Tobey Named Finalist For U19 World Championship Team
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June 16, 2013
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following four training sessions involving 26 of America’s top 19-and-under players, USA Basketball announced Sunday (June 16) that Virginia sophomore forward/center Mike Tobey(Monroe, N.Y.) is one of 16 finalists for the U19 World Championship Team.
The roster will be pared down to 12 before the squad departs on June 19 for three days of training at the Washington Wizards practice facility in Washington, D.C. The 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship will be held June 27-July 7 in Prague, Czech Republic. The finalists were selected by the USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team Committee.
Tobey tallied 6.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game during his freshman season at Virginia in 2012-13. Joining Tobey as USA U19 finalists are Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova), Damyean Dotson (Oregon), Michael Frazier (Florida), Marcus Georges-Hunt (Georgia Tech), Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty H.S.), Jerami Grant (Syracuse), Montrezl Harrell (Louisville), Jahlil Okafor (Whitney Young H.S.), Elfrid Payton (Louisiana at Lafayette), James Robinson (Pittsburgh), Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State), Jarnell Stokes (Tennessee), Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke), Nigel Williams-Goss (Findlay Prep) and Justise Winslow (St. Johns H.S.).
“We had 26 really, really good players and all of the guys made the selection very, very difficult,” said USA U19 and University of Florida head coach Billy Donovan. “I think the things that stand out about this team is just the athleticism; the speed and quickness; the ability to defend and put pressure on people; and offensive rebound.
“We still have to get down to 12 players and the challenge right now is to see how these 16 guys fit into what we’re trying to do. We’ll learn a lot more in the next three practices; we’ll see how well guys pick up certain things; how the chemistry is; the way they bond, the way they connect.”
Virginia head coach Tony Bennettis serving as an assistant coach under Donovan with the 2013 USA U19 World Championship Team. Bennett has guided the Cavaliers to a 76-53 record (.589 winning percentage) in four seasons. The Cavaliers have reached postseason play in each of the past two seasons, including the 2012 NCAA Tournament second round.
Training for the finalists will resume Sunday evening (4:30-7:00 p.m. MDT, all times listed are local MDT), and continue twice a day on June 17 and 18 (9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 4:30-7:00 p.m.) and once on June 19 (9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.). The team will train twice a day at the Washington Wizards’ practice facility in Washington, D.C., on June 20-22, then depart for Prague, Czech Republic, and the June 27-July 7 FIBA U19 World Championship.
For further information about USA Basketball, go to the official Web site of USA Basketball at usabasketball.com.