Key, Johnson invited to USA Basketball U19 tryouts
COLUMBUS, Ohio –– After each displayed flashes of brilliance as true freshmen for the Ohio State basketball team this past season, forward Zed Key and guard Meechie Johnson Jr. will both look to elevate their game against international competition this summer.
According to a program release, Key and Johnson were invited to try out for USA Basketball's U19 team, which will compete in the 2021 FIBA World Cup in Latvia from July 3-11.
“This is a great honor for Zed and Meechie,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said in the release. “I know they are excited about competing with some of the best players in the country at their age for a chance to represent our country. We are excited to follow and support them as they compete for a roster spot on this U19 team.”
Practices will begin on June 20 for the USA national team, which will be coached by TCU's Jamie Dixon.
Key, a 6-foot-8 big man from Bay Shore, New York, averaged 5.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game for Ohio State in his first season with the program. The four-star prospect and former No. 113 player in the class of 2020 played nearly 12 minutes a game, and started one of the 31 contests in which he appeared.
Johnson, who would have been a senior at Garfield Heights in Cleveland this year before reclassifying, didn't appear in a game for the Buckeyes until Jan. 9. Johnson showed plenty of promise however, shooting 50 percent from 3-point range on the season and logging double-digit minutes on four occasions.
UPDATE: Thursday, June 3:
The Ohio State program announced Thursday that Key and Johnson are among 27 players that have officially accepted invitations to the tryouts.
More information from the Buckeye release about the upcoming FIBA World Cup right here:
"USA was drawn into Group D, alongside Australia, Mali and Turkey for the July 3-6 FIBA U19 World Cup preliminary round. The USA will open play against Turkey on July 3, followed by Mali on July 4 and close preliminary play against Australia on July 6. The team will be led by TCU head coach Jamie Dixon and Stanford head coach Jerod Haase and Yale head coach James Jones.
Team USA is the reigning gold medalist at the FIBA U19 World Cup and has won a total of seven gold medals, three silvers and one bronze. Former Buckeye David Lighty captained the silver medal winning team at the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championship in Novi Sad, Serbia."