COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Tennessee basketball freshman Kennedy Chandler has accepted an invitation to attend the 2021 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Cup Team training camp.
A five-star newcomer and recent enrollee from Memphis, Tennessee, Chandler is among 27 chosen participants, age 19 or younger, who will compete June 20-22 at TCU Fort Worth, Texas, in hopes of being named to the 12-member team that will represent the USA at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup for Men.
“Aside from the Olympics and World Cups, the FIBA U19 World Cup is the most challenging competition on the international calendar, and it will take a team of dedicated, selfless individuals to go to Latvia and try to win gold,” USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee Chair and Purdue head coach Matt Painter said. “The committee feels we have a strong group of players coming into camp in June in hopes of securing a spot on the U19 team, and I’m looking forward to watching them fight to be a part of this USA Basketball team.”
Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens, born on or after Jan. 1, 2002.
Rated by ESPN as the nation’s top point guard in the Class of 2021, Chandler earned All-America honors from McDonald’s Spalding and Sports Illustrated after leading Sunrise Christian Academy (Kan.) to the championship game of the prestigious GEICO Nationals tournament in April.
On the list for U19 training camp are 17 candidates who played for NCAA Division I programs last season and 10 who will be collegiate freshmen in the fall.
Chandler is one of six U19 candidates who were named to the 2021 USA Nike Hoop Summit Team, but the competition was not held due to COVID-19. Chandler also is among 12 candidates who have previously participated in at least one USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp.
The 2021 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Cup Team will be led by TCU head coach Jamie Dixon with Stanford head coach Jerod Haase and Yale head coach James Jones rounding out the staff as assistant coaches.
Featuring U19 teams from 16 nations, the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup is scheduled to be held July 3-11 in Riga and Daugavpils, Latvia. In addition to the USA and host Latvia, teams that will take part in this summer’s U19 World Cup include Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, Japan, Lithuania, Mali, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Serbia, South Korea, Spain and Turkey.
The USA was drawn into Group D, alongside Australia, Mali and Turkey for the July 3-6 FIBA U19 World Cup preliminary round. The USA will open play against Turkey on July 3, followed by Mali on July 4 and close preliminary play against Australia on July 6.
Reigning FIBA U19 World Cup gold medalist, USA men’s teams have won seven gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze medal while compiling an 98-14 overall record in U19 World Cup play since the event was launched in 1979. Even more impressive, the USA has won four of the past six U19 golds since 2009.
In addition to Painter, the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee also includes Shane Battier, athlete representative, Virginia head coach Tony Bennett; Providence head coach Ed Cooley and Sean Miller, 2015 U19 World Cup gold medalist head coach.
About USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and chaired by retired Gen. Martin Dempsey, USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA national teams that compete in FIBA-sponsored five-on-five, 3×3 and esports international competitions, as well as for some national competitions and for the development of youth basketball. USA Basketball currently ranks No. 1 in all five of FIBA’s world-ranking categories, including combined, men’s, women’s, boys and girls.
Connect with USA Basketball at USAB.com and on Facebook (USABasketball and USABYouth), Twitter (@usabasketball, @USABYouth, @USAB3x3, @usabgaming), Instagram (@USABasketball, @USAB3x3, @USABYouth, @USABgaming) and YouTube (usabasketball).
-UT Athletics
