Senior Sherron Collins (Kansas) and juniors Craig Brackins (Iowa State) and James Anderson (Oklahoma State) will represent the Big 12 at the 2009 USA Men’s World University Games Team Trials, June 16-24 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Fifteen players will compete to be part of the 12-man roster. All players competing in the trials must be currently enrolled in a college or university and have remaining NCAA athletic eligibility.
Collins was the leader of a Kansas team that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2009. He was also a catalyst on the 2008 Jayhawk squad that won the NCAA Championship. This past season, Collins led KU in scoring with 18.9 points per game (third in the Big 12) and assists with 5.0 per game. He had 14 games of 20-plus points, led KU in scoring 27 times and in assists 25 times.
A native of Palmdale, Calif., Brackins produced one of the most prolific statistical seasons in recent Cyclone history. The forward ranked second in the Big 12 in scoring (20.2) and third in the conference in rebounding (9.5) while earning All-America Honorable Mention honors from the Associated Press.
Anderson is coming off a sophomore season in which he led the Cowboys to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Junction City, Ark., native averaged a team-high 18.2 points per game and was named All-Big 12 Second Team by the conference.
Finalists will be selected prior to the team’s departure for Serbia on June 25. The 2009 World University Games will be held July 2-12 in Belgrade, Serbia, with 24 men’s teams expected to compete for gold. Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan will lead the select group of college stars at the international event.
2009 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Trials Roster
JAMES ANDERSON, G, Oklahoma State
CRAIG BRACKINS, F, Iowa State
SHERRON COLLINS, G, Kansas
Talor Battle, G, Penn State
Trevor Booker, F, Clemson
Da’Sean Butler, F, West Virginia
Mike Davis, F, Illinois
Corey Fisher, G, Villanova
Lazar Hayward, F, Marquette
Robbie Hummel, F, Purdue
JaJaun Johnson, F, Purdue
Quincy Pondexter, F, Washington
Deon Thompson, F, North Carolina
Evan Turner, F, Ohio State
Jarvis Varnado, F, Mississippi State