Baker makes Pan-Am Games team
Colorado Springs, Co. (goshockers.com)–Wichita State men’s basketball senior Ron Baker has been selected to represent the United States at the Pan American Games later this month in Toronto.
USA Basketball trimmed its roster to 12 following Sunday’s practice – the last of a six-day training camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. WSU’s Fred VanVleet was one of the final four players to be cut.
Baker, from Scott City, Kan., is the first WSU player to ever appear on a Pan Am Games men’s basketball roster. He’s also the first active Shocker in over three decades to represent the U.S. in international competition.
The 12-man roster includes seven collegians and five professionals – four from overseas and one who played last season in the NBA. In addition to Baker, they are:
Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia/Atlanta, Ga.); Bobby Brown (Dongguan Leopards, China/Los Angeles, Calif.); Ryan Hollins (Sacramento Kings/Pasadena, Calif.); Keith Langford (UNICS Kazan, Russia/Fort Worth, Texas); Shawn Long (Louisiana/Morgan City, La.); Taurean Prince(Baylor/San Antonio, Texas); Anthony Randolph (Lokomotiv-Kuban, Russia/ Pasadena, Calif.); Kaleb Tarczewski (Arizona/Claremont, N.H.);Romelo Trimble (Maryland/Upper Marlboro, Md.); Denzel Valentine (Michigan State/Lansing, Mich.); and Damien Wilkins (Indios de Mayagüez, Puerto Rico/Orlando, Fla.).
The team leaves Monday for Chicago and will train July 13-16 at the Chicago Bulls practice facility before heading to Toronto for the competition, July 21-25.
The U.S. men have been placed into Group A and will play all three of its preliminary round games, facing Venezuela on July 21, Puerto Rico on July 22 and Brazil on July 23. Competing in Group B will be Argentina, Canada, Dominican Republic and Mexico.
The top two teams from each preliminary-round group will advance to the medal-round semifinals on July 24, while the third and fourth-placed teams will play for fifth-eighth places. The semifinal winners will compete for the gold medal on July 25, and the semifinal losers will play for bronze.
