On Friday, Villanova men’s basketball incoming freshmen Mark Armstrong and Cam Whitmore were named to the 2022 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team roster. The final roster for the under-18 squad was constructed after a week of training camp. 27 players were invited to the camp in Houston, all vying for a spot on the 12-man roster. 

Whitmore has represented the States previously, playing in a victory at the 2022 Nike Hoop Summit in April. Armstrong will be making his USA Basketball debut.

Armstrong, 18, and Whitmore, 17, will travel with USA Basketball to the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas Championship in Tijuana, Mexico. The USA squad will play their first game on June 6, as they face the Dominican Republic in group play. Also in the USA’s group are Ecuador and Puerto Rico. Knockout play for the Championship will begin on June 10, while the Final will take place on June 12. The other four nations competing in the eight-nation tournament are Argentina, Brazil, Canada and host nation Mexico. All eight teams will play three group play games, as well as at least one tournament game. The USA are favorites to win the tournament, having won nine of the 11 tournaments played since the championship’s inception in 1990. 

“We’re proud of our young guys, Mark and Cam, for competing and earning the right to represent the USA,” Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune said per Villanova Athletics. 

Villanova is one of two schools with multiple commits on the U18 roster. Fellow 2022 Final Four team North Carolina also has two recruits representing the USA (Seth Trimble and Gregory ‘GG’ Jackson), though in two different classes. The roster consists of members of both the high school classes of 2022 and 2023, meaning some have yet to commit to a college program. Other schools with commits on the roster include UConn, Duke, Arkansas, Stanford, Illinois and Oregon. 

The roster also includes Anthony Black, Kanaan Carlyle, Stephon Castle, Eric Dailey Jr., Brandon Garrison, Jared McCain, Ty Rodgers and Kel’el Ware.