Davante Gardner Selected for World University Games Training Camp

USA Basketball has announced the 29 man training camp roster for the World University Games team and Marquette's own Davante Gardner made the cut.

The World University Games will be taking place from July 7-16 in Kazan, Russia. The USA Basketball training camp will be a few weeks earlier, June 24-30, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Davidson's Bob McKillop is the head coach for this year's team, and he got a close look at Gardner when preparing for the NCAA tournament. Michigan's John Beilein and South Carolina's Frank Martin will be the assistants helping make the final call on the roster, while Colorado's Tad Boyle, Elon's Matt Matheny and NAIA Grace College's Jim Kessler will be doing the court coaching during training camp.

The question, of course, is can Gardner make the team? Of the 29 players invited to the camp, 10 are 6'8" or taller. Two of them, Syracuse's C.J. Fair and Creighton's Doug McDermott, aren't known as post players, but are probably locks to make the team. A third player, Duke's Rodney Hood, shot 36% behind the arc in his one season at Mississippi State before transferring. That means that New Mexico's Alex Kirk, Michigan State's Adreian Payne, and Baylor's Cory Jefferson are the biggest competition for post player spots on the roster. Paint Touches notes that USA Basketball has only taken two back to the basket players on each of the last two WUG rosters, so Gardner's ability to flutter in 17 footers might help his case.

Of course, you're gonna want some international flair to your game to play in the World University Games, so a big man with Eurostep abilities could come in handy.