White makes USA team cut
The journey to make the USA Basketball World University team continues for Iowa forward Aaron White.
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USA Basketball announced on Wednesday morning that White was one of 16 players who will continue on in the tryout camp this week in Colorado Springs with the final squad of 12 expected to be named on Friday. Unfortunately the news wasn't as good for Hawkeye guard Devyn Marble, who was one of 11 players cut from the tryout camp this morning.
White was named 3rd team All Big Ten this past season, averaging 12.8 points and a team leading 6.2 rebounds per game.
The remaining 16 players include three other Big Ten players, including Michigan State's Adreian Payne and Indiana's Yogi Ferrell and Will Sheehey.
White is vying for one of the frontcourt positions on the World University team. It would seem that the locks to make the team would be Payne and New Mexico's Alex Kirk, due to their size and skill set. Athletic Duke forward Rodney Hood also seems to be a good bet to make it and Creighton's Doug McDermott is likely because of his ability to knock down outside shots. There may be one or two more frontcourt spots available and White will be vying for those positions against Baylor's Cory Jefferson, who Iowa faced in the finals of the National Invitational Tournament, Davante Gardner from Marquette, and perhaps Sheehy, as an energy player off the bench.
Should White make the team, he will travel to Kazan, Russia on July 1st and compete in the World University Games for July 7-16. That would mean White, who was the first pick in the Prime Time League draft, would miss the rest of the summer league action. It would also mean that White would have plenty of international travel on his schedule this summer. The Iowa Basketball team is scheduled to play six games in France and England in the middle August.