Myles Turner was drafted by the Pacers 11th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Coming off an encouraging rookie season, Pacers center Myles Turner was one of 25 players named to USA Basketball’s Select Team. The announcement was made official Tuesday afternoon.
Turner will be in Las Vegas July 18-21 to train with the National Team and help prepare for the Olympics in Rio.
“This is an incredible honor,” Turner said in a video interview on Pacers.com. “I’ve always wanted to represent my country well. I got a chance to do it at the high school level in playing with U18s. This is just a stepping stone to make it to the next level. I’m excited for the opportunity.
“I want the best competition. I’ve been able to work against the best competition and I’ll only get better myself.”
Two Indiana products, Cody Zeller (Washington High School) and Gary Harris (Hamilton Southeastern High School), were also selected to this up-and-coming team.
Turner, who’s just 20 years old, averaged 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game in his rookie season. He finished eighth in Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team.
And he has experience playing for the red, white, and blue. In fact, he won a U18 Championship back in 2014 playing with Detroit’s Stanley Johnson and Miami’s Justise Winslow.
“It was just a little taste of what it can really be,” Turner added.
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who will take over for Coach K as National Team coach following the Rio Olympics, will oversee the Select Team alongside Spurs assistant coach Ime Udoka and Villanova University head coach Jay Wright.
“The 2016 USA Basketball Select Team continues to our tradition of featuring some of the game’s brightest and most promising young players. Participation in this camp provides them with valuable experience at the USA Basketball National Team level, while helping prepare the 2016 USA National Team for its upcoming international competition. For many of the Select Team players this is a continuation of their USA Basketball experiences and for others it is an introduction into our pipeline,” USA Basketball National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo said in the news release.
“Being chosen for the Select Team is an honor and it is an important step in becoming involved in USA Basketball’s National Team program in the future. Current national team players like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, as well as many other outstanding players, got their USA National Team start through a Select Team.”
Paul George, who has already stated that he intends to play for Team USA in the Rio Olympics, is also in with that bunch. Turner, too, aspires to being part of that elusive bunch and bringing home a gold medal one day.
“Without a doubt,” he said. “I want to be able to represent my country on the biggest stage. To win a gold medal in the Olympics and in such a historic game, that would be an incredible honor.”
The 25-man Roster:
Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
Malcolm Brogdon (University of Virginia)
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Detroit Pistons)
Willie Cauley-Stein (Sacramento Kings)
Kris Dunn (Providence College)
Aaron Gordon (Orlando Magic)
Jerami Grant(Philadelphia 76ers)
Gary Harris (Denver Nuggets)
Rodney Hood (Utah Jazz)
Brandon Ingram (Duke University)
Brice Johnson (University of North Carolina)
Stanley Johnson (Detroit Pistons)
Zach LaVine (Minnesota Timberwolves)
CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)
Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls)
Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver Nuggets)
Jahlil Okafor (Philadelphia 76ers)
Jabari Parker (Milwaukee Bucks)
Julius Randle (Los Angeles Lakers)
D’Angelo Russell(Los Angeles Lakers)
Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics)
Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers)
Denzel Valentine (Michigan State University)
Justise Winslow (Miami Heat)
Cody Zeller (Charlotte Hornets).