FIBA Americas announced Sunday that USA Basketball and Las Vegas, Nevada, have been selected to host the FIBA Americas Championship 2007. The tournament, one of five FIBA Olympic qualifying zone tournaments, will determine the two men's teams from the Americas zone who will earn qualifying berths for the 2008 Olympic men's basketball competition.

The 10 team championship is scheduled to be played Aug. 22 through Sept. 2, 2007, with all games being held at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center.

"We're excited and honored to have been selected to host this prestigious and important international basketball competition. Holding it in Las Vegas will help make this a memorable championship. This will be an incredible international event for basketball fans in Las Vegas and the surrounding areas," said Jerry Colangelo, managing director of USA Basketball's Senior National Team program.

Ten men's teams from North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean will participate in the FIBA Americas Championship 2007. The top two finishers will earn a qualification spot for the 2008 Olympic Games that are being held Aug. 8-24 in Beijing, China, while the third, fourth and fifth place finishers will qualify for the 12 team 2008 FIBA ( International Basketball Federation) Olympic Qualifying Tournament (June 7-13, 2008, site TBD) that will qualify the top three finishers for the 2008 Olympics.

The FIBA Americas Championship 2007 will feature 40 games in 12 days. The United States, as the host country, and Canada as the North America representative have qualified, the four teams from Central America and the Caribbean include Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, while the four teams from South America include Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela.

The FIBA Americas Championship 2007 will be conducted in three phases. The first phase features the 10 teams divided into two groups of five teams each for the First Round. The teams will play round robin within their groups over five days, with each team scheduled for one day off during the First Round.

After conclusion of the First Round and establishing first to fifth places for each group, the top four finishers in each First Round group will advance to the Second Round. Teams finishing in the fifth position will conclude their participation in the tournament. The top four finishing teams of Group A and Group B will then form a single Second Round group, transferring the results obtained in the games played against each other in the first phase.

In the Second Round, each team will play against the four advancing teams from the other First Round group. At the conclusion of the Second Round, the top six placed teams will advance to the third phase and the bottom four teams will conclude their participation in the tournament. In accordance with the standings after conclusion of the Second Round, the semifinals will feature the No. 1 ranked team playing the No. 4 team, while the No. 2 ranked team will face the No. 3 ranked team. The losers in the semifinals will play for third position and the semifinals winners will play for first and second places.

2006-08 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team

USA Basketball named 24 players as members of the 2006-2008 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program.

Named to the 2006-08 USA Senior National Team were: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards); Shane Battier (Houston Rockets); Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs); Elton Brand (Los Angeles Clippers); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards); Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks); Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns); Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings); Adam Morrison (Charlotte Bobcats); Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Chris Paul (New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets); Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics); J.J. Redick (Orlando Magic); Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks); Luke Ridnour (Seattle SuperSonics); Amaré Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns); and Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat).

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

At the 2006 FIBA World Championship, the USA men compiled an 8-1 record and captured the bronze medal after defeating Argentina 96-81 in the bronze medal game. The USA Senior National Team opened its training July 19 in Las Vegas and a team of 14 finalists went 5-0 in the team's pre-World Championship tour.

Selected to the 2006 USA Basketball Men's World Championship Team were: Anthony, Battier, Bosh, Brand, Hinrich, Howard, James, Jamison, Johnson, Miller, Paul and Wade.

FIBA Americas Championship 2007

The United States men, gold medalists in 12 of the 15 Olympics in which they have participated in, have competed in three of the last four FIBA Americas Championships that have been used as the Americas zone qualifying tournament for the Olympics. The USA teams have compiled a perfect 26-0 record in those three competitions. The USA claimed gold medals in 1992 in Portland, Oregon, and 1999 and 2003 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Already qualified for the Olympics as the host country in 1996, the United States did not participate in the 1995 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

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