PHILADELPHIA, PA (05/15/01) - Senior Marvin O'Connor and sophomore Jameer Nelson are among the 45 men's college basketball players to accept invitations to participate in USA Basketball men's national Team Trials. O'Connor will be competing for a slot on the 2001 USA Basketball World University Games Team while Nelson will be vying for a slot on the 2001 USA Basketball World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team. The three-day trials will be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO from June 1-3 with the finalists for each team selected by a committee chaired by University of Virginia athletic director Terry Holland. "I am extremely happy that both Marvin and Jameer were invited to participate in these trials," stated Hawk coach Phil Martelli, who is an assistant coach with the 2001 USA Basketball World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team. "The experience will benefit them individually, and our team collectively." The World University Games, held every two years, is a multi-sport competition open to men between the ages of 17 and 28 (born between Jan. 1, 1973 and Dec. 31, 1983), who are, or have been within the past year, a student at a college or university. This summer the World University Games will be held Aug. 22 - Sept. 1 in Beijing, China. The men's basketball competition, currently featuring collegiate teams from 28 countries, has been divided into eight preliminary round pools. Placed into Pool B, the United States will face Iran, South Africa and Turkey in preliminary round play. The 2001 USA World Championship for Young Men Team will compete August 3-12 in Saitama, Japan, in the 2001 FIBA World Championship for Young Men Tournament. Featuring 12 teams that have been divided into two preliminary round pools consisting of six teams each, the United States was placed in Pool B with Argentina, Croatia, Israel, Japan and South Korea. The six teams comprising preliminary Pool A include Australia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Qatar, Slovenia and Spain. Any male athlete who is a U.S. citizen and is 21-years-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1980) is eligible for the 2001 USA Basketball World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team.