COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Recent Gonzaga men's basketball signees Chet Holmgren and Hunter Sallis were two of 27 athletes that accepted an invitation to attend the 2021 USA Basketball Men's U19 World Cup Team training camp.
The athletes, age 19 years old or younger, will compete June 20-22 at TCU in hopes of being named to the 12-member team that will represent the USA at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup for Men.
Holmgren is the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with the Zags. The versatile 7-1 prospect is the top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2021 by ESPN and 247 Sports. After being a part of a fourth state championship team, Holmgren was named Naismith Prep Player of the Year, Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year, Sports Illustrated All-American Player of the Year, MaxPreps National Player of the Year, and a McDonald's All-American.
Sallis was a McDonald's All-American. As a senior, he averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, leading Millard North to its first Class A state title. He finished with 1,819 career points, the third-most in Class A history. Sallis was the first five-star basketball recruit in Nebraska history
The 27 athletes expected to attend the U19 training camp are: Devin Askew (Texas/Sacramento, Calif.); Patrick Baldwin Jr. (Hamilton H.S./Sussex, Wis.); Kendall Brown (Sunrise Christian Academy /Cottage Grove, Minn.); Kennedy Chandler (Sunrise Christian Academy/Memphis, Tenn.); Jonathan Davis (Wisconsin/La Crosse, Wis.); Derek Fountain (Mississippi State/Holly Springs, Miss.); Caleb Furst (Blackhawk Christian School/Fort Wayne, Ind.); Jordan Hall (Texas A&M/Wildwood, N.J.); Chet Holmgren (Minnehaha Academy/Minneapolis, Minn.); Harrison Ingram (St. Mark's School/Dallas, Texas); Jaden Ivey (Purdue /South Bend, Ind.); Dishon Jackson (Washington State/Vallejo, Calif.); Meechie Johnson (Ohio State/Cleveland, Ohio); Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton/St. Louis, Mo.); Trey Kaufman-Renn (Silver Creek H.S. /Sellersburg, Ind.); Zed Key (Ohio State/Bay Shore, N.Y.); Kenneth Lofton Jr. (Louisiana Tech/Port Arthur, Texas); Langston Love (Steele H.S. /Cibolo, Texas); Mike Miles (TCU/Lancaster, Texas); Adam Miller (Louisiana State/Chicago, Ill.); Trey Patterson (Villanova /Somerset, N.J.); Hunter Sallis (Millard North H.S./Omaha, Neb.); Deivon Smith (Georgia Tech/Loganville, Ga.); Dalen Terry (Arizona/Tempe, Ariz.); Jabari Walker (Colorado/Inglewood, Calif.); Peyton Watson (Long Beach Poly Tech H.S./Long Beach, Calif.); and Jaylin Williams (Arkansas/Fort Smith, Ark.).
"Aside from the Olympics and World Cups, the FIBA U19 World Cup is the most challenging competition on the international calendar, and it will take a team of dedicated, selfless individuals to go to Latvia and try to win gold," said Matt Painter, chair of the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Committee and Purdue University head coach. "The committee feels we have a strong group of players coming into camp in June in hopes of securing a spot on the U19 team, and I'm looking forward to watching them fight to be a part of this USA Basketball team."
Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens, born on or after Jan. 1, 2002. On the list for training camp are 17 who played for NCAA Division I programs this past season and 10 who will be collegiate freshmen in the fall.
Twelve of the athletes have prior USA Basketball experience. Askew, a member of the 2019 USA 3x3 U19 World Cup Team that captured the gold medal is the lone participant with prior international experience with USA Basketball. Baldwin, Brown, Chandler, Holmgren, Sallis and Watson were named to the 2021 USA Nike Hoop Summit Team, but the competition was not held due to COVID-19. Miles was a member of the 2020 USA Hoop Summit Team that also did not compete due to the pandemic, and Miller was a finalist for the 2017 USA U17 World Cup Team. Additionally, Askew, Baldwin, Brown, Chandler, Furst, Holmgren, Ingram, Ivey, Love, Miller, Sallis and Terry previously participated in at least one USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp.
The team will be led by TCU head coach Jamie Dixon. Stanford University head coach Jerod Haase and Yale University head coach James Jones round out the coaching staff as assistant coaches.
Featuring U19 teams from 16 nations, the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup is scheduled to be held July 3-11 in Riga and Daugavpils, Latvia. In addition to the USA and host Latvia, teams that will take part in this summer's U19 World Cup include Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, Japan, Lithuania, Mali, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Serbia, South Korea, Spain and Turkey.
