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Denzel Valentine and Gary Harris named to 2016 USA Basketball Select Team

June 9, 2016
Head coach Tom Izzo talks to senior guard Denzel Valentine during the game against Middle Tennessee State University on March 18, 2016 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. The Spartans were defeated by the Raiders, 90-81.
Head coach Tom Izzo talks to senior guard Denzel Valentine during the game against Middle Tennessee State University on March 18, 2016 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. The Spartans were defeated by the Raiders, 90-81. —
Photo by Sundeep Dhanjal | and Sundeep Dhanjal The State News

Former Michigan State basketball players Denzel Valentine and Gary Harris have been selected for the 2016 USA Men's Select Team that will practice alongside the U.S. Men's Olympic Team in the lead-up to the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro. Alongside their 23 other teammates, Valentine and Harris will begin practices on July 18 and continue working with the team until July 21 at the Mendenhall Center in Las Vegas. 

Harris completed his second NBA season this past year with the Denver Nuggets, while Valentine finished his fourth and final year at Michigan State and awaits the June 23 NBA Draft to see where his future lies. Valentine was one of only five players from the 2016 draft class selected for the squad, while eight other second-year NBA players join Harris.

"Being a part of the USA Men's Select Team is a great opportunity for both Denzel and Gary," Michigan State men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo said in an MSU press release. "The chance to train with some of the best young talent in the game as well as the U.S. Olympic Team is a unique opportunity that will only serve to benefit them in the early stages of their careers."

The USA Men's Select Team is designed to field premier, upcoming talent to train and learn under the tutelage of some of the NBA's top players and coaches. The first Select roster was founded in 2007 and since its beginnings, the Select team has given an early platform for future NBA stars such as Derrick Rose, Andre Iguadola and Kevin Durant. 

"The 2016 USA Basketball Select Team continues to our tradition of featuring some of the game’s brightest and most promising young players," Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball National Team managing director, said in a press release. "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 announced San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich as the head coach of the team on Oct. 23, 2015. He will oversee both the Olympic team and Select team practices. 

Meanwhile, Michigan State alumnus Draymond Green will compete for a spot on the official Olympic team, as he is one of 31 finalists eligible for a USA basketball jersey. His future will be determined by Popovich after Green's Golden State Warriors conclude their NBA Finals matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Green was one of the many USA Men's Select Team graduates, as he attended the training camp in 2014, a path that Valentine and Harris would love to replicate. Green hopes that the pipeline to the national team will pay off, saying to reporters that he would "love to play" for the USA Men's Olympic Team.

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