Kentucky signee is among 16 players competing for a spot on the 2015 U19 World Championship Team
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Kentucky men’s basketball signee Isaiah Briscoe has been named one of 16 finalists for the 2015 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team.
Briscoe made it past the first round of cuts on Monday at the USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team training camp and will continue competing for a spot for the final Team USA roster. USA Basketball will select 12 members from the training camp roster for the 2015 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team prior to its departure for the games in Greece. The 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship will be held June 27 through July 5 in Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Athletes eligible for the team must be U.S. citizens who are 19 years old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1996).
The training camp started Friday at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., with 21 of the country’s best players. The first round of cuts was Monday following four training sessions over the weekend.
Briscoe, a 6-foot-3 point guard from Newark, N.J. who signed with Kentucky during the fall, has previous USA Basketball experience, having helped Team USA to a gold medal at the 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. By going 5-0 and winning that championship, the U19 team qualified for the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship. Briscoe also suited up for the USA at the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit.
As defending U19 champions, Team USA has an opportunity to win consecutive FIBA U19 World Championships for just the second time since the competition began in 1979. The U.S. captured back-to-back gold medals in 1979 and 1983. The U.S. also won gold in 1991, 2009 and 2013.
Briscoe will suit up for Kentucky as a freshman for the 2015-16 season. One of the key members of UK’s highly-touted four-man signing class for 2015, Briscoe has been named a USA Today All-USA First Team selection and a Parade Magazine All-American. He also participated in the McDonald’s All American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic.
Past members of the USA U19 team include standouts such as Vince Carter (1995), Stephen Curry (2007), Stephon Marbury (1995), Gary Payton (1987), Klay Thompson (2009), Deron Williams (2003) and James Worthy (1979).
Past Wildcats on the USA U19 team include James Blackmon (1983), Darius Miller (2009) and Kenny Walker (1983). Miller’s team won gold.
More information on the 2015 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team, including the full training camp roster, can be found at usab.com.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
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