2011 USA Basketball Men’s U16 National Team Finalized:Theo Pinson makes the cut

2011 USA Basketball Men’s U16 National Team Finalized

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 12, 2011) — Following three days of practices
featuring 27 of the nation’s top 16-and-unders at the U.S. Olympic Training Center
(USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., the 2011 USA Basketball Men’s U16 National Team
was finalized on Sunday night, USA Basketball announced. The USA U16 National Team
members were selected by the USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team
Committee and drawn from the 2011-12 USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National
Team pool.

The U.S. U16 squad will remain at the USOTC to train through June 17 prior to
departing for Cancun, Mexico, to compete in the 2011 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.
The tournament, featuring eight U16 national teams from the Americas Zone (North,
South and Central America and the Caribbean), will take place June 21-25 and the top
three finishing teams will earn a berth to the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship. The
2012 USA U17 World Championship Team, should the U.S. qualify for the U17 Worlds,
will be comprised of USA Developmental National Team members, and is scheduled for
June 29 – July 12 in Lithuania.

The 12 members of the 2011 USA U16 National Team are:Larry Austin (Lamphier H.S. /
Springfield, Ill.);Conner Frankamp (Wichita North H.S. / Wichita, Kan.);Aaron Gordon
(Archbishop Mitty H.S. / San Jose, Calif.);Justin Jackson (Home School Christian
Youth Association / Houston, Texas);Stanley Johnson (Mater Dei H.S. / Fullerton,
Calif.);Tyus Jones (Apple Valley H.S. / Apple Valley, Minn.);Kendrick Nunn (Simeon
H.S. / Chicago, Ill.);Jahlil Okafor (Whitney Young H.S. / Chicago, Ill.);Jabari
Parker (Simeon H.S. / Chicago, Ill.); Theo Pinson (Oakridge Military Academy /
Greensboro, N.C.);
Malik Price-Martin (Monsignor Edward Pace H.S. / Miami, Fla.);
andJohnathan Williams (Southwind H.S. /
Memphis, Tenn.).

29 thoughts on “2011 USA Basketball Men’s U16 National Team Finalized:Theo Pinson makes the cut

  1. Congrats to Theo! He is a great ball player and I hope him and his team well as they represent the U.S.

    Andy, any word on Theo’s plans for next year? You and I have had this debate in the past and I was wondering if anything has been solidified yet.

  2. I’m telling you, he can take us back to the promised land all by himself! I hope he either becomes a Bengal or goes to HPCA if he stays around here. Hear nothing but. Good things about him.

  3. I have a good feeling he will be around here and I understand why you want him at GDS, but why HPCA? I would think you would want him either at GDS or some national school outside of the state. We all know he is going to be dominant where ever he goes.

  4. Nothing solid on his plans for next year yet…..Oak Ridge with Bob Lipke as coach and maybe Keyford Langley as an assistant and you have a good corp of some of the young guards that were there last year and you might be able to build a team around Theo and the holdovers….Many of the other top-notch players will probably not be back, but you would still have a base……Theo to GDS or HPCA or even to Keith Gatlin’s program at Wesleyan would not be a bad move…..Pinson with Montay Brandon and Jaquel RIchmond would be a very good big three….If Theo Pinson went to GDS, HPCA or Wesleyan, it would make them an automatic favorite to win the State Title…….I would hope he wouldn’t end at Christ School. They have been stacked for the past five years as it is……

  5. I don’t care who but someone needs to finally beat Christ School. They are losing a lot of people and unless they get a ton of help they will not be great so next year would definitely be the year to beat them. They are losing Most of their starting lineup if not all of it. Demarcus Harrison and Marshall Plumlee will be gone. High Point native Corban Collins is leaving and returning to High Point to finish his career. Rob Gray, perhaps their best player, will not be returning either. They will need some real strong additions to be dominant next year but Coach Gaines can get players from around the country since it is a boarding school. Wesleyan was close the closest local school to beat them last year only losing by five in Arden. So with such a good returning squad and maybe a few strong additions I think they might have to be a favorite to end Christ School’s streak.

  6. Andy, I am not interested in coaching at any level let alone High School. I am enjoying watching my sons play right now and can not commit to coaching high school basketball. I wish ORMA the very best.

  7. Andy, you really come up with some off the wall stuff—there’s no way Theo is staying @ ORMA to play for Bob Lipke–the best thing he ever did for Oak Ridge basketball was to bring in a crook which was to bring in a crook, and he can’t coach!

  8. I hosted a radio show for 15 years called “Off the Wall Sportscall” and I guess I have found a way to keep that tradition going…..

