Boston College Athletics
Troy Bell Selected As Finalist At USA Trials
June 03, 2001 | Men's Basketball
June 3, 2001
Following four training sessions at the June 1-3 USA Basketball Men's Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., 16 finalists for the 2001 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Men Team and 16 finalists for the 2001 USA Basketball World University Games Team were announced today by USA Basketball's 10-member Men's Collegiate Committee.
"We had a very good talent level here. Particularly perimeter guys, guys that can get to the basket and make shots and that's important in international competition. So I'm excited about this team," remarked USA World Championship For Young Men head coach and Syracuse University mentor Jim Boeheim. "I think we really do have a team that can go over and represent our country. This championship is very tough every four years and we'll see the best in the world in this age bracket and it will be a challenge for us.
"When USA Basketball goes to play in any championship, there's really only one medal you're looking at - the gold medal," added Boeheim of the expectations for his team.
The list of 16 finalists for the USA World Championship For Young Men Team includes: Troy Bell (Boston College / Minneapolis, Minn.), LaVell Blanchard (Michigan / Ann Arbor, Mich.), Carlos Boozer (Duke / Juneau, Alaska), Caron Butler (Connecticut / Racine, Wis.), Nick Collison (Kansas / Iowa Falls, Iowa), Brian Cook (Illinois / Lincoln, Ill.), Chris Duhon (Duke / Slidell, La.),Reggie Evans (Iowa / Pensacola, Fla.), Jared Jeffries (Indiana / Bloomington, Ind.), Dahntay Jones (Duke / Hamilton Square, N.J.), Jason Kapono (UCLA / Lakewood, Calif.), Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph's / Chester, Pa.), Michael Sweetney (Georgetown / Oxen Hill, Md.), Marcus Taylor (Michigan State / Lansing, Mich.), David West (Xavier / Garner, N.C.) and Frank Williams (Illinois / Peoria, Ill.). Eligibility for the 2001 USA World Championship For Young Men Team is limited to any male who is 21-years-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1980).
Boeheim will serve as head coach of the 2001 USA World Championship For Young Men squad, and he will be assisted by Ernie Kent of the University of Oregon and Phil Martelli of St. Joseph's.
The final 12-member USA team will be named during the team's July 22-26 training camp in Dallas, Texas. The team will complete its training in the U.S. July 27-30 in Oakland, Calif.
The USA World Championship For Young Men Team will compete August 3-12 in Saitama, Japan, in the 2001 FIBA World Championship for Young Men Tournament. Featuring 12 teams that have been divided into two preliminary round pools consisting of six teams each, the United States is in Pool B with Argentina, Croatia, Israel, Japan and South Korea. The six teams comprising preliminary Pool A include Australia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Qatar, Slovenia and Spain.
Held every four years and originally designed for men 22-years-old or younger, FIBA lowered the age eligibility to 21-years-old or younger in December 1998 and changed the competition name to the World Championship For Young Men. The U.S. captured gold in the inaugural competition which was held in 1993 and known as the FIBA 22 And Under World Championship, and in 1997 finished fifth with a 6-2 record.
QUOTES FROM TROY BELL
How did you feel when you heard your name?
Troy: "I was pretty excited because coming out of high school and even in my freshman year at BC, I never thought I would be able to end up in a position like this. Hanging around all these guys who I see on TV all year long, it just feels good to have your name brought up with such elite players."
What were you trying to do coming into Trials?
Troy: "I just wanted to try to go with the flow. Everybody out here has talent and I didn't want to do too much out there. I just wanted to try to fit in with everybody."
What will be your strength?
Troy: "Scoring, solid defense, whatever they need. Anything. I'm just happy to be a part of this team."
Have you ever been to Japan?
Troy: "No. How long is the plane ride?"
Ten hours.
Troy: "Ten hours! I almost died going to France and that was like six."
