Penn, Redd Make First Cut at USA Basketball Tryouts – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/1/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 1, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State junior guard Scoonie Penn (5-10, Salem, Mass./Salem) and sophomore guard Michael Redd (6-6, Columbus, Ohio/West) are among the 16 finalists selected to prepare June 21-29 in Dayton, Ohio for the 12-member USA Basketball Men’s World University Games team. The final squad will play in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, July 3-12. Penn and Redd tried out over the weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Oliver Purnell, University of Dayton head coach who will lead the U.S. team in Spain, said it wasn’t easy selecting the 16 players who will vie for the 12 spots on the U.S. squad.
“It was a difficult decision to get down to the 16 finalists, which speaks to the overall talent and parity of these trials,” Purnell said. “I was very impressed with how hard everyone worked and with their attitudes.”
Penn said OSU’s run to the Final Four helped during the competition.
“I felt that I worked hard this weekend,” Penn said. “This is something that I wanted to be a part of and I’m happy that I’m part of it. It’s nice to be kind of local for training camp. Columbus isn’t that far from Dayton. Going through the NCAA Tournament always helps because it prepares you for tough competition and being in pressure situations like the trials this weekend.”
Redd is looking forward to the opportunity to make the U.S. team.
“It’s definitely a great honor,” Redd said. “You play your whole life just to play on a USA Basketball team and now that I’ve made it this far I really want to make the second cut and keep doing well. To have Scoonie here with me makes it extra special. To have one of your college teammates with you helps out a lot.”
Other players who made the first cut are: Josh Asselin, Michigan; Erick Barkley, St. John’s; Cory Bradford, Illinois; Chris Carrawell, Duke; Marcus Fizer, Iowa State; Kevin Freeman, Connecticut; Brendan Haywood, North Carolina; Mark Madsen, Stanford; Kenyon Martin and Pete Mickeal, Cincinnati; Chris Mihm, Texas; Robert O’Kelley, Wake Forest; Matt Santangelo, Gonzaga; and Etan Thomas, Syracuse.
In 15 previous World University Games appearances, the United States men have totaled a 102-6 (.944) record, 11 gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze. The USA has currently won 32-consecutive World University Games contests and gold medals in each of its past five appearances (1989, ’91, ’93, ’95, ’97).
-Go Bucks!-
