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Olympian Vince Carter Added To 2003 USA Senior National Team Roster After Surgeries Force Kobe Bryant To Withdraw
 

31-Jul-2003 14:35 By USA Basketball
 

Announcing the addition of 2000 Olympic gold medalist and four-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter (Toronto Raptors) to the 2003 USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team, USA Basketball filled the roster opening on its 2003 USA Senior National Team that was created when Los Angeles Lakers All-Star guard Kobe Bryant withdrew after recently undergoing arthroscopic shoulder and knee surgeries. The 2003 USA Senior National Team 12-man roster was selected by the USA Basketball Senior National Team Committee. Carter’s selection is for the 2003 Senior National Team only, while Bryant will retain his roster spot on the 2004 USA Olympic squad if the USA qualifies. The 2003 USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team is scheduled to participate in the 2003 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament that will be held Aug. 20-31, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Only the top three finishers in the 10-nation America qualifying tournament will earn a coveted qualification spot for the Aug. 13-29, 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece

The nine teams to have qualified in addition to the United States are: Canada, Puerto Rico (host country), Dominican Republic (2nd at Central America Championship), Mexico (3rd at Central America Championship), the U.S. Virgin Islands (4th at Central America Championship), Brazil (1st at South America Championship), Argentina (2nd at South America Championship), Uruguay (3rd at South America Championship), and Venezuela (4th at South America Championship).

“It is a wonderful honor to once again be representing USA Basketball,” said Carter. “I am excited to be joining such a talented collection of players and I know we will all work extremely hard and with pride to represent our country.”

“USA Basketball's Senior National Team committee is very pleased to announce that Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors has accepted an invitation to play for the USA in this summer's FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament,” said Stu Jackson, Chair of the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team Committee. “Carter replaces Kobe Bryant, who is unable to play because of recent shoulder and knee surgeries and subsequent rehabilitation.

“We are thrilled to have an exciting and versatile player like Vince back in a USA Basketball uniform. He will bring valuable international experience and scoring to the team, and we look forward to Kobe Bryant rejoining the team after we reach our stated goal of qualifying for the 2004 Olympic Games,” added Jackson.

Carter, like nine of his 2003 USA Senior Team teammates (Allen, Bibby, Brand, Collison, Duncan, Iverson, Kidd, Malone and O’Neal), boasts of previous USA Basketball experience and becomes the fourth player possessing previous Olympic Games experience (Allen, Kidd and Malone).

A member of 2000 USA team that claimed gold at the Sydney Olympic Games, Carter was also a member of the 1995 USA Junior World Championship Team.

Carter led the USA in scoring at the 2000 Olympics averaging 14.8 points per game, while adding 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and he shot 50.6 percent overall and 40.7 percent from 3-point. As a high school senior, Carter made the 1995 USA Basketball Junior World Championship Team and averaged 6.0 ppg., 4.0 rpg., 1.4 spg. and 1.1 blocked shots.

Completing in 2002-03 his fifth NBA season, Carter started 42 of the 43 games he played in and led Toronto in scoring after averaging 20.6 ppg., while adding 4.4 rpg. and 3.3 apg. A four-time NBA All-Star, Carter during his career has averaged 24.1 ppg., 5.4 rpg., 3.7 apg., while shooting 45.4 percent overall, 38.7 percent from 3-point, and 78.2 percent from the foul line.

He was named the 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie First Team after averaging 18.3 ppg., 5.7 rpg., 3.0 apg., 1.5 bpg. and 1.10 spg., and has also added All-NBA Second Team (2001) and Third Team (2000) honors.

The USA senior squad will train for nine days from Aug 10-18 in New York City for the 2003 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and will also play an exhibition game against the Puerto Rico Senior National Team in New York at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 15 (7:30 p.m. EDT).

The 12-member 2003 USA Senior Team includes a core group of nine top NBA players, who if the U.S. qualifies, along with the coaching staff are expected to represent the United States in the 2004 Olympics.

The nine core group players previously announced include two-time Olympic gold medalist and 18-year NBA star Karl Malone (Los Angeles Lakers); 2000 Olympic gold medalists Ray Allen (Seattle SuperSonics) and Jason Kidd (New Jersey Nets); Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs), the NBA’s 2002 and 2003 Most Valuable Player; Bryant, MVP of the 2002 NBA All-Star Game and a three-time member of the NBA champion Lakers; Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers), 2001 MVP of the NBA; Jermaine O’Neal (Indiana Pacers), winner of the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award in 2002; Tracy McGrady (Orlando Magic), the NBA’s leading scorer in 2002-03 and the NBA’s 2001 Most Improved Player, and rising NBA star Mike Bibby (Sacramento Kings), who led the Kings to the 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals.

The U.S. team's remaining roster positions are filled by role players. The role players were selected for just the 2003 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Team, although, their participation on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team, should the U.S. qualify, is still a possibility but not guaranteed. The previous announced role players include NBA All-Star Elton Brand (Los Angeles Clippers); second year NBA standout Richard Jefferson (New Jersey Nets) who has helped lead the Nets to the NBA Finals both years; and University of Kansas four-year standout and USA Basketball veteran Nick Collison, who was a 2003 first round draft choice by the Seattle SuperSonics.

Basketball Hall of Fame member Larry Brown (Detroit Pistons) will serve as head coach of the ‘03 USA senior team, and named as assistant coaches were San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, Clemson University (S.C.) head mentor Oliver Purnell, and University of North Carolina head coach Roy Williams.

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