June 20, 2006
LAS VEGAS - UNLV men's basketball student-athletes Michael Umeh and Joel Anthony have both been invited to try out for their respective national teams this summer.
"This is a real positive opportunity for both Michael and Joel," UNLV head coach Lon Kruger said. "It is a great opportunity to have the chance to compete at a very high level of basketball in the summertime and anytime you are given the chance to represent your home country, it is special. From a coach's perspective, whenever players in our program can be participating in organized summer basketball events, it is beneficial."
Umeh, a senior guard, is currently in Dallas at the first phase camp for the Nigerian National Men's Basketball Team. He is among 32 invited players trying to make the final squad, which will be limited to 15 players and compete at the FIBA World Championship in Japan from August 19 to September 3.
The team will also face Turkey, Slovenia and Lebanon in a four-nation invitational tournament scheduled for July 26-30 in Ankara, Turkey.
The first phase in Dallas will conclude on July 1 and a second phase is scheduled for Las Vegas from July 8-23, with exhibition games scheduled against USA Basketball, Puerto Rico, the NBA's Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets.
The third phase will be back in Dallas from August 6-13.
Umeh had his junior season at UNLV cut short with a knee injury. He appeared in 16 games and started 12 for the Runnin' Rebels in 2005-06, averaging 11.0 ppg (second on the team) before undergoing surgery.
"This is a great opportunity for me to get better," Umeh said. "My knee is feeling good and I am using this opportunity of playing against good competition to keep improving my game in preparation for my senior year."
Anthony, a senior center, has been invited to compete for a spot with the Canadian National Men's Basketball Team, with tryouts taking place from June 30 to July 3 at Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario.
The team will participate in three tours in three European countries this summer: Italy, Germany and Slovenia. The 2006 season for Canada will tipoff in Bormio, Italy, in a four-team exhibition tournament with Greece, Serbia and Montenegro, along with host Italy. The team will then travel to Germany where it will play in a two-game exhibition series against the Germans in Hamburg on July 28 and Nuremburg on July 30. Finally, the team will compete in Maribor, Slovenia, playing in the International Alpos Cup against Venezuela, Lebanon and Slovenia.
"This will be a great experience for me and it gives me a chance to play organized basketball this summer," Anthony said. "Especially having redshirted last year, it will be a great opportunity for me to get an early start to my senior season, which will be very valuable."
Anthony sat out last year after playing for the Runnin' Rebels in 2004-05. As a junior, he played in 31 games, started three and averaged 1.9 ppg and 2.7 rpg in just over 13 minutes per contest. He led UNLV in blocked shots with 48, which was fourth in the Mountain West Conference.
