OSU's Smart To Compete At U19 World Championships

Oklahoma State All-American sophomore Marcus Smart is one of 12 players selected to represent the United States at the 2013 U19 World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, it was announced by USA Basketball.

"I'm excited for Marcus and proud of him for making the World Championship team," OSU coach Travis Ford said. "He will represent his family, our team and this University extremely well. But most importantly, he will be a terrific ambassador for our country with his sportsmanship and integrity. This is a terrific opportunity for him to compete against some of the best players from around the world, and to improve his game even further."

Smart led the USA U18 team to the FIBA Americas gold medal last summer, qualifying the U.S. for this year's World Championships. Four other players from last year's championship team will also play in the World Championships: Jerami Grant of Syracuse, Louisville's Montrezl Harrell, Jarnell Stokes of Tennessee and Duke's Rasheed Sulaimon.

Smart is the sixth Cowboy to play for the USA squad at the World Championships, and the first since 1979.

Tom Jacquet, J.L. Parks and Blake Williams won a silver medal at the 1950 FIBA World Championships; Kendall Sheets was a member of the 1954 FIBA World Championships team that won a gold medal; and Matt Clark won a gold medal at the 1979 FIBA U19 World Championships.