Temple's Allen, other locals to play for USA select team

Lavoy Allen is about to get an up-close-and-personal tutorial on what it will take for him to rise to the NBA level. The Temple forward is one of three players with ties to the area who have been named to the 20-man USA select team that will train with and against the USA national team July 19-24 in Las Vegas.

The others are Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine, from Neumann-Goretti, and Kansas big man Marcus Morris, from Prep Charter and APEX Academy. The team will be co-coached by Villanova's Jay Wright and Washington's Lorenzo Romar.

At the same time, the 76ers' Andre Iguodala also will be in Las Vegas as a candidate for the national team. Iguodala and the Sixers' Thaddeus Young were part of last summer's select team.

"It's great for the college players who have been involved in USA Basketball to have this opportunity, and it's cool having some local guys involved," Wright said. "They're going to get some great coaching, because Mike D'Antoni [New York Knicks], Jim Boeheim [Syracuse] and Nate McMillan [Portland Trail Blazers] will all be there, too. These players will go through drills, but they'll also have a chance to compete against some of the best players in the world."

Duke's Mike Krzyzewski is back as the national team head coach.

Wright, on Allen: "He's one of the best defensive forwards in the country, and I've found that this opportunity usually inspires players. They can listen to what it's about all they want, but it's not until they get involved that they really understand."

Allen flirted with the NBA draft before withdrawing.

"There was no downside to declaring for the draft," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. "He got a sense of what people thought, had a workout with Portland. Nobody thought he was a first-round pick, but he might be in the future. I believe he's an NBA rebounder, and that the rest will come. One thing about him, he's seldom out of position; with us, he makes up for a multitude of sins by his teammates. This will be a chance to test himself against some of the best."

Wright, on Jardine: "He's as exciting a guard as you'll see in the country. He has an incredible knack for getting to the rim, for finding open men or finishing."

Wright, on Morris: "He's one of the most skilled big men in college, who can pass and shoot. He has the body of a 5 [center] and the game of a 3 [small forward]."

The college players will go through a private training session July 19, then join the national team candidates July 20-23.