Colorado University Athletics
Harrison Selected to USA Team Trials
May 15, 2003 | Men's Basketball
COLORADO SPRINGS - A pair of collegiate centers from Colorado universities are among the 52 players who USA Basketball announced today have accepted invitations to participate in the 2003 USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials. University of Colorado 7-0 sophomore David Harrison (Nashville, Tenn.) and Colorado State 7-0 junior Matt Nelson (Chicago, Ill.) will compete for roster positions on the 2003 USA Pan American Games Team.
The 52 USA Trials invitees include 26 men who earned all-conference honors in 2002-03 and 15 other freshmen who were named to their conference all-freshman teams. The Trials will be held May 30-June 1 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The player selections were made by the USA Basketball Men's Collegiate Committee which is chaired by Terry Holland, former University of Virginia athletics director.
Harrison, a junior-to-be, rewrote the entire CU blocked shot record book this past season setting 13 records (three tied) that included a CU best 106 blocked shots (3.3 bpg.) Along with his outstanding stellar play in the paint, Harrison was second in team scoring (13.9 ppg.) and rebounding (8.3 rpg.) helping the Buffaloes to a 20-12 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. In addition to his conference best, two triple-doubles, the Big 12 Conference coaches acknowledged Harrison as one of its most improved players during the 2002-03 season.
The USA Collegiate Committee will select finalists from the Trials for two USA Basketball teams - 2003 USA Basketball Junior World Championship Team and 2003 USA Pan American Games Team. Of the 51 players, 28, because they are older than 19-years-old, will be eligible only for consideration for the Pan Am Games team. The other 24 players will be eligible for either the Pan American Games or Junior World Championship Teams. To be eligible for the USA Junior World Championship squad a player must be 19-years-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1984).
The first Trials session will be held on Friday, May 30 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. (All times are MDT), with two sessions, 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m., scheduled for Saturday, May 31, and one final practice session to be conducted 8:30-10:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 1.
The Trials will be used to select finalists for the 2003 USA Basketball Men's Junior World Championship Team. The official 12-member USA junior team, which will be finalized during the team's June 24-July 6 training camp in Dallas, Texas, will compete July 10-20 in the 2003 FIBA Men's Junior World Championship Tournament that is being held in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Featuring 16 junior teams that qualified last summer, the teams have been placed into four groups of four for preliminary round robin play. The top two teams from each group will advance to the medal quarterfinals, while the remainder of the field will compete for 9th - 16th place (see the enclosed tournament schedule for the complete schedule). The USA was placed in Group C, joining China, Nigeria and Slovenia.
University of Oregon mentor Ernie Kent, who was head coach of last summer's junior qualifying team, will serve as head coach of the 2003 USA Basketball Men's Junior World Championship Team, and will be assisted by Dennis Felton of the University of Georgia and Ray Harper of Kentucky Wesleyan College.
The Trials will also be relied on to determine finalists for the 2003 USA Men's Pan American Games Team. The Pan American Games, held every four years in the year prior to the Olympics, will be held Aug. 1-17, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The men's basketball competition is slated for Aug. 2-6. The field of teams in men's basketball, which will include teams from eight nations, is not yet known. The United States will be directed by Michigan State University mentor Tom Izzo, and his assistants include college head coaches Lorenzo Romar of the University of Washington and Quin Snyder of the University of Missouri.
2003 USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials Schedule
Friday, May 30
Session #1 4:00-7:00 p.m. U.S. Olympic Training Center, Sports Center II , Colorado Springs, Colorado
Saturday, May 31
Session #2 9:30-11:30 a.m. U.S. Olympic Training Center, Sports Center II , Colorado Springs, Colorado; Session #3 5:30- 7:30 p.m. U.S. Olympic Training Center, Sports Center II , Colorado Springs, Colorado
Sunday, June 1
Session #4 8:30-10:00 a.m. U.S. Olympic Training Center, Sports Center II , Colorado Springs, Colorado
Note: All Trials session times are MDT
*** MEDIA NOTE *** Media interested in attending the 2003 USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials, or those who are unable to attend who wish to conduct a telephone interview with an athlete or coach during Trials, should contact Craig Miller at the USA Basketball Communications Department at (719) 590-4800.
