March 5, 2008

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest signee Al-Farouq Aminu has been named to the 2008 USA Basketball Junior National Select Team that will compete in the 11th annual Nike Hoop Summit on April 12 in Portland, Ore.

The USA Select Team and the World Select Team will face off at 1 p.m. (PT) in Portland's Rose Garden, in a nationally televised game on Fox Sports Net.

Aminu was named to the 10-man USA roster along with several other top prep players across the country. Wake Forest is one of five schools, along with Georgetown, North Carolina, UCLA and USC, to have a signee named to the team. Two players on the team are undecided on a college.

Born Sept. 21, 1990, Aminu is the youngest player on the roster by over two months.

Aminu has also been selected as a 2008 McDonald's All-American and will play for the East Team on March 26 in Milwaukee, Wis. He has been invited to play in the 2008 Jordan Brand Classic on April 19 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The last Demon Deacon recruit to play in the Nike Hoop Summit was Darius Songaila, who was a member of the 1998 World Select Team that won 104-99 in San Antonio.

The Nike Hoop Summit was held annually from 1995-2000 and then was resumed in 2004.

The 2008 USA Basketball Junior National Select Team roster includes: Al-Farouq Aminu (Norcross H.S. / Norcross, Ga. / Wake Forest); Jerime Anderson (Canyon H.S. / Anaheim, Calif. / UCLA); Ed Davis (Benedictine H.S. / Richmond, Va. / North Carolina); Demar DeRozan (Compton H.S. / Compton, Calif. / USC); Tyreke Evans (American Christian / Aston, Pa. / Undecided); Drew Gordon (Archbishop Mitty H.S. / San Jose, Calif. / UCLA); Jrue Holiday (Campbell Hall H.S. / North Hollywood, Calif. / UCLA); Scotty Hopson (University Heights Academy / Hopkinsville, Ky. / Undecided); Malcolm Lee (John W. North H.S. / Riverside, Calif. / UCLA); and Greg Monroe (Helen Cox H.S. / Gretna, La. / Georgetown). The coach and player selections were made by the USA Basketball Men's Junior Development Committee.

Douglas Mitchell (North Central H.S. / Indianapolis, Ind.) was named head coach of the 2008 USA Team. John Olive (Torrey Pines H.S. / San Diego, Calif.) will assist Mitchell on the 2008 USA sideline.

"Identifying a 10-man roster is always difficult," said Don Showalter (Mid-Prairie H.S., Iowa), who served as head coach of the USA squad in the 1998 Hoop Summit and is the current chair of the USA Basketball Men's Junior Development Committee. "This is not an all-star game, and we expect the World Team to be very good. These kids are going to have to play some defense.

"This USA roster, though, is talented and balanced and will be tough to beat. We have a strong mix of skills and sizes, and we also have players that gained valuable experience at the 2007 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival. Those kids understand what we're looking for from a team standpoint, and they have a familiarity with international basketball."

The Nike Hoop Summit is the country's premiere annual basketball game featuring America's top male high school seniors taking on a World Select Team comprised of the top players, 19-years-old or younger. The World Select Team roster is expected to be announced in March.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2008 Nike Hoop Summit, with reserved courtside seats priced $25-$50 and all other lower bowl tickets $10. Tickets can be purchased through the Rose Quarter Ticket Office, by calling 877-789-ROSE (7673) or by visiting www.rosequarter.com.

For more information on the 2008 USA Basketball Junior National Select Team, visit www.usabasketball.com.