July 25, 2003
ORLANDO, Fla. – Kentucky junior forward Chuck Hayes was named to the 2003 U.S. Pan American Games team after six days of training in Orlando, Fla. Hayes is one of 12 college stars on the roster and will travel with the squad to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic next month for the event.
Joining Hayes on the squad are Andre Barrett (Seton Hall), Josh Childress (Stanford), Ike Diogu (Arizona State), Ben Gordon (UConn), Chris Hill (Michigan State), Luke Jackson (Oregon), Arthur Johnson (Missouri), Brandon Mouton (Texas), Emeka Okafor (UConn), Rickey Paulding (Missouri) and Blake Stepp (Gonzaga).
Eligibility for the 2003 USA Basketball Men’s Pan American Games Team is open to any male athlete who is a U.S. citizen. The official 12-member team will continue its Orlando training camp which is scheduled to run through July 29.
Michigan State University’s Tom Izzo is serving as head coach for the 2003 USA Basketball Men’s Pan American Games Team and he is assisted by collegiate head coaches Lorenzo Romar from the University of Washington and Quin Snyder from the University of Missouri.
“This is definitely one of the toughest decisions I have ever faced. We had so many players that could have made the team and probably deserved to make it but you can only have 12,” commented Izzo. “I think we have a very solid, exciting team that can play good defense, rebound and shoot the ball – you need all three of those things to compete for a medal.
“The trademark of this team will be toughness. We need to gel now and get everyone in a position to be successful. The rest of camp we will scrimmage, put in different looks offensively and defensively, and see what each player can do well. I really like our team but that was an extremely tough decision (to cut to the final 12).
“I told this team that the key is going to be trust,” Izzo continued. They have to trust us as coaches and each other that everything is being done with one thing in mind – being the best. When we come together, this is going to be a very tough team to play.”
The USA Pan American Games Team, which opened their training on July 20 in Orlando, is preparing for the 2003 Pan American Games that will be played Aug. 2-6 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Eight nations will compete in the men’s basketball competition at the Games. The U.S. is joined by host country, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, and three teams that will be determined at the July 21-27 South American Tournament held in Uruguay.
The eight men’s teams will be divided in the preliminary round into two groups of four. Preliminary round games begin on Aug. 2 and go through Aug. 4. Game times during the preliminary round are still unknown. Medal semifinal action takes place on Aug. 5 at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. and the Pan American Games gold medal game will be held on Aug. 6 at 9:00 p.m. All games are held at the Palacio de los Deportes Virgilio Travieso Soto Sports Hall.
Of the 12 players named to the 2003 USA Pan American Games Team, five , Diogu (Associated Press honorable mention), Gordon (Basketball America third team), Johnson (Basketball America third team), Okafor (espn.com second team, Basketball America second team, Basketball Times third team, AP honorable mention) and Stepp (AP honorable mention), earned NCAA All-American honors.
Additionally, Diogu, Jackson, Okafor and Stepp were all-conference first team picks in 2002-03, Barrett, Gordon, Hill, Johnson and Paulding were second team choices, Mouton earned third team honors, and Childress was honorable mention all-league.
Seton Hall guard Barrett is the lone team member boasting of actual USA Basketball international experience and was a member of the 2001 USA World University Games Team that claimed the bronze medal with a 7-1 record. Also, Barrett (1999), Childress (2000) and Stepp (1999), participated in a USA Basketball Youth Development Festival.
