OSU's Marcus Smart only non-NBA player invited to play with national team

"It's a great honor to be invited to participate with the USA Men's National Team," Marcus Smart said. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World file

STILLWATER ? Oklahoma State sophomore Marcus Smart has accepted an invitation to attend the USA Basketball Men's National Team minicamp, July 22-25 in Las Vegas, Nev., it was announced Tuesday.

He is the only non-NBA player who is scheduled to participate.

"It is a great honor to be invited to participate with the USA Men's National Team," Smart said in a press release. "The other players at the mini-camp are NBA professionals who I look up to and respect. I'm excited to learn from them and to compete against them."

Smart will arrive at the mini-camp having just helped lead the USA U19 World Championship team to a 9-0 mark and the FIBA U19 World Championship crown in the Czech Republic. Selected team captain, he averaged 9.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 50 percent from the field overall.

A total of 29 players have accepted invitations to attend the camp. The players will assemble in Las Vegas on July 21, will conduct daily training sessions July 22-24, and close out the minicamp with the 2013 USA Basketball Showcase, a blue-white intrasquad game on July 25 at 8 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Arena on the UNLV campus.

"We're very excited for Marcus," said OSU head coach Travis Ford in a press release. "It's an incredible honor to be the lone college player to be selected. It's a great honor for him and our program. He continues to represent us in a first-class manner, both on and off the court."

Other players expected to participate are: Ryan Anderson (New Orleans Pelicans), Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans), DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors), Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets), Derrick Favors (Utah Jazz), Paul George (Indiana Pacers), Taj Gibson (Chicago Bulls), Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz), George Hill (Indiana Pacers), Jrue Holiday (New Orleans Pelicans), and Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers).

Also scheduled to participate are: DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte Bobcats), Ty Lawson (Denver Nuggets), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), Greg Monroe (Detroit Pistons), Chandler Parsons (Houston Rockets), Larry Sanders (Milwaukee Bucks), Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors), Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers), Kemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats), John Wall (Washington Wizards), and Tyler Zeller (Cleveland Cavaliers).

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Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/OSUs_Marcus_Smart_only_non_NBA_player_invited_to_play/20130716_93_0_STILLW136737?rss_lnk=93

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