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There’s no better opportunity for players to show off their basketball prowess than on the world stage.
That’s exactly the chance rising junior center Alex Kirk will have when he represents Team USA at the World University Games. Kirk was selected for the squad after a five-day training camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Kenny Thomas was the last Lobo to make the World University Games, back in 1997.
The World University Games will be held in Kazan, Russia. Team USA will depart for the competition July 1.
“It’s a huge honor to know that when we go out to Russia I’ll have USA on my chest and play against the best foreign players at the collegiate level in the world,” Kirk said in a release. “I’m excited to get a shot at a gold medal.”
UNM head coach Craig Neal said he’s proud of Kirk for making the squad.
“This is a very exciting time for Lobo basketball with Alex’s selection to Team USA,” Neal said in a release. “Alex is everything you want in a student-athlete. He has worked very hard to become the player he is today … I’m so happy for him and his family. Alex does everything in his life the right way all the time in everything he does as a young man. He is a huge credit to our program and just as important to the state of New Mexico.”
Rising senior guard Kendall Williams was also at Team USA’s training camp to compete for a roster spot, but was part of the initial roster cuts June 26.
“It was an honor to wear the USA logo on my jersey, and what I picked up here this week will really help my game.” Williams said in a release. “I would have loved to have stayed, but I’m really happy for Alex. He will represent the USA and UNM well.”
However, Kirk won’t be the only Lobo to participate in the competition: Forward Cameron Bairstow will be playing for Australia’s national team. The Americans and the Boomers will face off in pool play on July 11 at 8:30 p.m. Mountain Time.
“That will be fun,” Kirk said of the potential confrontation with Bairstow. “It will be a battle. We will see with the matchups how much we go against each other. [I know a lot of his] tendencies, and he knows a lot of mine, so it should be a fun matchup.”
Players joining Kirk on the USA team are guard Spencer Dinwiddie (Colorado), guard Yogi Ferrell (Indiana), forward Treveon Graham (Virginia Commonwealth University), forward Luke Hancock (Louisville), guard Tyler Haws (BYU), center Corey Jefferson (Baylor), guard Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati), forward Doug McDermott (Creighton), forward Adreian Payne (Michigan State), forward Will Sheehey (Indiana), and center Aaron White (Iowa).
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“Clearly, versatility — we have guys that can play more than one position — that’s one of the great strengths we have,” said USA head coach Bob McKillop, who is also the head coach of Davidson College’s Wildcats. “I think we shoot the ball particularly well from a number of positions, and we’ve got guys who want to be teammates. Those two things, to me, are the biggest advantages that we have, or the biggest strengths for our team.”
