COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Tennessee basketball sophomore Tobe Awaka and redshirt freshman Freddie Dilione V have accepted invitations to attend the 2023 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Cup Team training camp.
With Awaka and Dilione V each entering their second season at Tennessee, the duo is among 35 chosen participants, age 19 or younger, who will compete at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, beginning June 11.
The participants will be narrowed down to a 12-member team, announced before departing for the 2023 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup Championship, slated for June 24-July 2 in Debrecen, Hungary.
Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens, born on or after Jan. 1, 2004.
Awaka appeared in 34 games and was the first Vol off the bench eight times during his freshman campaign in 2022-23. He led the Vols in offensive rebounding vs. league opponents (1.83 orpg). Overall, he led the Vols in rebounding five times and blocks four times. The Hyde Park, New York, native logged double-figure scoring twice on the year and tallied a career-high 11 rebounds in Tennessee’s win over Austin Peay on December 21, 2022.
Dilione V enrolled at UT in January 2023 and redshirted the remainder of the 2022-23 season while practicing and traveling with the team. Graduating from Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina, Dilione V was rated as high as No. 24 overall in the Class of 2023 by 247Sports and also was the top-rated prospect in the state of North Carolina per the 247Sports composite.
Along with being named to the 2023 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Boys High School Player of the Year watch list, Dilione V was one of 50 nationwide standouts named to the watch list for the 2022-23 USA TODAY Boys Basketball Player of the Year award.
The 2023 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Cup Team will be led by Colorado head coach Tad Boyle with Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton and Boise State head coach Leon Rice serving as the staff’s two assistant coaches.
Supporting as court coaches during trials will be Jonas Hayes (Georgia State), Kevin Kruger (UNLV), TJ Otzelberger (Iowa State) and Micah Shrewsberry (Notre Dame).
Featuring U19 teams from 16 nations, the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup is set to be held in Debrecen, Hungary. Along with the USA and host Hungary, teams that will take part in the event are Argentina, Canada, Egypt, Korea, Madagascar, Slovenia, Turkey, Brazil, China, France, Japan, Lebanon, Serbia and Spain.
The USA was drawn into Group B, alongside Lebanon, Madagascar and Slovenia for the June 24-27 FIBA U19 World Cup preliminary round. The USA will open play against Madagascar on June 24, followed by Slovenia on June 25 and close preliminary play against Lebanon on June 27.
The USA will face off against Lebanon and Madagascar for the first time at a 2023 FIBA Men’s U19 World Cup, owning a 2-0 record against Slovenia at the U19 World Cup.
The United States has won the competition eight times, including three of the last four competitions—in 2015, 2019 and 2021.
About USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and chaired by retired Gen. Martin Dempsey, USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA national teams that compete in FIBA-sponsored five-on-five, 3×3 and esports international competitions, as well as for some national competitions and for the development of youth basketball.
Connect with USA Basketball at USAB.com and on Facebook (USABasketball and USABYouth), Twitter (@usabasketball, @USABYouth, @USAB3x3, @usabgaming), Instagram (@USABasketball, @USAB3x3, @USABYouth, @USABgaming) and YouTube (usabasketball).
-UT Athletics
