| | COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Vince Carter wanted this all
along -- a spot on the U.S. Olympic basketball team. And at 23, he will be the youngest player on the team.
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| Carter |
"I'm excited at the opportunity to play for my country and help
this team win any way I can," Carter said Sunday after the
official announcement by USA Basketball. "This has always been a
dream for me."
"I think Vince is a great selection," U.S. coach Rudy
Tomjanovich said. "He's a very talented player who will add
versatility to our team."
Carter was denied a spot when USA Basketball made its previous
roster addition in January. He replaces Tom Gugliotta on the U.S.
team for the Sydney Games.
The selection committee decided unanimously Thursday to offer
the spot to Carter after Gugliotta withdrew because of knee
surgery.
Carter, the Toronto Raptors' leading scorer, was angered when
USA Basketball passed him over in favor of Ray Allen of the
Milwaukee Bucks.
After the snub, Carter went on a tear. He was the leading
vote-getter for the All-Star game and won the slam-dunk
competition. Then he scored 51 points in Toronto's first appearance
on network television, nearly had a triple-double in a game at New
York and won two games in a week with 3-point buzzer-beaters.
"Vince really earned it. They said he wasn't good enough,"
Toronto coach Butch Carter said. "When I talked to him about what
it's going to feel like when he walks into the Olympic stadium
during opening ceremonies, it brought a huge smile to his face."
Other members of the USA Basketball team are Allen, Alonzo
Mourning, Grant Hill, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Gary Payton, Tim
Hardaway, Steve Smith, Allan Houston, Vin Baker and Jason Kidd.
Kidd broke an ankle this week, but is expected to recover in
time for the start of Olympic practice.
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