuse head man Jim Boeheim will coach the team.
“It means a lot to make the team,” Prince said from his hotel room in Miami. “USA Basketball is a very important organization and to get the opportunity to play on this team will help me tremendously in getting to the next level.”
Prince is one of two Southeastern Conference student-athletes to make the final cut, joining SEC Freshman of the Year Joe Johnson of Arkansas.
“I’ve been here all week with a very special group of guys, and all 16 could have made the team,” Prince added. “I’m really looking forward to the competition. It should be a great experience.”
The 12-member team includes 11 who played at NCAA Division I universities in 1999-00 and one who played in high school. Selected to the team were: Steve Blake (Maryland), Nick Collison (Kansas), Brian Cook (Illinois), Mike Dunleavy (Duke), Drew Gooden (Kansas), Johnson, Prince, Zach Randolph (Marion H.S., Ind.), Jason Richardson (Michigan State), Kenny Satterfield (Cincinnati), Bobby Simmons (DePaul) and Jason Williams (Duke).
“We’ve got 12 really good players,” Boeheim said. “I think that 10 or 11 of these guys can play in the NBA, so we certainly have got enough talent. We don’t have that big post guy, but we have all the other ingredients. We’ve got leadership and experience and we’ve got guys who can shoot the ball really well. This is a very strong USA Basketball team and I’m looking forward to taking them to Brazil.”
The squad will begin competition July 19 in the 2000 COPABA (Confederation of Pan American Basketball Associations) World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Tournament held in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. The gold medal and bronze medal games will be played July 23. The event features eight nations from the International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) Americas Zone and the countries are split into two groups of four teams each for preliminary round play. The top three teams will qualify for the 2001 FIBA World Championship in Japan.
The team will continue to practice in Miami before leaving for Brazil on Sunday.
Prince is the second Wildcat to participate on a USA Basketball squad this summer. UK Coach Tubby Smith will serve as an assistant coach on the Senior National Team that will compete in the Olympics in September in Sydney, Australia.
2000 World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Tournament Schedule
Preliminary Round
Wednesday, July 19
2:00 p.m. – * Canada – Dominican Republic
4:00 p.m. – * Argentina – Panama
6:00 p.m. – * USA – Uruguay
8:30 p.m. – * Brazil – Puerto Rico
Thursday, July 20
2:30 p.m. – * Puerto Rico – Dominican Republic
4:30 p.m. – * Uruguay – Argentina
6:30 p.m. – * Panama – USA *
8:30 p.m. – * Brazil – Canada *
Friday, July 21
3:30 p.m. – * Uruguay – Panama
5:30 p.m. – * Puerto Rico – Canada
7:30 p.m. – * Argentina – USA
9:30 p.m. – * Brazil – Dominican Republic
Semifinals
Saturday, July 22
Consolation Round
1:00 p.m. – * 3A – 4B (S3)
3:00 p.m. – * 3B – 4A (S4)
Medal Round
5:00 p.m. – * 1A – 2B (S1)
7:00 p.m. – * 1B – 2A (S2)
Finals
Sunday, July 23
1:00 p.m. – * 7th/8th Place: Loser S3 – Loser S4
3:00 p.m. – * 5th/6th Place: Winner S3 – Winner S4
5:00 p.m. – * Bronze Medal Game: Loser S1 – Loser S2
7:00 p.m. – * Gold Medal Game: Winner S1 – Winner S2
* All times are local
— UK —