    If there is a need, would love to see ORMA basketball continue and if not, it will subside and we will move on……

    Do the readers think ORMA will continue or will it become ORAM or another product……ORAM could become a feeder school for the UNC Tar Heels…..

  9. Go Forth: We all know who you are and we KNOW you know NOTHINg about the game!

    Good Luck to Theo!

  10. why the heck would he waste his time goin to GDS??? so he can average 8 points a game instead of 25 at a better prep school??

  11. Congrats, why you have to question a kid maybe going to HPCA, then talk up Wesleyan in your next post? That made no sense considering last year. I have heard multiple possibilities about where the kid is going to end up. Maybe the kid will go back to Southeast, which would be great for them. Wherever he goes, they will instantly get better. He could be the difference in a lot of folks winning a ship. While on the HPCA track, how about Jackson Kent heading there? Didn’t see that one coming. Heard the rumor, but it was apparently official this weekend as he played with them. Heard Michael Obacha is going there too from ORMA. They have more kids, but don’t know who they are. Have no knowledge of them being in the mix for Pinson though.

  12. Whoa now

    Did you even read the post? What I said was that I didn’t understand Dale Fulton, a GDS faithful, saying that he wishes Theo would go to HPCA if not GDS. That doesn’t make sense for a Bengal to want Theo Pinson to go to another local school if he doesn’t go to GDS because that local school would beat GDS. I am assuming he mentioned HPCA because he feels the least threatened by HPCA (and I don’t blame him). That is why I said it would make more sense for him (Theo) to go to Oak Hill or Mater Dei or St. Anthony’s or even Word of God if not GDS. A little deductive reasoning would have helped you a little. Remember that, it is a useful tool. Second of all, last year’s HPCA team was good but only because of two players. They are both gone. If you look back at last year’s HPCA team, Weethe and Oates had 90% of their points in both games combined. If Jackson Kent is going to HPCA (which for the record practicing with a team doesn’t confirm anything, at my high school practices we would have at least three people from other schools over the summer and I also practiced myself with GDS. That doesn’t confirm anything.) he can’t make up the 90% of scoring lost because quite frankly, Weethe and Oates are better than Kent. Besides, word on the street says Kent is going to Dudley. Also Michael Obacha isn’t that good. There are reasons why Montay and Jaquel for Wesleyan have power conference scholarship offers and that is because they are the best and even without Pinson at Wesleyan (he will not end up at HPCA, I can guarantee that) plus Wesleyan’s additions not many teams will stand a chance especially HPCA. (and it is hard to bank on players going to HPCA that you can’t name)

  13. Jackson Kent to Dudley? Really? Gonna leave his dad at Page to play at Dudley? Maybe you’re right. For the record Oates is a juco player (grades are a part of that) and Weethee was a borderline D1 player, so if Wesleyan couldn’t contain them then I don’t know what you are so excited about. No dog in this fight other than appreciate good basketball and I saw HPCA dismantle Wesleyan last year on your home floor when someone on this site(probably you) said they had no shot then. This article is about Theo, and I never said he was going to HPCA or insinuated he might. Have no way to know that. Dale seems to have a little respect for them and maybe Wesleyan should too, judging from last year. I don’t know the new HPCA kids because I haven’t seen them, only heard they had some new kids. They played in some event in Lexington this past weekend. i do know Ogbodo is getting a lot of big time interest, and there is some kid from Virginia coming that averaged around 25 ppg, but I don’t know his name so he must not be very good. Obacha is fairly good, with division 1 offers, so that was an ignorant statement. Wesleyan will be good as well, no doubt, but I don’t think they have done anything to warrant a crown in June. Who all are they bringing in that makes you so confident?

  14. I doubt j.kent is leaving his dad behind at page. hpca coach clifford was assistant to coach kent for many years. he probably had jackson to help them out and get in some work on the court himself. page has almost all coming back from last year . if he is leaving, it would be to hpca where he could re-class like the other page players did. but that would prolly only happen if there was injury, like to weethee. weethee little brother will is a baller and he will be a force to b reckon with soon enough.

  15. Congrats to the young fella Theo Pinson. He is an outstanding ball player and will only get better with age and muscle. One thing is for certain, the thoughts and wishes that Theo ends up at GDS or HPCA are very far fetched. Freddy Johnson is a legendary coach but the style of play does not align well with Theo. Also HPCA is a good local school with Brandon Clifford being a pretty good coach and able to develope talent but there lack of notariety on a national level is not what he would be looking for either. Look for Pinson to land at a school that will do all of those things for him. High Point Wesleyan with Keith Gatling and his ability with a player on the caliber of Theo to put together a national schedule or Westchester with its national notariety, or another local school that will remain anonymous untill the time is right. In all actuality I hear that Pinson is looking hard at United Faith Christian out of Charlotte where he would team with highly touted pg Braxton Ogbueze. Also I dont find it out of question for Theo to end at Oak Hill or Word of God out of Raleigh. I guess we will all just have to wait and see.

