September 3, 2018 – USA Basketball announced today that Charlotte Hornets forward Dwayne Bacon has been selected as one of 14 players who will vie for a roster spot with the USA’s September World Cup Qualifying Team.

Bacon and the other 13 hopefuls will open training camp on Sept. 6 at UNLV’s Mendenhall Center. The Las Vegas training camp will be used to determine the 12-man team for the USA’s first competition window of FIBA World Cup Qualifying second-round games. The U.S. will square off against Uruguay on Sept. 14 (10 p.m. EDT) at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion, then meet Panama on Sept. 17 in Panama City. The player selections were made by the USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team Committee.

Bacon, a 6-7 forward from Florida State, was acquired by the Hornets in a trade with New Orleans on the night of the 2017 NBA Draft. As a rookie with Charlotte in 2017-18, Bacon appeared in 53 games (six starts) and averaged 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game. He scored a career-high 18 points at San Antonio on Nov. 3. In four games with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets G League affiliate, Bacon averaged 26.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 35.8 minutes per game. Bacon set the Swarm’s single-game scoring record with a 45-point performance against the Wisconsin Herd on Dec. 28. Bacon appeared in five games (all starts) for Charlotte’s entry in the 2018 NBA Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 18.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 31 minutes per game.

In addition to Bacon, the remainder of the U.S. training camp roster includes: Bryce Alford (Oklahoma City Blue); V.J. Beachem (Free Agent); Jordan Crawford (New Orleans Pelicans); Henry Ellenson (Detroit Pistons); Reggie Hearn (Grand Rapids Drive); Isaiah Hicks (Westchester Knicks); Dakari Johnson (Memphis Grizzlies); Frank Mason III (Sacramento Kings); Ben Moore (Fort Wayne Mad Ants); Chasson Randle (Capital City Go-Go); Travis Trice (Brisbane Bullets, Australia); Jameel Warney (Texas Legends); and Derrick White (San Antonio Spurs).

Former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who led the USA to a 5-0 record and the gold medal at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup Championship and has led the USA to a 5-1 record in the first-round of the FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifying, returns as head coach of the USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team. NBA G League Westchester Knicks head coach Mike Miller, and former Georgetown University coach John Thompson III, will serve as USA assistant coaches.

“With our September second-round games marking the start of the most critical part of the World Cup Qualifying, I think it is imperative for us to look for players who possess mental fortitude, who are tough, and who have experience,” said Van Gundy. “All of our second-round games are going to very, very difficult and competitive battles. Argentina, Panama and Uruguay are all really good and well coached.

“It’s good to have Reggie (Hearn) and Jameel (Warney) back, they’ve already experienced how tough these games are. And by looking to players who have played in the NBA and internationally, I’m hoping we have the experience required to win and qualify the United States for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.”

Thirteen of the players own NBA G League experience, including 10 who played in the NBA’s official minor league in 2017-18.

Ten of the players earned NBA playing time in 2017-18, including Bacon (53 games with Charlotte Hornets); Crawford (five games with New Orleans Pelicans); Ellenson (38 games with Detroit Pistons); Hearn (three games with Detroit Pistons); Hicks (18 games with New York Knicks); Johnson (31 games with Oklahoma City Thunder); Mason (52 games with Sacramento Kings); Moore (two games with Indiana Pacers); Warney (three games with Dallas Mavericks) and White (17 games with San Antonio Spurs). Additionally, Randle played 26 games in 2016-17 for the NBA New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers.

After finishing 5-1 and first in Group C in first-round action, the USA opens the FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifying second round facing Group A’s No. 2 seed, Uruguay (4-2), on Friday, Sept. 14 (7 p.m. PDT) at Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Tickets for the USA-Uruguay game are on sale now and are $20 (plus fees) for general admission and $60 (plus fees) for courtside. For ticket information call 702-739-FANS (3267) or visit USAB.com/WCQ.

The USA will complete the September competition window with an away game versus Panama (3-3) on Sept. 17 in Panama City.

Training camp for the USA World Cup Qualifying Team is scheduled to begin Sept. 6 in Las Vegas. The full USA World Cup Qualifying Team training schedule is available at usab.com/mens/wc-qualifying/training-schedule.aspx.

