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Two surprises after first cuts at Team USA U17 trials

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Team USA is currently holding their U17 trials out in Colorado Springs.

33 players from the Class of 2015 and 2016 were invited to try out for the team that will be traveling to Dubai for the World Championships in August, and on Saturday afternoon, the first round of cuts were made.
MORE: Highlights from the trials

Here are the 17 players remaining:


  • Tyus Battle (Gill St. Bernard’s School/ Edison, N.J./2016)
  • Thomas Bryant (Bishop Kearney H.S./Rochester, N.Y./2015)
  • Henry Ellenson (Rice Lake H.S./Rice Lake, Wis./2015)
  • Terrence Ferguson (Prime Prep Academy/Flower Mound, Texas/2016)
  • De’Aaron Fox (Cypress Lakes H.S./Katy, Texas/2016)
  • Harry Giles (Wesleyan Christian Academy/Winston-Salem, N.C./2016)
  • Mustapha Heron (Sacred Heart H.S./West Haven, Conn./2016)
  • Josh Jackson (Consortium College Prep H.S./ Southfield, Mich./2016)
  • V.J. King (St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S./Akron, Ohio/2016)
  • T.J. Leaf (Foothills Christian H.S./Lakeside, Calif./2016)
  • Malik Newman (Callaway H.S./Jackson, Miss./2015)
  • Ivan Rabb (Bishop O’Dowd H.S./ Oakland, Calif./2015)
  • Devearl Ramsey (Sierra Canyon H.S./Los Angeles, Calif./2016)
  • Diamond Stone (Dominican H.S./Milwaukee, Wis./2015)
  • Caleb Swanigan (Homestead H.S./Fort Wayne, Ind./2015)
  • Jayson Tatum (Chaminade College Prep/St. Louis, Mo./2016)
  • Derryck Thornton (Findlay Prep, Nev./Simi Valley, Calif./2016)

MORE: Full coverage of the July Live Period

There are a couple of noticeable absences, however. The most exciting player in high school basketball, Arkansas native Malik Monk, didn’t make it through the first round of cuts. He is a big time scoring guard and a high-flying athlete, but as explosive as he is as a scorer, he is equally inconsistent.

The other surprise was that point guard Dennis Smith Jr. was sent home. Smith, who plays his high school ball in North Carolina, shot up through the rankings to become a top five player in the nation in the Class of 2016.