Colorado University Athletics
Johnson Headed To China With Pac-12 Conference Team
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. GÇô
The Pac-12 Conference will send 13 menGÇÖs basketball
student-athletes on a four-game all-star tour of China this summer
as part of its Globalization Initiative, the Conference announced
Friday.
The aim of the initiative is to help support Pac-12 member
universitiesGÇÖ international outreach efforts, build their brands in
an important market, and provide quality educational and cultural
exchange experiences for student-athletes.
Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak will guide a
roster of players representing 10 of the ConferenceGÇÖs 12
members.
GÇ£ItGÇÖs an honor to have the chance to represent the University of
Utah and the Pac-12 in China this summer,GÇ¥ said Krystkowiak. GÇ£This
is a great educational experience for everyone involved and I canGÇÖt
wait to work with this select group of outstanding
student-athletes.GÇ¥
Colorado forward Xavier Johnson (12.0 ppg/5.9 rpg)
joins Utah forward Jordan Loveridge (14.7 ppg/7.0
rpg), Washington guard Andrew Andrews (12.3
ppg/3.9 rpg), and Washington State guard DaVont+¬
Lacy (19.4 ppg/4.2 rpg) highlight a squad that will face a
Chinese university all-star team.
Johnson, a double major in ethnic studies and communication led the
Buffaloes (23-11 record) in scoring five times this past season,
also tied for the first on the team in 3-pointers (37) and was
third overall in scoring (12.0) and rebounding (5.9).
The Pac-12 will play three games against teams from the Chinese
Basketball Association, including the Shanghai Sharks. Eight-time
NBA All-Star Yao Ming owns the Sharks. Max Zhang, a former Cal Bear
student-athlete has been the center for the Sharks since his return
to China in 2010.
The Pac-12 all-star team will also play the Guangdong Southern
Tigers, the 2013-14 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) regular
season champion. The Tigers' leading Chinese scorer is Yi Jianlian,
who played for the NBAGÇÖs Milwaukee Bucks under Krystkowiak during
the 2007-08 season before returning to the CBA in 2012.
The Pac-12 intended on having all 12 member universities
represented on the team. However, the academic schedules of
student-athletes from Oregon and UCLA conflicted with the tour
dates.
In addition to the competition in China, the team will participate
in various youth clinics, as well as take in the culture and
history of China with visits to various landmarks and historical
sites in the cities of Shanghai, Nantong and Shenzhen.
The Pac-12 is working with HUPU Sports Media Co. in
arranging and promoting the tour, competitions and cultural
activities. The Pac-12 is also continuing its partnership with
Federation of University of Sports (FUSC), ChinaGÇÖs equivalent of
NCAA in organizing the 3rd China-U.S. University Sports Week, an
annual collaborative event between the Pac-12 and the FUSC that
will feature a friendly game between the Pac-12 All-star Team and a
Chinese University All-star Team and coaching clinics.
In addition, the United States Consulate in Shanghai has agreed to
support the tour and will have senior members of the Consulate
participate a welcome reception for the Pac-12 delegation, a tour
press conference and various activities of the tour in Shanghai and
Nantong.
To support the Pac-12 ConferenceGÇÖs on-going effort to build
awareness of itsGÇÖ member universities and the Conference in China,
the Pac-12 is working with its Chinese partners to organize an
academic symposium in conjunction with the Pac-12 menGÇÖs basketball
all-star tour in August. The symposium will include a high-profile
U.S.-China university leadersGÇÖ forum and business meetings between
the Pac-12 university delegates and senior dignitaries from the
Chinese government and universities. Six of the Conference's member
institutions will send a senior member to join this
symposium.
Over the past two summers as part of the ConferenceGÇÖs Globalization
Initiative, the league has sent an all-star womenGÇÖs volleyball
team, menGÇÖs basketball teams from Arizona State and UCLA and
womenGÇÖs basketball team from California to China.
The 10-day tour will commence August 10 and will be the first menGÇÖs
basketball all-star tour for the Pac-12 since the Conference sent
both a menGÇÖs and womenGÇÖs all-star team to Japan in 1996.
2014 Pac-12 MenGÇÖs Basketball China Tour
Roster
Name
(School)
Pos. Ht
Wt
Yr.
Hometown
Andrew
Andrews (Washington) G
6-2
195
So. Portland,
Ore.
Bo Barnes (Arizona
State) G/F 6-4
195
Jr.
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Malcolm Duvivier (Oregon
State) G 6-2
205
Fr.
Toronto, Canada
Jacob
Hazzard (Arizona) G 6-0
160
So. Los
Angeles, Calif.
Xavier
Johnson (Colorado) F 6-7
220
So. Los
Angeles, Calif.
Nikola Jovanovic
(USC)
F 6-10
215
Fr.
Belgrade, Serbia
DaVont+¬ Lacy (Washington
State) G 6-4
215
Jr. Tacoma,
Wash.
Jordan Loveridge
(Utah) F 6-6
210
So. West
Jordan, Utah
Roger Moute a Bidias
(California) F 6-7
200
Jr. Yaounde,
Cameroon
Cheikh NGÇÖdiaye (Oregon
State) C
7-0
230
Fr.
Dakar, Senegal
Jeremy
Olsen (Utah)
C
6-10
232
Jr. Lawrenceville,
Ga.
Schuyler
Rimmer (Stanford) C
6-10
255
Fr. Orlando,
Fla.
Brandon
Taylor (Utah) G
5-10
165
So. Los
Angeles, Calif.
Tentative Tour Itinerary
Aug. 7-9 Pre-tour
practice at San Francisco site to be determined
Aug. 10 Depart for Shanghai, China
Aug. 11 Arrive Shanghai, China
Aug. 13 Game 1 vs. Chinese University All-Stars
(Shanghai)
Aug. 14 Game 2 vs. Jiangsu Dragons or Shanghai Sharks
(Nantong)
Aug. 15 Pac-12 Academic Symposium
Aug. 16 Game 3 vs. Shanghai Sharks (Shanghai)
Aug. 17 Youth clinic at the Yi Jianlian Basketball Camp
Aug. 18 Game 4 vs. Guangdong Southern Tigers (Shenzhen)
Aug. 19 or 20 Depart for
United States