Jrue heeds his country's call

UCLA's Jrue Holiday Selected for 2013 USA Basketball Mini-Camp

Former UCLA guard to compete at mini-camp in Las Vegas from July 22-25

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Jrue Holiday

UCLAMBB website

June 13, 2013

Former UCLA guard Jrue Holiday, currently playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, is one of 27 NBA players who has accepted an invitation to attend the 2013 USA Basketball Men's National Team mini-camp in Las Vegas, Nev., from July 22-25.

Holiday, who starred at UCLA in 2008-09, started 78 games for Philadelphia last season and led the 76ers in minutes (37.5 mpg) and scored a career-best 17.2 ppg (No. 22 in the NBA). In addition, he led Philadelphia in assists with a career-best 8.0 apg (No. 4 in the NBA). He finished the year averaging 4.2 rebounds and 1.58 steals per game.

The USA squad is highlighted by 20 players with USA Basketball experience, including one 2012 Olympic gold medalist and each of the last three No. 1 NBA Draft selections.

Holiday played in the 2013 NBA All-Star Game and placed fifth in voting for the 2013 NBA Most Improved Player award. He has played his entire professional career with Philadelphia (2010-13). He is represented by Philadelphia native and UCLA basketball great Jerome "Pooh" Richardson, president of Rival Sports Group.

Last summer, Holiday was a member of the 2012 USA Basketball Select Team that trained against the U. S. Olympic team during its July 6-11 training camp in Las Vegas. The U.S. team, under the direction of Duke men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski, won the Gold Medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. Members of that team included former UCLA players Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves).

Westbrook and Love are unable to participate in the upcoming July 22-25 mini-camp because both are nursing injuries suffered during the 2012-13 NBA season. Love had right hand and left knee surgery during the regular season and Westbrook suffered a right knee injury in the playoffs that required surgery.

As a high school senior in 2007-08 at Campbell Hall School in Studio City, Calif., Holiday was named the Gatorade Player of the Year and was a member of the USA Basketball Junior National Select Team that competed in the annual Nike Hoop Summit. In 2007, he participated in the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival.

As a true freshman at UCLA in 2008-09, Holiday started all 35 games at guard and averaged 27.1 minutes per game and finished second on the team in assists (3.7 apg) and steals (1.6 spg) and was the Bruins' fifth-leading scorer (8.5 ppg). UCLA went 26-9 that season, finishing second in the Pac-10 standings (13-5) and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Holiday was selected No. 17 overall by Philadelphia in the first round of the NBA Draft.

Assisting Krzyzewski at next month's mini-camp will be Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau and New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams.

The invited players will assemble in Las Vegas on July 21 and will conduct daily training sessions from July 22-24 and close out the mini-camp with the 2013 USA Basketball Showcase, a blue-white intra-squad game on Thursday, July 25 at 6 p.m. (PT) at the Thomas & Mack Arena on the campus of UNLV. All USA practices will take place at UNLV's Mendenhall Center and are closed to the general public.

Tickets for the 2013 USA Basketball Showcase on July 25 will go on sale June 13. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased by calling 702-739-FANS or at by visiting UNLVtickets.com.

Following the Las Vegas mini-camp, the next major competition for Team USA will be the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup (formerly the FIBA World Championships) from Aug. 30 through Sept. 14 in Spain. For additional information about USA Basketball and the 2013 USA Basketball mini-camp, please visit the official website of USA Basketball at usabasketball.com.