Twelve players will make the final squad, which will be announced prior to the team’s departure for Serbia on June 25.
"I’m excited about the opportunity to try out for the USA Basketball team," Butler said in a statement released by WVU. "It gives me the opportunity to play against top competition and to
help me get better at my game."
Butler averaged 17.1 points and 5.9 rebounds for West Virginia during his junior season. He made 35% of this three-point attempts and raised his free throw percentage by a full 12 percentage points 76%) from his sophomore season.
The invitations to attend the
USA Basketball training camp were extended by the USA Basketball Men’s
Junior National Team Committee.
The World University Games is organized by the International University
Sports Federation and held every other year. The 2009 men’s basketball
competition will take place July 2-12 in Belgrade, Serbia, with 24
men’s teams expected to compete for gold. ligible athletes for the
USA team must be currently enrolled in a college or university and have
remaining NCAA athletic eligibility.
In addition to Butler, those accepting invitations to participate include:
James Anderson (Oklahoma State /
Junction City, Ark.); Talor Battle (Penn State / Albany, N.Y.); Trevor Booker (Clemson / Whitmire, S.C.); Craig Brackins (Iowa State /
Palmdale, Calif.);
Sherron Collins (Kansas / Chicago, Ill.); Mike Davis (Illinois /
Alexandria, Va.); Corey Fisher (Villanova / Bronx, N.Y.); Lazar Hayward
(Marquette / Buffalo, N.Y.); Robbie Hummel (Purdue / Valparaiso, Ind.);
JaJuan Johnson (Purdue / Indianapolis, Ind.); Quincy Pondexter
(Washington / Fresno, Calif.); Deon Thompson (North Carolina / Torrance,
Calif.); Evan Turner (Ohio State / Chicago, Ill.); and Jarvis Varnado
(Mississippi State / Brownsville, Tenn.).
University of Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan has been selected by USA
Basketball to serve as head coach of the 2009 USA Men’s World
University Games Team. Ryan’s two assistant coaches are to be
announced.
“These guys are some of the best college players in the
country and I think they’re guys who would be future Olympic
candidates,” said Jim Boeheim, chair of the USA Basketball Men’s
Junior National Team Committee and head coach at Syracuse University.
“This is a great opportunity for them to play for their country and
get an understanding of the international game. I think this is a great
group of college players. This should be a great experience for them and
they should represent USA Basketball very well.”