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USA Basketball: Hamidou Diallo among current college players trying out for U19 World Cup team

By Daniel Benjamin

Dec 18, 2016; Ft. Meyers, FL, USA; Putnam Science Mustangs gaurd Hamidou Diallo (3) handles the ball against St Anthony Yellowjackets during the first half at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2016; Ft. Meyers, FL, USA; Putnam Science Mustangs gaurd Hamidou Diallo (3) handles the ball against St Anthony Yellowjackets during the first half at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 18, 2016; Ft. Meyers, FL, USA; Putnam Science Mustangs gaurd Hamidou Diallo (3) handles the ball against St Anthony Yellowjackets during the first half at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2016; Ft. Meyers, FL, USA; Putnam Science Mustangs gaurd Hamidou Diallo (3) handles the ball against St Anthony Yellowjackets during the first half at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Half of the players trying out for the USA U19 World Cup men’s basketball team already have college basketball playing experience.  2016 five-star recruit Hamidou Diallo is one of those players.

USA U19 World Cup men’s basketball coach John Calipari learned that 28 players accepted tryout invitations from the organization on June 8. University of Kentucky redshirt freshman Hamidou Diallo leads a group of 14 college players trying out for the USA U19 World Cup team this summer. Training camp runs from June 18-25 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Diallo, who tested NBA draft waters this spring, is also one seven players on the training camp roster who won gold medals this last summer.  The 6’5″ guard graduated early from high school and then enrolled at Kentucky in January. He did not play for the Wildcats in 2016-17, opting for a redshirt instead. Diallo was a five-star recruit coming out of Putnam Science Academy.

Kevin Huerter, P.J. Washington, and Trae Young along with Diallo were on the U18 gold medal team. In the meantime, Kevin Knox, Immanuel Quickley, and Austin Wiley were members of the victorious U17 World Championship squad.

Nine other training camp invitees have some previous USA Basketball experience. These players include Marques Bolden, Chaundee Brown, Brandon McCoy, Shamorie Ponds, Peyton Pritchard, Mitchell Robinson, and Kris Wilkes. Romeo Langford and Cameron Reddish round out the players who have been with USA Basketball before.

Calipari was named the U19 head coach on March 8. The University of Kentucky head coach previously served as head coach of the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival East Team. He also led the Dominican Republic national team in 2011 and 2012. Colorado’s Tad Boyle and Wake Forest’s  Danny Manning will serve under Calipari.

The U.S. has claimed a medal in nine of the 12 previous U19 World Championships. The U.S., the defending champion, has won six golds and three silvers in the event.

Here is a look at the other 13 college players trying out for the U19 team this summer.

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