DURHAM — Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will be in Las Vegas for a weeklong USA Basketball training camp starting July 18, and two of his returning Blue Devils players will be joining him.
Rising senior guard Nolan Smith and rising senior forward Kyle Singler will be among the 15 to 20 college players invited to work out next month with the 20 or more NBA players vying for a spot on the USA men's national team, Krzyzewski said today. Ty Zeller, a rising junior forward at UNC also may be among the college players invited, said Krzyzewski, head coach of the USA national team.
It's the first time that USA Basketball has attempted to integrate so many college players into the training of the national team, which must be trimmed down to size in time for the 2010 FIBA World Championship (Aug. 28 to Sept. 12). The college players won't scrimmage the pros but will interact with the NBA players in a controlled setting, Krzyzewski said.
"It's part of our plan for USA Basketball to integrate all aspects of United States basketball," Krzyzewski said.
Villanova coach Jay Wright and University of Washington coach Lorenzo Romar will be at the training camp working with the college players.
"It's a good experience for whoever the kids are that are able to come," Krzyzewski said.
The USA men's team will play four exhibition games, including an Aug. 15 matchup against the French national team in New York's Madison Square Garden on Aug. 15 (followed by a trip to Spain for games against Lithuania and Spain on Aug. 21 and 22 and a Aug. 25 game against Greece in Athens.)
Before the exhibition games, the U.S. team will take part in an Aug. 12 open-air showcase event in New York's Times Square as part of what's being called the World Basketball Festival.
— Rachel Stern
Assistant sports editor Lorenzo Perez has bounced back-and-forth between The News & Observer's news and sports department several times since joining the newspaper in 1999. His latest assignment has him working with The N&O's ACC writers and online news. E-mail 