2017-18 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers

Following the completion of the first round, the top three finishing teams in each of the four, first-round groups advanced to the second round. The three advancing teams from Group A, Argentina (5-1), Uruguay (4-2) and Panama (3-3), and the top three finishers from Group C, USA, Puerto Rico (4-2) and Mexico (3-3), form Group E. The top three finishers from Group B, Venezuela (5-1), Brazil (5-1) and Chile (1-5), and Group D, Canada (5-1), Dominican Republic (4-2) and U.S. Virgin Islands (2-4), form Group F. The three second-round windows of competition will take place Sept. 13-17, 2018; Nov. 29-Dec. 3, 2018; and Feb. 21-25, 2019.

Following completion of the Americas second-round games, seven teams will qualify out of the zone for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, including the top three finishing teams from Group E and Group F, and the top rated fourth placed team between Group E and Group F.

Under FIBA’s new competition system, a total of 80 national teams from FIBA’s four regions of Africa, Americas, Asia (which now includes Oceania) and Europe initially competed in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifying first round looking to earn a qualifying berth into the 32-team 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup competition that will be held Aug. 31-Sept. 15 in China.

The FIBA World Cup Qualifying games are being used to qualify 31 of the 32 nations that will compete in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. China automatically qualified as the host nation of the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Five teams will qualify from Africa, seven teams from the Americas, seven teams from Asia and 12 teams from Europe.

The current two-time defending World Cup champion USA men have participated in 17 FIBA World Cups and have collected 12 medals - five gold medals (1954, 1986, 1994, 2010 and 2014), three silver medals (1950, 1959 and 1982) and four bronze medals (1974, 1990, 1998 and 2006). USA teams own an overall record of 123-27.

Results from the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 will qualify seven teams for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Additionally, Olympic host, Japan, automatically qualified, and the final four nations will qualify through four FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments that will be held in 2020 in advance of the Olympics.

SEPTEMBER 2018 USA WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM TRAINING CAMP ROSTER

Name Pos Hgt Wgt Age 2017-18 Team/College/Hometown Bryce Alford G 6-3 185 23 Oklahoma City Blue/UCLA/ Albuquerque, NM Dwayne Bacon F 6-7 221 23 Charlotte Hornets/Florida State/Lakeland, FL V.J. Beachem F 6-8 200 23 South Bay Lakers/Notre Dame/Fort Wayne, IN Jordan Crawford G 6-4 195 29 New Orleans Pelicans /Xavier/Detroit, MI Henry Ellenson F 6-11 245 21 Detroit Pistons/Marquette/Rice Lake, WI Reggie Hearn G 6-4 209 26 Grand Rapids Drive/Northwestern/Fort Wayne, IN Isaiah Hicks C 6-9 242 24 Westchester Knicks/North Carolina/Oxford, NC Dakari Johnson C 7-0 255 22 Memphis Grizzlies/Kentucky/Brooklyn, NY Frank Mason III G 5-11 194 24 Sacramento Kings/Kansas/Petersburg, VA Bryce Alford G 6-3 185 23 Oklahoma City Blue/UCLA/ Albuquerque, NM Ben Moore F 6-8 220 23 Fort Wayne Mad Ants/SMU/ Bolingbrook, IL Chasson Randle G 6-2 185 25 Capital City Go-Go/Stanford/Rock Island, IL Travis Trice G 6-2 177 25 Brisbane Bullets (Australia)/Michigan State/Huber Heights, OH Jameel Warney C 6-7 259 24 Texas Legends/Stony Brook/Plainfield, NJ Derrick White G 6-5 195 24 San Antonio Spurs/Colorado/Parker, CO

Head Coach: Jeff Van Gundy, USA Basketball

Assistant Coach: Mike Miller, Westchester Knicks

Assistant Coach: John Thompson III, USA Basketball

Athletic Trainer: Ed Lacerte, ProSports Therapy, Inc. (Waltham and Westford, MA)

Team Physician: Stephen Foley, Sanford Health (Sioux Falls, SD)

Team Scout: Mark Fox

Video Coordinator: Luke Stanaland

NOTE: Age reflects player’s age as of completion of the September FIBA World Cup Qualifiers (Sept.17, 2018).