JaMychal Green begins USA U-18 trials

TUSCALOOSA | JaMychal Green finished his first semester of college on Monday and was scheduled to leave at 3 a.m. today to catch a flight to Washington, D.C. It's a big summer for the University of Alabama's big freshman, a 6-foot-9 forward.

Green, the 2008 'Mr. Basketball' in the state of Alabama and a McDonald's All-America, is one of 20 of the nation's top 18-and-younger basketball players who will be in Washington D.C., today through Thursday competing at the 2008 USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team Trials. Green is competing for one of the 12 roster spots on the USA's team.

'I'm excited,' the Montgomery native and St. Jude graduate said on Monday after he finished a workout at the Crimson Tide's athletic complex. 'I never in my life would have thought I'd be going to try out for my country. It's big for me and to my family. It's such an honor, and it's important to me to go and represent my family and Alabama well.'

Green and freshman Tide basketball teammate and roommate, guard Andrew Steele, enrolled in first semester summer school classes at Alabama to get a jump on school and conditioning. Green said he has been gearing his conditioning toward this week's trials and, hopefully, the FIBA Americas U18 Championships in July.

'We've been working out since we got here,' Green said. 'Some mornings we'll even get up early and workout in the mornings and then late at night we'll go get some shots up. I'm going to the trials with the intent to make the team and go to Argentina. I know the other players there are planning to do the same, so I know I'll need to work hard to make it happen.'