Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Headlined by Creighton senior forward and probable Big East Preseason Player of the Year Doug McDermott, USA Basketball announced the 12-man roster for the World University Games on Saturday afternoon.
The event runs July 7-16 in Kazan, Russia. The Americans will continue training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs through June 30 before departing for Russia on July 1. They will practice in Russia from July 3-6 before opening play in Pool C against United Arab Emerates on July 7
“Clearly versatility, we have guys that can play more than one position, that’s one of the great strengths we have,” said USA and Davidson College head coach Bob McKillop said in a statement. “I think we shoot the ball particularly well from a number of positions and we’ve got guys who want to be teammates. Those two things, to me, are the biggest advantages that we have, or the biggest strengths for our team.”
Syracuse sharpshooter James Southerland went undrafted Thursday night but has hooked on with two teams this summer.
The 6-foot-8, 221-pound Queens native will play with the Philadelphia 76ers in the Orlando summer league and with the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas, his high school coach, Ron Naclerio, told SNY.tv.
Naclerio said the San Antonio Spurs wanted to draft Southerland at No. 58 and stash him overseas for a year, but there was no guarantee what would happen after the overseas years.
Bronx native Terry Larrier of the Phelps (Pa.) School is one of the top small forwards in the Class of 2014.
He holds offers from Florida, Florida State, St. John’s, Minnesota, Providence, Penn State, Rutgers, George Mason, Seton Hall, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, USC, Memphis and Maryland,.
Larrier will be contributing periodically to ZAGSBLOG entering his senior season. Here’s his second entry: