Training camp for the 2018 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team, which will take place May 31-June 2 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will feature 32 athletes overall, including 17 with experience from at least one prior USA Basketball training camp. Included among the 32 attendees will be rising Memphis freshman Alex Lomax.
“We are excited about the group of players that are competing for roster spots on the 2018 USA Men’s U18 National Team,” said Matt Painter (Purdue), chair of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee. “This group is a versatile and diverse collection of players that will work together on the court and will represent USA Basketball very well.”
Lomax brings impressive credentials to the workouts. He was named the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Class AAA Mr. Basketball as a sophomore and junior at East High. He also helped lead the Mustangs to three consecutive state championships and was twice named tournament MVP.
During his career, Lomax scored more than 1,700 points with more than 800 rebounds and 800 assists. In his four seasons playing for East High, the Mustangs went 122-18.
Quentin Grimes (College Park H.S./The Woodlands, Texas) and Zion Williamson (Spartanburg Day School/Spartanburg, S.C.) return from the 2018 USA Junior National Select Team that played in the 2018 Nike Hoop Summit, though Williamson was injured and unable to play.
Fifteen 2018 U18 hopefuls took part in the NCAA Next Generation Sunday at the 2018 NCAA Men’s Final Four as members of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Select Team, including Cole Anthony (Archbishop Molloy H.S./Briarwood, N.Y.); Bryan Antoine (Ranney School/Tinton Falls, N.J.); Armando Bacot (Trinity Episcopal School/Richmond, Va.); Joey Baker (Trinity Christian School/Fayetteville, N.C.); Will Baker(Westlake H.S./Austin, Texas); Keion Brooks (North Side H.S./Fort Wayne, Ind.); Matthew Hurt (John Marshall H.S./Rochester, Minn.); Trayce Jackson-Davis (Center Grove H.S./Greenwood, Ind.); Josiah James (Porter-Gaud School/Charleston, S.C.); Jalen Leque (Christ School/Teaneck, N.J.); Scottie Lewis(Ranney School/Hazlet, N.J.); Tyrese Maxey (South Garland H.S./Dallas, Texas); Pat McCaffery (West H.S./Iowa City, Iowa); Trendon Watford (Mountain Brook H.S./Mountain Brook, Ala.); and Mark Watts Jr.(Old Redford Academy/Detroit, Mich.).
Taking part in their first USA Basketball camp will be: DJ Carton (Bettendorf H.S./Bettendorf, Iowa); Hunter Dickinson (DeMatha Catholic H.S./Hyattsville, Md.); Ayo Dosunmu (Morgan Park H.S./Chicago, Ill.); Joe Girard III (Glens Falls H.S./Glens Falls, N.Y.); Kamaka Hepa (Jefferson H.S./Portland, Ore.); Talen Horton-Tucker (Simeon Career Academy/Chicago, Ill.); Musa Jallow (Ohio State University/Bloomington, Ind.); Alex Lomax (East H.S./Memphis, Tenn.); Justin Moore (DeMatha Catholic H.S./Hyattsville, Md.); Kevin Porter (Rainier Beach H.S./Seattle, Wash.); Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Bishop Miege H.S./Shawnee Mission, Kan.); Earl Timberlake (DeMatha Catholic H.S./Hyattsville, Md.); Anton Watson (Gonzaga Prep/Spokane, Wash.); Coby White (Greenfield H.S./Goldsboro, N.C.); and Bryce Wills (Iona Prep/White Plains, N.Y.).
The 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men will be held June 10-16 in St. Catharines, Canada, and the top four finishing teams will qualify for the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup for Men.
The USA will be led by Bill Self (Kansas) with USA assistant coaches Anthony Grant (Dayton) and Danny Manning (Wake Forest).
Finalists for the team are expected to be announced on June 2, and the team will continue training June 3-8 in Colorado Springs until departing for the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens who are 18 years old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 2000).
The USA, which will be in the hunt for a fifth-straight U18 gold medal at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, will compete in Group A against Dominican Republic, Panama and Puerto Rico in preliminary round play. Drawn into Group B were Argentina, host Canada, Chile and Ecuador.
Following the June 10-12 round-robin preliminary games, teams will be seeded within each group and all eight teams advance to the June 14 quarterfinal games. The semifinals will be played June 15 and the finals on June 16.
USA men’s teams are 53-2 in the FIBA Americas U18 Championships and won gold in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016, while capturing silver in 2008 and bronze in 2002.
Originally known as the FIBA Americas Junior World Championship Qualifier, the tournament was held every four years between 1990-2006. FIBA changed its calendar following the 2006 championship, and the tournament is now conducted every other year, followed in the next summer, for nations that advance, by the FIBA U19 World Cup.
Some of the most notable USA U18 alumni include: Carmelo Anthony (2002), Chris Bosh (2002), Markelle Fultz (2016), Quade Green (2016), Grant Hill (1990), Allan Houston (1990), Andre Iguodala (2002), Kyrie Irving (2010), Stephon Marbury (1994), Michael Porter Jr. (2016), Austin Rivers (2010), Kyle Singler (2006), Marcus Smart (2012), Deron Williams (2002) and Justise Winslow (2014).