USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo today announced the addition of George Hill (Indiana Pacers), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte Bobcats) and Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State University) to the roster of players who will be attending the July 22-25 USA Men’s National Team mini-camp in Las Vegas, Nev., and also announced that Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs) is unable to participate while rehabbing after a long season.
USA Basketball Men’s National Team mini-camp roster now numbers 29.
The invited players will assemble in Las Vegas on July 21, and will conduct daily training sessions July 22-24 (12:00-2:00 p.m. PDT) and will close out the mini-camp with the 2013 USA Basketball Showcase, a blue-white intra-squad game on Thursday, July 25, 6 p.m. PDT at the Thomas & Mack Arena on the campus of UNLV.
Hill, who in 2012-13 completed his fifth year in the NBA, started in 76 games for the Indiana Pacers and averaged career highs of 14.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.1 steals a game, while shooting 44.3 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from 3-point and 81.7 percent from the foul line.
Charlotte’s Kidd-Gilchrist boasts of prior USA Basketball experience as a member of the 2011 USA Junior Select Team that won the 2011 Nike Hoop Summit and as a member of the 2010 USA U17 World Championship Team that finished 8-0 and captured the gold medal. A 2012-13 NBA All-Rookie second team choice, Kidd-Gilchrist started in 77 of the 78 games he appeared in for the Bobcats and averaged 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists a game, and shot 45.8 percent from the field.
Smart will arrive at the mini-camp having just helped lead the USA U19 World Championship Team to a 9-0 mark and the FIBA U19 World Championship crown in Czech Republic. Selected team captain, Smart averaged 9.6 ppg., 2.8 rpg., a U.S. second best 2.2 apg., a team high 2.4 spg., while shooting 50.0 percent from the field overall. As a freshman in 2012-13 at Oklahoma State, Smart was named by The Sporting News and U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Freshman of the Year, while also collecting Big 12 Conference Player of the Year and Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors, and also earning All-Big 12 first team, All-Rookie and All-Defensive team honors.
