Sean Banks of Memphis Invited To Trials For USA Basketball's World Championship For Young Men Team

Sean Banks

Sean Banks, a sophomore on the Memphis Tiger basketball team, is one of 24 players invited to trials for USA Basketball’s World Championship for Young Men Team, USA Basketball announced Thursday. Athletes eligible to this age-based team include any male who is a U.S. citizen and is 20-years-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1984).

The USA Basketball Men’s Collegiate Committee, chaired by former University of Virginia Athletic Director Terry Holland, selected the invitees and will make the final roster cuts at the 2004 USA National Team Trials and training camp July 16-23 in East Rutherford, N.J.

Guiding the U.S. squad will be University of Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson, who will be assisted by collegiate head coaches Tom Crean of Marquette University and Dan Monson of the University of Minnesota.

The 2004 ESPN.com National Freshman of the Year, Banks had a stellar campaign in 2003-04. The Englewood, N.J., native led the Tigers in scoring (17.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg), and ranked among the Conference USA statistical leaders in scoring (2nd), rebounding (11th), three-point field goal percentage (12th) and blocked shots (13th). The 6-foot-8 forward led all league freshmen in scoring and rebounding. Banks scored 20 or more points 12 times in 2003-04, including the final six games of the regular season, and netted a career-high 29 points against Charlotte Jan. 17. Banks is the only player in Memphis
basketball history to hit at least six three-pointers in a game on four different occasions.

Banks was a consensus National All-Freshman Team pick in 2004. In addition to the ESPN.com honor, he was also named to the CollegeInsider.com, Sporting News and Basketball Times National All-Freshman squads. Banks was selected as Conference USA’s Freshman of the Year, and was tabbed an All-Conference USA first team member.

This will be Banks’ second time that he is involved with USA Basketball. In the summer of 2002, he played on the USA Development Festival East Team that finished 3-2 and earned the silver medal. He averaged 15.6 points and shot 46.9 percent from the field and 30 percent from the arc in those five contests.

Banks is one of two players from Conference USA to be invited to the trials, as Charlotte’s Curtis Withers will also attend.

Finalists for the USA Team will be selected following trials July 16-18 at the New Jersey Nets practice facility in East Rutherford. The USA Trials schedule will see the candidates competing twice a day, at 10:00 a.m. (all times local) and 5:00 p.m. Finalists will remain in New Jersey for the team’s training camp, which will again feature two-a-days at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The eventual 12-member squad will be finalized sometime prior to the USA’s final New Jersey practice at 10:00 a.m. on July 23.

Following a 2:00 p.m. practice session in Saint John, Canada, on July 24, the U.S. will take on Canada’s Young Men’s National Team on July 25 in a 2:00 p.m. exhibition game at Harbour Station in Saint John.

The young American squad will get in a final pair of practices in Halifax, Canada, on July 26 and 27 before tipping off play at the 2004 FIBA Americas World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Tournament on July 28. The U.S. will compete against seven other teams from the Americas for one of the three Americas Zone qualifying berths for the 2005 FIBA World Championships For Young Men, which will be hosted next summer by Argentina.