Walker, Cheek Make USA Team; Lance Cut

WASHINGTON, D.C. — When the United States’ under-18 national team heads to Argentina next week for the FIBA Americas tournament, New York’s Kemba Walker will be handed the keys to the engine, and Lance Stephenson will stay home.

A 6-foot-1, 172-pound point guard out of Manhattan’s Rice High School, Walker made the final 12-man roster for the team, as did 6-6 wing Dominic Cheek of St. Anthony of Jersey City (N.J.).

“The leader of the team is Kemba,” said Queens-based recruiting analyst Tom Konchalski. “They can’t play without him. If he gets hurt, they’re in trouble.”

Read the full story here. And get the full roster here. GAmes start July 14 against incoming Rutgers freshman Greg Echenique and Venezuela. Unfortunately, the games won’t be on TV or the Net.

Written by Adam Zagoria

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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.