June 1, 2003

WACO, Texas - Baylor forward Lawrence Roberts is one of 17 finalists for the 2003 USA Basketball Men's Pan American Games Team, USA Basketball announced Sunday following three days of USA National Team Trials at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"This is a different type of ball especially when you play internationally, so my goal is to enjoy it all," Roberts said. "And then, of course, bring back the medal for the United States."

The finalists were selected by the USA Basketball Men's Collegiate Committee and the official 12-member USA Pan American Games Team will be finalized during the team's training July 15-29 in Orlando, Fla.

"Whereas many people in the Southwest are familiar with Lawrence Roberts," Baylor head coach Dave Bliss said, "this past weekend he proved himself in front of a group that included all the NBA teams as well as the USA coaching staff. He did it the way he has always done it -- by rebounding and playing hard, even to the point of getting a couple of stitches above his eye going for a loose ball."

Named as finalists for the 2003 USA Pan American Games Team were: Andre Barrett, Josh Childress, Ike Diogu, Gerald Fitch, Ben Gordon, Chuck Hayes, Chris Hill, Julius Hodge, Luke Jackson, Arthur Johnson, Brandon Mouton, Steve Novak, Emeka Okafor, Ricky Paulding, Lawrence Roberts, Blake Stepp and Hakim Warrick.

The 2003 Pan American Games, held every four years in the year prior to the Olympics, will be held Aug. 1-17, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The men's basketball competition is slated for Aug. 2-6. The eight-team field is not yet known. The official 12-member USA Pan Am team will be finalized during the team's July 15-29 training camp in Orlando, Florida. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo will direct the USA team, and his assistants are Washington's Lorenzo Romar and Missouri's Quin Snyder.

Roberts, who will be a junior next season at Baylor, is one of 17 finalists selected from among more than 50 players at the weekend trials. Roberts is one of four Big 12 student-athletes and three Texas natives to be named finalists.

In 2002-2003 Roberts led the Big 12 Conference with 10 double-doubles in league games and was the leading rebounder in conference games (11.4 per game). He was named All-Big 12 for the second consecutive year after averaging 15.2 points and 10.4 rebounds, one of three Big 12 players to average a double-double on the season. In 2001-2002 Roberts set the Big 12 freshman scoring record with 498 points en route to being named a freshman All-American and to the Big 12 All-Freshman team.

2003 USA BASKETBALL MEN'S PAN AMERICAN GAMES TEAM FINALISTS
Andre Barrett (Seton Hall / Bronx, N.Y.)
Josh Childress (Stanford / Los Angeles, Calif.)
Ike Diogu (Arizona State / Garland, Texas)
Gerald Fitch (Kentucky / Macon, Ga.)
Ben Gordon (Connecticut / Mount Vernon, N.Y.)
Chuck Hayes (Kentucky / Modesto, Calif)
Chris Hill (Michigan State / Indianapolis, Ind.)
Julius Hodge (North Carolina State / New York, N.Y.)
Luke Jackson (Oregon / Creswell, Ore.)
Arthur Johnson (Missouri / Detroit, Mich.)
Brandon Mouton (Texas / Lafayette, La.)
Steve Novak (Marquette / Brown Deer, Wis.)
Emeka Okafor (Connecticut / Houston, Texas)
Ricky Paulding (Missouri / Detroit, Mich.)
Lawrence Roberts (Baylor / Houston, Texas)
Blake Stepp (Gonzaga / Eugene, Ore.)
Hakim Warrick (Syracuse / Philadelphia, Pa.)