Stephenson Heads City's U18 USA Contingent

Three players from the New York metropolitan area are vying for a spot on the 2008 USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team this week in Washington, D.C. Two more were invited but were unable to attend the three-day trials.

USA Basketball is holding tryouts for the under-18 national team in the Washington Wizards' training facility in Washington, D.C's Verizon Center.

Eighteen (18), of the 25 high school senior and junior players invited, were able to make the trails. Five players from New York and New Jersey were invited. Three are in our nation's capital for the three-day trials and the seven-day team training which follows beginning the Fourth of July.

The U18 final squad will consist of 12 players.

Area players in alphabetical order:

• Dominic Cheek, a 6-foot-5, 170 pound shooting guard from St. Anthony's High School in Jersey City, N.J. -- undecided
• Not in D.C. - Sylven Landesberg, a 6-foot-6, 180 pound swingman from Holy Cross High School in Flushing, N.Y. -- Class of 2008 member signed with Virginia
• Lance Stephenson, a 6--foot-5, 202 pound small forward from Abraham Lincoln H.S. in Brooklyn, N.Y. -- undecided
• Not in D.C. - Dexter Strickland, a 6-foot-3, 175 pound combo guard from St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, N.J. -- Class of 2009 member verbally committed to North Carolina
• Kemba Walker, a 6-foot-1, 172 pound combo guard from Rice High School in New York City. -- Class of 2008 member signed with UConn.

The finalists for the 2008 USA U18 squad are expected to be announced on July 3rd, with the official 12-member roster determined by July 8th.

The team will play in the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, which will be held July 14-18 in Formosa, Argentina. The top four teams from this tournament will compete in the FIBA U19 World Championship next year in New Zealand.

Davidson's Bob McKillop is the head coach and Georgetown's John Thompson, III and VCU's Anthony Grant are the assistants.

Cornell's Steve Donahue; SUNY, Cobleskil's Kevin McCarthy; Mobile's Job Niland; and, UC, Davis's Gary Stewart are court coaches for this week's trials.

USA Basketball U18 Team website