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A star earning his stripes: Randle named to USA Basketball U18 National Team
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
Over the past three years, Prestonwood Christian Academy senior Julius Randle has distinguished himself as one of the area, state and nation's top high school hoopsters.
That much was apparent during the five days that encompassed the training camp for the 2012 USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team, held in Colorado Springs, starting June 5.
What began as a field of 23 was whittled down through two cuts and when the dust settled, Randle emerged as one of the 12 members of Team USA.
"It'll help expose him to more things and help him grow in the game of basketball."
Randle, ranked among the nation's top prospects for the Class of 2013 (No. 2 by ESPN and No. 3 by Rivals), and his teammates departed for Sao Sebastio de Paraiso, Brazil, Tuesday for the FIBA Americas U18 Championship, which run Saturday through Wednesday.
"I think we've got some balance, we've got some versatility, we can move guys to some different positions," said Billy Donovan, Team USA head coach. "This has been a group that has picked up things pretty well so far, so I'm excited about it. The thing I've been most impressed with since we started is just their attitudes. It seems like we've got really good chemistry; they get along real well and seem to be a cohesive group."
Donovan, also the head coach at Florida, is joined by Virginia Commonwealth's Shaka Smart and Gonzaga's Mark Few in helming Team USA.
A squad laden in nationally-ranked talent, Randle began the tryout process as one of just six representatives invited from the Class of 2013. Training camp was held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, where players were subjected to two-a-day sessions over a five-day period.
Randle emphasized rounding out his skill-set in scrimmages and doing what was needed, compared to being called upon to score 20-plus points a night at Prestonwood.
On June 8, the field of 23 was narrowed to 14 and the following night, the official 12-man roster was unveiled. Randle was one of two members of his class to make the cut and three players from Texas on the roster -- Flower Mound Marcus product Marcus Smart and Houston Strake Jesuit alum Rashad Sulaimon.
The team also boasts plenty of size, with seven players standing at least 6-foot-7.
"I think we have to play up tempo, we have to offensive rebound," Donovan said. "And I think the other thing for our team that we have to get better at is taking care of the basketball. I think when you've got a lot of players that are thrown together and are now starting to play, they don't really know each other."
The players have just a couple more days to iron out any kinks before taking the court Saturday for the first of three pool play matchups. Things kick off Saturday at noon CST when Team USA squares off with U.S. Virgin Islands, followed by Mexico on Sunday and Brazil on Monday.
From there, a potential spot in the semifinals would be played Tuesday with the gold medal game held Wednesday.
Divided into two pools, the top four teams will qualify for next summer's 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship.
Randle and the U.S. will be eying a sixth gold medal. Team USA is 38-2 in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship with previous gold medals captured in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010 while finishing second in 2008 and third in 2002. The tournament has hosted a litany of the NBA's top players, including Carmelo Anthony (2002), Chris Bosh (2002), Deron Williams (2002) and Kyrie Irving (2010).
Randle's name is now etched alongside those Team USA alumni, pursuing the latest step in his trek toward his senior year with the Lions.
"[Randle] gets to continue growing his leadership and his ability to affect the game without having to score," Mayberry said. "He gets to continue being a better overall player and I just want him to be ready for whatever comes after he leaves Prestonwood; being exposed to college coaches and learning how to play with other great players is a big thing he's working through and getting better at all the time."
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