Lawrence Frosh Heading to Team USA Camp
Lawrence Academy Freshmen Johnnie Vassar was one of 33 players from around the country invited to attend the USA Men’s Developmental National Team mini-camp held October 9th and 10th at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The mini-camp will be utilized to help identify players for the 2011-12 USA Basketball Developmental National Team program and to help prepare the U.S. for the 2011 FIBA Americas U16 Championship (dates and site TBA). The 2011 USA Basketball U16 Championship Team will be comprised of Developmental National Team members, and in order to be eligible, an athlete must be a U.S. citizen born on or after Jan. 1, 1995. In total the 33 players consist of 14 of the nation’s top sophomores and 19 premier freshmen.
Participating in the mini-camp are: Shaqquan Aaron (Mater Dei H.S. / Apple Valley, Calif.); Nathan Adrian (Morgantown H.S. /Morgantown, W.Va.); Larry Austin (Lanphier H.S. / Springfield, Ill.); Anton Beard (Parkview Magnet H.S. / Little Rock, Ark.); Leron Black (White Station H.S. / Memphis, Tenn.); James Blackmon, Jr. (Bishop Luers H.S. / Fort Wayne, Ind.); Jonathan Carson (Messmer H.S. / Milwaukee, Wis.); Parker Cartwright (Loyola H.S. / Valley Glen, Calif.); Dominique Collier (Denver East H.S. / Denver, Colo.); Eric Cooper, Jr. (Lutheran H.S. / Ontario, Calif.); Devin Davis (Warren Central H.S. / Indianapolis, Ind.); Jackson Davis (Lafayette H.S. / Lexington, Ky.); Stephen Domingo (Saint Ignatius College Prep / San Francisco, Calif.); Demonte Flannigan (Villa Angela-St. Joseph H.S. / Richmond Heights, Ohio); Conner Frankamp (Wichita North H.S. / Wichita, Kan.); Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty H.S. / San Jose, Calif.); Tyler Herrron (St. Edward H.S. / Willoughby Hills, Ohio); Ikenna Iroegbu (Franklin H.S. / Elk Grove, Calif.); Dakari Johnson (St. Patrick H.S. (N.J.) / Brooklyn, N.Y.); Stanley Johnson (Mater Dei H.S. / Fullerton, Calif.); Tyus Jones (Apple Valley H.S. / Apple Valley, Minn.); Khadeem Lattin (Second Baptist H.S. / Houston, Texas); Jalen Lindsey (Christ Presbyterian Academy / Franklin, Tenn.); Kennedy Meeks (West Charlotte H.S. / Charlotte, N.C.); Jahlil Okafor (Whitney Young H.S. / Chicago, Ill.); Jabari Parker (Simeon H.S. / Chicago, Ill.); Malik Price-Martin (Monsignor Edward Pace H.S. / Miami, Fla.); Theo Pinson (Oak Ridge Military Academy / Greensboro, N.C.); Jordan Swopshire (Fort Zumwalt West H.S. / O’Fallon, Mo.); Charles Tucker (Lansing Eastern H.S. / Lansing, Mich.); Johnnie Vassar (Lawrence Academy (Mass.) / Chicago, Ill.); Johnathan Williams (Southwind H.S. / Memphis, Tenn.); and Justise Winslow (St. John’s School / Houston, Texas).
“We’re going to find out a lot about the 33 who come to the mini-camp. We like kids that can play different positions, we like kids that are athletic that can play defense, and I think we’re going to find all that out during the mini-camp,” said Mid-Prairie High School (Iowa) head coach Don Showalter, who will direct the players during the mini-camp and who led the U.S. to gold medal finishes at the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship.
“We plan to work them pretty hard but yet give them some time to show what they can do in scrimmage situations. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s the first time we’ve done an October mini-camp with U16 players so it’s going to be a learning experience for all of us.
“The fun part of this at this age is getting these kids as they prepare for their high school careers and before they really get off on the AAU circuits and high school tournaments. This gives us a chance to look at them and give them some of the structure and information of what USA Basketball is all about early in their career. I think that’s a definite advantage for USA Basketball and for these kids,” Showalter added.
The 2010 USA Developmental National Team mini-camp participants will train twice a day on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10, with training sessions scheduled for 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 4:30-7:30 p.m. (MDT) at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The 33 players hail from 18 different states, with California represented by a high of seven players, followed by Illinois with four, Tennessee with three, while Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas feature two players each. Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, West Virginia and Wisconsin are each represented by one player.
The 2010 mini-camp player selections were made by the USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team Committee.