The United States Olympic men’s basketball team roster is set as they prepare to win another gold medal in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in London.
The returning players from the 2008 gold-medal team are LeBron James (Miami Heat), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks), Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets) and Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers).
They will be joined by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder), Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks), Andre Iguodola (Philadelphia 76ers), Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Lakers).
The versatility of this group should be breathtaking, especially when they get out in the open floor.
‘Surge’ in attendance
The St. Louis Surge made women’s semi-pro basketball history during last weekend’s home game against the Kansas Nuggets. More than 1,700 fans showed up to witness the Surge’s 64-59 loss to the undefeated Nuggets at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
It marked a new attendance record for the Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League since its inception seven years ago.
The Surge will close out its regular season on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at UMSL’s Mark Twain Building. They will also host the WBCBL regional tournament on Saturday, July 21.
Gold Gray
St. Louisan Rich Gray was an assistant coach of the USA 17U basketball team that just won the gold medal at the World Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was Gray’s fourth assignment on the USA Basketball coaching staff.
Gray is the Executive Director of the St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation. He is also the past president of the St. Louis Eagles Basketball Club, which is one of the nation’s top summer basketball clubs.
One to watch
Chaminade College Prep freshman basketball player Jayson Tatum is starting to make a national name for himself as a top player to watch in the future.
A 6’5” guard, Tatum recently attended the Fab Frosh Camp in Atlanta, which featured more than 100 of the nation’s top freshmen players. Tatum came out of the event, ranked as the the No. 2 player in the camp.
Tatum currently plays for the WITTS Elite 14U team that is coached by Corey Frazier and Ryan Johnson.
Showcase time
National basketball talent evaluator Jerry Mullen will be holding his annual exposure event this weekend in St. Louis. The event will feature two big junior college showcases and a high school event featuring several of the top clubs in the region.
The Junior College Showcase will be held at the University of Missouri-St. Louis on Friday, beginning at 11:45 a.m. The Top 100 JUCO Camp will begin on Saturday at Lindenwood University at 8 a.m.
The high school event will feature teams in the 15U, 16U and 17U age groups. All of the high school games will be held at Lindenwood U. and surrounding high schools in the St. Charles area.
For more information on the tournament, including schedules, you can check out the website, mullensports.com.
