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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.– Virginia Tech’s Justin Bibbs is one of 24 players to be invited to the 2015 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team training camp that will take place June 12-26 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Bibbs, a rising sophomore from Dayton, Ohio, is the Hokies’ top returning scorer, as he averaged 11.4 points per game as a freshman. He also averaged 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for the Hokies.

The training camp will be utilized to select the 12-member roster for the 2015 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team. The USA will look to defend the USA’s 2013 U19 gold at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship that will be held June 27-July 5 in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens who are 19 years old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1996).

“It should be looked upon as a tremendous honor to be selected to tryout for this team, because the competition is so strong,” said Jim Boeheim Syracuse Hall of Fame head coach and chair of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee, which is responsible for selecting players and coaches for the team. “Our committee does a great job identifying players who will represent our country in international competition. We know that even in the training camp, the competition will be fierce.”

Ten USA Basketball gold medalists are among 24 players who have accepted invitations to take part in the camp. The returning gold medalists include: Isaiah Briscoe (Roselle Catholic H.S./Union, N.J.); Jalen Brunson (Stevenson H.S./Lincolnshire, Ill.); Terrance Ferguson (Homeschooled/Flower Mound, Texas); Harry Giles (Wesleyan Christian Academy/Winston-Salem, N.C.); Josh Jackson (Prolific Prep, Calif./Southfield, Mich.); Diamond Stone (Dominican H.S./Milwaukee, Wis.); Caleb Swanigan (Homestead H.S./Fort Wayne, Ind.); Jayson Tatum (Chaminade College Prep/St. Louis, Mo.); Allonzo Trier (Findlay Prep, Nev./Seattle, Wash.); and Seventh Woods (Hammond School/Columbia, S.C.).

Also attending camp aling with Bibbs will be: Tyus Battle (St. Bernard's School/Edison, N.J.); Brekkott Chapman (Utah/Roy, Utah); Vince Edwards (Purdue/Middletown, Ohio); Jawun Evans (Kimball H.S./Dallas, Texas); Riley LaChance (Vanderbilt/Brookfield, Wis.); T.J. Leaf (Foothills Christian H.S./Lakeside, Calif.); Silas Melson (Gonzaga/Portland, Ore.); Malik Monk (Bentonville H.S./Lepanto, Ark.); Chinanu Onauku (Louisville/Lanham, Md.); Eric Paschall (Villanova/Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.); L.J. Peak (Georgetown/Gaffney, S.C.); Malik Pope (San Diego State/Sacramento, Calif.); and Thomas Welsh (UCLA/Redondo Beach, Calif.).

The 2015 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team will be led by Sean Miller (Arizona), along with USA assistant coaches Ed Cooley (Providence) and Archie Miller (Dayton).

Training camp will begin on the evening of June 13, followed by two practices each day. Finalists for the team are expected to be announced on June 15, and the roster will be selected prior to the team’s departure for Greece.

Ten players competed as NCAA freshman in 2014-15, six players recently completed their senior year of high school and eight players have one year of high school remaining and will graduate in 2016.

Among the college players, Bibbs earned University Division State Rookie of the Year honors from the Virginia Sports Information Directors, LaChance listed on the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team, Paschall was the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Year and Peak made the Big East Conference All-Rookie Team.

In addition to Boeheim the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee includes: NCAA appointees Bob McKillop (Davidson), Matt Painter (Purdue) and Lorenzo Romar (Washington); and athlete representative Curtis Sumpter, who won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2004 FIBA Americas U20 Championship and a bronze medal at the 2011 Pan American Games.

The USA has captured a record five FIBA U19 World Championship gold medals and three silver medals in the 11 editions of the event, which first was held in 1979. Played every four years through 2007, the U19s now are held every other year, and the USA men own an all-time record of 78-13 at the event.

For the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship, the USA has drawn preliminary round Group A and will play Iran on June 27, Croatia on June 28 and Egypt on June 30. Playing in preliminary round Group B will be Argentina, China, Spain and Turkey; Group C features Australia, Canada, Italy and Tunisia; and Group D includes Dominican Republic, Greece, Serbia and South Korea.

Members of past USA U19 teams have included standouts such as: Stacey Augmon (1987); Vin Baker (1991); Vince Carter (1995); Nick Collison (1999); Stephen Curry (2007); Eric Floyd (1979); Aaron Gordon (2013 MVP); Tim Hardaway Jr. (2011); Montrezl Harrell (2013); Gordon Hayward (2009); Larry Johnson (1987); Jeremy Lamb (2011); Stephon Marbury (1995); Doug McDermott (2011); Jahlil Okafor (2013); Gary Payton (1987); Sam Perkins (1979); J.J. Redick (2003); Marcus Smart (2013); Klay Thompson (2009); Scott Skiles (1983); Deron Williams (2003); Justise Winslow (2013); and James Worthy (1979).

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