Duke basketball recruit vying for roster spot on Team USA

A Duke basketball commit is looking to join Team USA this summer. 

The history between Team USA Basketball and the Duke basketball program is rich and one future Blue Devil is trying add to that history.

Jared McCain, a Class of 2023 pledge, made the finalists for the United States U18 National Team and only has to survive one more cut to make the squad.

McCain is a four-star prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, and the No. 24 player in the class while being ranked as the No. 2 shooting guard in the nation.

The final roster is likely to be announced this weekend before the squad begins group play for the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas Championship in Tijuana, Mexico on June 6 vs. the Dominican Republic.

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Fellow 2023 Duke five-star commit Caleb Foster was also under consideration for the team but did not make the cut of finalists, nor did Blue Devil four-star recruit Xavier Booker.

Duke currently has the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in 2023 despite losing a five-star prospect, Tyrese Proctor, after his reclassification to its 2022 class on Thursday night.

The rest of the Blue Devils’ class is comprised of five-star small forward Mackenzie Mgbacko and five-star power forward Sean Stewart.

Villanova and North Carolina lead the U18 finalists with two commits each, Mark Armstrong and Cam Whitmore for the Wildcats and Gregory Jackson and Seth Trimble for the Tar Heels.

Duke basketball commit has Team USA experience

Jared McCain is hoping that his previous time with Team USA will help him land a spot on the U18 roster after he took part in the 2022 USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamp in New Orleans last month during the Final Four.

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There are five other Class of 2023 prospects that were selected as finalists as the roster is currently comprised of seven 2022 recruits and one 2024 prospect.

Team USA initially invited 27 players to its training camp in Houston, Texas.