---

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (July 18, 2004) - Following four USA National Team Trials sessions July 16-17, 16 candidates remain in their quest for one of 12 roster spots on the 2004 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team. The finalists for the USA Basketball 20-and-under squad, which will compete in the 2004 FIBA Americas World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Tournament July 28 - Aug. 1, continue training at the New Jersey Nets practice facility in East Rutherford through July 23 in hopes of securing a position on the USA Young Men's National Team.

Chaired by former University of Virginia Athletic Director Terry Holland, the USA Basketball Men's Collegiate Committee selected the finalists and will make the final roster determinations at the 2004 USA National Team training camp July 18-23 in East Rutherford. Athletes eligible for selection to this age-based team include any male who is a U.S. citizen and is 20-years-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1984).

"The Committee did a great job of getting us down to the right 16," said USA and University of Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson. "Our strengths are our point guard play, our athleticism and we're versatile. We have a lot of guys who can play different positions like an Adam Morrison, a P.J. Tucker, Rashad McCants, Charlie Villanueva, Curtis Withers, (Curtis) Sumpter. We've got guys who can swing, they can play more than one position. We're versatile and we're athletic. The key in such a short period of time is to be able to execute something and to be able to trust it to work. When you play with each other in such a short period of time, you tend to get spooked when something doesn't go right and that's when the individual play takes over. We're going to try to get to a point where we execute something really well and play as a team."

The 16 USA Young Men Team finalists include: Hassan Adams (Arizona / Los Angeles, Calif.); Aaron Brooks (Oregon / Seattle, Wash.); Shannon Brown (Michigan State / Maywood, Ill.); Justin Gray (Wake Forest / Charlotte, N.C.); Sean May (North Carolina / Bloomington, Ind.); Rashad McCants (North Carolina / Asheville, N.C.); Adam Morrison (Gonzaga / Spokane, Wash.); David Padgett (*Louisville / Reno, Nev.); Chris Paul (Wake Forest / Lewisville, N.C.); Mustafa Shakur (Arizona / Philadelphia, Pa.); Curtis Sumpter (Villanova / Brooklyn, N.Y.); P.J. Tucker (Texas / Raleigh, N.C.); Charlie Villaneuva (Connecticut / Brooklyn, N.Y.); Eric Williams (Wake Forest / Wake Forest, N.C.); Curtis Withers (UNC Charlotte / Charlotte, N.C.) and Bracey Wright (Indiana / The Colony, Texas).

The three players who did not make the finalists roster include Rodney Carney (Memphis / Indianapolis, Ind.); Demetris Nichols (Syracuse / Barrington, R.I.) and C.J. Watson (Tennessee / Las Vegas, Nev.).

Sampson is being assisted on the sidelines by collegiate head coaches Tom Crean of Marquette University (Wis.) and Dan Monson of the University of Minnesota.