Meyers Leonard, Photo by Cary Frye

Meyers Leonard of Illinois has been selected as a finalist for a spot on the roster that will represent USA Basketball at the FIBA U19 World Championships in Latvia.

Thirteen finalists were named but USA Basketball will only take 12 players. Can’t imagine anything worse than being that 13th guy left behind. The announcement as to who will stay and who will go should come Thursday.

The selections, which were made by the USA Basketball Junior National Team Committee, came after three-days and four training sessions that occurred during the USA U19 Team training camp that got underway Friday. The USA squad will look to defend the gold medal won in 2009 at the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship that runs June 30-July 10 in Latvia.

The 7-foot center from Robinson, Ill., showed a lot of potential last season, and this trip could do him a world of good in the maturity department. With Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis moving on to the next stages of their lives, Leonard is going to need to really step up this year; this is just the experience he needs.

The 13 finalists for the USA U19 World Championship squad are: Keith Appling (Michigan State/Detroit, Mich.); James Bell (Villanova/Orlando, Fla.); Anthony Brown (Stanford/Huntington Beach, Calif.); Jahii Carson (Mesa High School/*Arizona State/Phoenix, Ariz.); Tim Hardaway, Jr. (Michigan/Miami, Fla.); Joe Jackson (Memphis/Memphis, Tenn.); Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut/ Norcross, Ga.); Meyers Leonard (Illinois/Robinson, Ill.); Khyle Marshall (Butler/Davie, Fla.); Javon McCrea (Buffalo/Newark, N.Y.); Doug McDermott (Creighton/Ames, Iowa); Tony Mitchell (North Texas/Dallas, Texas); and Patric Young (Florida/Jacksonville, Fla.).