The Butler men’s basketball program will again have an international flavor this summer, as a third Bulldogs player in the past three years has been selected to represent the United States in international play.

Butler sophomore Khyle Marshall was selected Wednesday as one of the 12 players to compete in the upcoming FIBA U19 World Championship in Valmiera, Liepaja and Riga, Latvia. The team will depart Friday and play will run June 30 to July 10.

“I think our inside players are tremendous,” U.S. coach Paul Hewitt said in a release. “We have some good balance and some guys that can shoot the basketball.”

Marshall exploded onto the national scene during Butler’s run to its second consecutive NCAA national championship game in April. The 6-foot-7 forward showed ability to score along the baseline and rebounded the ball extremely well.

He came off the bench to lead the Bulldogs (28-10) in rebounding in NCAA Tournament wins over Pittsburgh (6) and VCU (9).

Marshall was one of 21 players competing at the Colorado Springs training camp over the past week for the dozen roster spots.

Former Butler players Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack played on the 2009 USA U19 Team that helped the United States to its first gold medal at the World Championships since 1991.

Sixteen nations will play for the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship. The U.S. has been placed in a group with China, Egypt and Serbia. The other countries represented include Brazil, Poland, Russia, Tunisia, Argentina, Australia, Latvia, Taiwan, Canada, Croatia, Lithuania and South Korea.

–

By Tom Davis. The News-Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Ind.