The USA was drawn into Group D, alongside Australia, Mali and Turkey for the July 3-6 FIBA U19 World Cup preliminary round. The USA will open play against Turkey on July 3, followed by Mali on July 4 and close preliminary play against Australia on July 6.
Reigning FIBA U19 World Cup gold medalist, USA men's teams have won seven gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze medal while compiling an 98-14 overall record in U19 World Cup play since the event was launched in 1979. Even more impressive, the USA has won four of the past six U19 golds since 2009.
In addition to Painter, the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Committee also includes Shane Battier, athlete representative, University of Virginia head coach Tony Bennett; Providence College head coach Ed Cooley and Sean Miller, 2015 U19 World Cup gold medalist head coach.
2021 USA Basketball Men's U19 World Cup Training Camp Roster
| FIRST |
LAST |
POS |
HGT |
WGT |
YOG |
SCHOOL |
HOMETOWN |
| Devin |
Askew |
G |
6-3 |
190 |
2024 |
Texas |
Sacramento, CA |
| Patrick |
Baldwin Jr. |
F |
6-10 |
190 |
2021 |
Hamilton H.S./*Wisconsin-Milwaukee |
Sussex, WI |
| Kendall |
Brown |
F |
6-8 |
176 |
2021 |
Sunrise Christian Academy/*Baylor |
Cottage Grove, MN |
| Kennedy |
Chandler |
G |
6-0 |
165 |
2021 |
Sunrise Christian Academy/*Tennessee |
Memphis, TN |
| Jonathan |
Davis |
G/F |
6-5 |
196 |
2024 |
Wisconsin |
La Crosse, WI |
| Derek |
Fountain |
F |
6-9 |
210 |
2024 |
Mississippi State |
Holly Springs, MS |
| Caleb |
Furst |
F |
6-8 |
215 |
2021 |
Blackhawk Christian School/*Purdue |
Fort Wayne, IN |
| Jordan |
Hall |
G |
6-8 |
210 |
2024 |
Texas A&M |
Wildwood, NJ |
| Chet |
Holmgren |
F/C |
7-0 |
175 |
2021 |
Minnehaha Academy/*Gonzaga |
Minneapolis, MN |
| Harrison |
Ingram |
F |
6-7 |
200 |
2021 |
St. Mark's School/*Stanford |
Dallas, TX |
| Jaden |
Ivey |
G |
6-2 |
165 |
2024 |
Purdue |
South Bend, IN |
| Dishon |
Jackson |
C |
6-10 |
235 |
2024 |
Washington State |
Vallejo, CA |
| Meechie |
Johnson |
G |
6-2 |
172 |
2024 |
Ohio State |
Cleveland, OH |
| Ryan |
Kalkbrenner |
C |
7-0 |
235 |
2024 |
Creighton |
St. Louis, MO |
| Trey |
Kaufman-Renn |
F/C |
6-9 |
210 |
2021 |
Silver Creek H.S./*Purdue |
Sellersburg, IN |
| Zed |
Key |
C |
6-8 |
245 |
2024 |
Ohio State |
Bay Shore, NY |
| Kenneth |
Lofton Jr. |
C |
6-7 |
275 |
2024 |
Louisiana Tech |
Port Arthur, TX |
| Langston |
Love |
G |
6-4 |
185 |
2021 |
Steele H.S./*Baylor |
Cibolo, TX |
| Mike |
Miles |
G |
6-2 |
195 |
2024 |
TCU |
Lancaster, TX |
| Adam |
Miller |
G |
6-3 |
175 |
2024 |
Louisiana State |
Chicago, IL |
| Trey |
Patterson |
F |
6-7 |
170 |
2024 |
Villanova |
Somerset, NJ |
| Hunter |
Sallis |
G |
6-3 |
175 |
2021 |
Millard North H.S./*Gonzaga |
Omaha, NE |
| Deivon |
Smith |
G |
6-1 |
165 |
2024 |
Georgia Tech |
Loganville, GA |
| Dalen |
Terry |
G/F |
6-7 |
195 |
2024 |
Arizona |
Tempe, AZ |
| Jabari |
Walker |
F |
6-8 |
200 |
2024 |
Colorado |
Inglewood, CA |
| Peyton |
Watson |
G/F |
6-7 |
170 |
2021 |
Long Beach Poly Tech H.S./*UCLA |
Long Beach, CA |
| Jaylin |
Williams |
C |
6-10 |
235 |
2020 |
Arkansas |
Fort Smith, AK |
Head Coach: Jamie Dixon, TCU
Assistant Coach: Jerod Haase, Stanford University
Assistant Coach: James Jones, Yale University
*Committed to attend and play for school indicated in 2021-22.