  16. Whoa now

    You find it surprising when I mentioned Jackson Kent leaving his dad for Dudley but then think he will leave his dad for HPCA. Seems like your logic is a little inconsistent. Whether HPCA becomes his next school or not, you need to at least be consistent in your thoughts. I am in position to talk about someone’s grades (neither are you for that matter) but I do know that Mitch Oates didn’t have any D1 offers so you can’t really use grades as an excuse. Also, I am confused about what you mean borderline D1 school for Weethe. VMI is a D1 school (not really sure where the borderline comes in) and congrats to him for making it. He is the first HPCA bball player to go D1and that is awesome for him and for the school. I am also happy you enjoyed the two wins last year but you act as if those two wins will have anything to do with this up coming years outcomes and they won’t. It makes perfect sense to me to assume that the kids you haven’t seen are good players right? No it really doesn’t make sense. Any kid playing AAU or USSSA will receive letters but that doesn’t mean anything. A college isn’t interested unless they give an offer because if someone says UNC is showing interest and that person get an offer, how interested was Carolina in that player? They weren’t. So come to me when Ogbodo has offers. Also I did some research, and Obacha has no D1 offers, so you call me ignorant and then blatantly lie. Whose the ignorant one then? Of course Wesleyan hasn’t done anything to earn a crown but neither has other school in the country. Until the first regular season game is played and decided no one is on their way to winning a championship. Unless you are still under the belief that last years results will determine this years. We may as well just give Christ School the crown right now. Wesleyan has three new additons set in stone. A transfer from Mount Tabor, GDS , and Dudley. Plus Corban Collins, Christ School’s starting point guard has openly said that is where he wants to be. Anther player from Dudley is still on the fence and I wouldn’t be suprised if Theo Pinson ends up there. (That isn’t me assuming or predicting. I know for a fact that it is the only local school he is considering.)

    To me, it is funny. The fact that when I said something that wasn’t degrading or insulting to HPCA at all, you could get on hear and fuss as if I was talking trash. I guess you hear so much trash coming otu of your own mouth it becomes hard to decipher from everyday language.

  17. Logic? I love logic. Kent would realistically leave his dad to play to play at a rival school in his own conference, or he would leave to play for a former player of his father and have the ability to reclass. Who am I kidding? Kent would fit in great at Dudley…that’s logical. Also a 6’10” and athletic rising junior certainly wouldn’t be a high major recruit? That just shows you don’t know what you are talking about, not to mention a lack of logic.

    Please recheck your sources on Obacha, because they are wrong.

    I won’t go into anything else posted, just reread what you have stated and then say you aren’t talking trash. Truth is, someone mentioned HPCA and you had to downplay them, then when called on it had to act as if they weren’t even relevant. But that isn’t trash talk? It is great that Wesleyan is getting so many awesome players even when some of them must not be very good because you don’t know their names. That’s your logic, not mine. Hopefully they will cover-up Wesleyan’s main weakness…

  18. Congrats, you really need to check your sources becuase it is quite obvious that you don’t really know what your talking about.. get a life brother…

  19. Oh you mean a school that is traditionally a school that gives good players chances for scholarships? Dudley has that reputation for a reason. So logically it is Dudley or stay at Page witht the man that taught him the game in the first place. Like I said, when Ogbodo gets a scholarship you can talk about how schools are interested in him. Because schools that don’t give someone a scholarship aren’t interested in that person or they would get an offer wouldn’t they? Show me where I said he wasn’t skilled. I saw him play last year and I seen him this summer playing for CP3. But we will hold off on calling him a high major recruit until he gets a high major offer. By the way my sources are the three biggest sources for basketball recruiting, ESPN, Rivals, and Scout so why don’t you check it out and see that you are wrong. And was it me that started talking down in the first place? No, I am pretty sure it was you.

    This was Dale Fulton’s comment

    “I’m telling you, he can take us back to the promised land all by himself! I hope he either becomes a Bengal or goes to HPCA if he stays around here. Hear nothing but. Good things about him.”

