May 21, 2002

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Colorado State University men's basketball trainer Mike Biggs and University of Connecticut men's basketball athletic trainer Joseph Sharpe have been selected by USA Basketball to serve as the athletic trainers for the 2002 USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Trials that will be held May 31-June 2 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Sharpe has also been named the athletic trainer for the 2002 USA Junior World Championship Qualifying Team that will compete July 24-28 in Venezuela.

The 2002 Trials will feature approximately 35 of the nations top 18-year-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1984) players and will be used to select finalists for the 2002 USA Basketball Men's Junior World Championship Qualifying Team. The official 12-member USA junior team, which will be finalized during the team's July 14-22 training camp which will be held at a site to be determined, will compete July 24-28 in the 2002 COPABA (Confederation of Pan American Basketball Associations) Men's Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament that is being held at Isla de Margarita, Venezuela. Featuring eight teams from North, South and Central America,

and the Caribbean, the United States will attempt to earn one of the Americas Zone's four qualifying spots for next year's 2003 FIBA Junior World Championship that will be held in Malaysia (city and dates TBD).

University of Oregon mentor Ernie Kent will serve as head coach of the 2002 USA Basketball Men's Junior World Championship Qualifying Team, and will be assisted by Bob McKillop of Davidson College (N.C.) and Gary Waters of Rutgers University (N.J.).

Biggs is entering his 22nd year at Colorado State and has been a certified member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) since 1979. He has also served on several professional and development committees. Since 1986 , he has been an examiner for NATA's Board of Certification and since 1981, he has coordinated athletic trainer support for summer camps held at Colorado State.

He has served as a trainer for the U.S. Wrestling Federation's Developmental Camp and has been involved in bicycle racing and other events. In 1999, he coordinated the training staff for the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship West Region First and Second Rounds in Denver.

Biggs was a student athletic trainer at Colorado State from 1976-78 and also participated in track and field. He then served as a trainer for one year at Cherry Creek High School before returning to Colorado State. Biggs earned his bachelor's degree in 1978, and was awarded a master's degree in Exercise Science in 1988, both from Colorado State.

Sharpe is a member of NATA and a certified strength and conditioning specialists. He has served as an athletic trainer at the University of

Connecticut since 1993. In his nine years as UConn's athletic trainer for men's basketball, he has been part of nine postseason teams. With Sharpe serving as the Huskies hoops trainer, Connecticut won the NCAA national

championship in 1999 and has appeared in seven NCAA Tournaments (1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002) and a pair of NITs (2001, 1997), earning a third place finish in 1997.

Prior to joining the Huskies in 1993, Sharpe served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer between 1992-1993 at Hampton University (Va.), and while attending Old Dominion University (Va.) served as a student athletic trainer from 1988-91. Earning his bachelor's of science degree in 1991

from Old Dominion, he acquired his master's degree in Education also from Old Dominion in 1994. Sharpe has also served as a volunteer athletic trainer for the 2000 and 2001 NBA Pre-Draft Camps in Chicago, and he served on the summer athletic training staff for the NFL Cleveland Browns in 1992 and 1993.