15 players selected to Team USA Basketball roster...

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Fifteen Finalists For USA World Championship Team Announced

2006 USA Men's World Championship Team Finalists Roster/ USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team Roster
2006 USA Men's Senior National Team Training Schedule

July 25, 2006• Las Vegas, Nevada

   
With the 2006 USA World Championship Team now featuring 15 finalists, USA Men's Senior National Team head mentor Mike Krzyzewski and the team finalists will resume training on July 31 in Las Vegas, Nev. (Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler/ NBAE/USA Basketball)
Following five days of training that included participation from 20 of the 24 members who had been named to the 2006-08 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team, USA Basketball Senior National Team Managing Director Jerry Colangelo and USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced today the 15 players who had been selected as finalists for the USA Basketball World Championship Team.

Players named as finalists include: : Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards); Shane Battier (Houston Rockets); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs); Elton Brand (Los Angeles Clippers); Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards); Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks); Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings); Chris Paul (New Orleans/ Oklahoma City Hornets); Amaré Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns); and Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat).

The official 12-man roster that will compete in the Aug. 19-Sept, 3 FIBA World Championship must be submitted to FIBA at the technical meeting that normally is held the day prior to the start of the competition.

"To get through this phase how we got through it, with no major injuries, with the amount of work that was accomplished, to establish a team unity, we're off to a great start. I think from me on down we're very pleased with what has transpired in our first session of camp and we're excited about going forward to phase number two which begins July 31," said Colangelo.

"I think everything in our first phase of training was set up well and what we wanted to do in this phase was to pick 15, 16 or even 14 players to go forward with. We wanted to start developing a team, not only X's and O's, but where we know each other, where we have confidence in one another, where we like each other and I think that was accomplished," Krzyzewski said of the senior team's first training session.

"We have a great blend of ages. We do have a lot of young players, you could put seven or eight of those guys on a team and every one of them would be under 25 and they're good. To be able to include on the roster a mixture of veterans who have accomplished a lot and who have played with or are playing with very talented players is, I think, a really good combination.

"All of my surprises during the first week of training have been good ones. I expected the players to work hard. They worked harder. I expected them to cooperate. They cooperated better. I expected them to listen and they listened better. I expected them to show enthusiasm and they showed enthusiasm at a higher level. They showed a spirit of cooperation and I didn't realize the friendship they already have because I'm not around them, but a lot of these guys are really close friends and that helps with our team building," added Krzyzewski.


Krzyzewski was named on Oct. 26, 2005, head coach of the USA Senior Team program for 2006-2008, and named assistant coaches were Syracuse University (N.Y.) and Hall of Fame mentor Jim Boeheim, Phoenix Suns head mentor Mike D'Antoni and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan.

The USA finalists will take a five-day break and will reconvene in Las Vegas on July 31 for the start of the second phase of the team's domestic training. The USA will train July 31-Aug. 2 and meet Puerto Rico in the 2006 State Farm USA Basketball Challenge at the Thomas & Mack Center on Aug. 3 (8:00 p.m. PDT).