    And then I replied

    “I have a good feeling he will be around here and I understand why you want him at GDS, but why HPCA? I would think you would want him either at GDS or some national school outside of the state. We all know he is going to be dominant where ever he goes.”

    If you knew something about local basketball, then you would know Dale Fulton is 100% Bengal. All I did was question why a bengal would include another local school for Theo Pinson to attend. Because for GDS, any other local school is going to be bad news. Fuss at Dale for using HPCA. Sounds to me like he is the one disrespecting your beloved school. So yeah, I did say some things, but it wasn’t trash talk. It was defending what I said in the first place. I am sorry you miscomprehended what was said.
    I at least had the courtesy to include the schools the new players attended (which was more than you could do) but I will appease you. Harrison White from Mount Tabor, Trey Chapman from GDS, and the person from Dudley I am unsure of, although I do know it is Jaquel Richmond’s cousin. The other player from Dudley that is on the fence is Brandon Clyburn and Corban Collins is all but in the school. Also, I just heard today that Theo Pinson is telling people Wesleyan is where he will be. Does that list suffice or do you need more information? (oh, and in one of your posts you asked why I was so excited. I think you can figure it out based on this list. See ya next year.)

  20. I’m not going to quote your posts, just read them. If you trust the internet for all your recruiting info, you need to get more sources. College coaches are probably the best, so try harder because you are wrong on multiple fronts. When a division 1 coach says they have offered someone I would assume they were being truthful, no? Time will reveal that I guess.

    I really was just wondering who all was going to Wesleyan, I had heard rumors, even about Theo. Didn’t think you’d spit it out but you did. They will be tough to beat, no question they will be the best team ever assembled. Guess they had to go out and get reinforcements.

    Also, Kent to Dudley is just hilarious. Come on now, everybody under the sun is leaving there and you would suggest that the confernce champions’ coach’s son is going to go there? They beat Dudley by 50. It ain’t the place it used to be. Kent to HPCA is confirmed by the way. Give it up. This has been fun

  21. I had to repost because if you could have just read them, you wouldn’t have gotten so misconstrued on what was said. I would like to know what coaches you have such a relationship with that they will talk to you about other people’s scholarships and if has such offers name them. Also, the chance that my sources were wrong doesn’t make me wrong on multiple fronts.

    Wesleyan isn’t the only team addiing players. Sounds like HPCA wanted some reinforcements themselves which they will really need.

    Dudley is still very solid. Losing PJ Hairston, Jaquel Richmond, and Josh Level in one year was a big difference in their record. It was a down year but they will get just as many new players as Wesleyan and HPCA this year since their losses aren’t late in the summer like last year. Also their football, baseball, and girls basketball teams are still very good. I am happy for Kent. I am happy for any student that can get out of public school and go to a school that gives a great Christian atmosphere. That being said I am happy HPCA is getting him because Theo will more than make up for him.

  22. To congrats.. Oates was offered by Cleveland State.. Its on there recruiting site.. Don’t know elsewhere

  23. We will not know what schools get which players until the bell rings in August. Rumors are flying everywhere. I believe kids say what school they want to go to but until financial aid is complete and the parents make the commitment to take the kid to school every day and pay $300 to $900 a month we will not know. Most parents think their kid will get a free ride at a private school but that is not always the case. So the kid tells everyone they are going to that school but then their parents do not want to make the financial commitment or daily commute.

    GDS has done it right for most years and have led in getting good basketball players. They will drop the financial aid right at $100 to $300 a month and middle income families can afford that but most others schools do not have the resources to do that.

    To sum up my post…..Rumors are fun but we will not see until the doors open in August…..

  24. If Theo Pinson goes to Wesleyan, then they automatically become the Top Team in the state…..

  25. I did say earlier in one of my posts that Christ School has such an advantage over other schools because of their ability to recruit nationally not just within a 40 minute radius. That is why they have become such a dynasty. I also said that I hope any team beats them in the playoffs because Christ Schools’ dominance is getting rediculous. I can’t recall the last local team to beat Christ School. I remember when Calvary Baptist only lost by three in Winston about five or six years ago. Then Wesleyan came up just short in Arden, losing by five. Please someone, take them down!!!

  26. Uh, Calvary Baptist BEAT Christ School during Miles Plumlee’s senior year (2007-2008). They were the last non-QEA, non-United Faith Christian Academy team from NC to beat them…

  27. I can’t help that I’m so fast and I could use a fast for a day or two, but Calvary Baptist? Haven’t heard anything out of them in a while and I think High Point Christian has replaced them as one of the top privates in the area and Caldwell Academy is your sleeper……They could be among the best their big men stick around……..

Comments are closed.