Sadler Named U19 Team Trials Court Coach

Nebraska men’s basketball coach Doc Sadler has been selected to serve as a court coach during the 2007 U19 World Championship Team Trials, USA Basketball announced Thursday.

Along with Sadler, Grayson County (Texas) College head coach Pat Rafferty was added as a court coach for the Trials, which will be held in Dallas, Texas, from June 28 to July 1 at the practice facility of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. The selections were made by the USA Basketball Men’s Collegiate Committee, chaired by USA Senior National Team assistant and Syracuse University head coach Jim Boeheim.

"Doc Sadler is a great young coach who has been very successful everywhere he’s been," Boeheim said. "He will be a great addition to the USA Basketball Men’s U19 Trials."

DePaul University coach Jerry Wainwright will serve as head coach of the USA squad that will participate in the FIBA U19 World Championships from July 12-22 in Novi Sad, Serbia. Bruiser Flint, head coach at Drexel University, and Karl Hobbs, head coach at George Washington University, will serve as Wainwright’s assistants. For more information on the USA Basketball program, check out usabasketball.com on the web.

The coaching stint will be Sadler’s first with USA Basketball after more than 20 years in the coaching ranks. Sadler will work with 35 of the nation’s top 19-and-under players and will be responsible for assisting with on-court aspects of the Trails, including drills and scrimmages. The roster includes three players from current Big 12 Conference teams, including Kansas sophomore Darrell Arthur along with incoming freshmen Michael Beasley of Kansas State and DeAndre Jordan of Texas A&M.

"I have been very fortunate to have a lot of opportunities to coach great players alongside outstanding coaches, but when you have a chance to work with USA Basketball, that’s about as rewarding as anything that can ever happen to a coach," Sadler said.

"My responsibility is to do whatever Coach Wainwright asks of me. I hope that I can bring some enthusiasm and a work ethic that can rub off on the players. This is just an unbelievable opportunity that all of us have."

After a solid first year at Nebraska in 2006-07 that included a 17-14 record, Sadler has assembled a top-15 recruiting class according to several national recruiting services. Sadler was quick to respond to the invitation from USA Basketball to join the Trials staff because of his belief that his involvement with the program will provide additional exposure for the Huskers around the country and within college basketball circles.

"This is another way for me to sell the Nebraska program," Sadler said. "It is a positive opportunity for our program and at the same time, it’s good to know that someone feels like I may be able to add something positive to a great organization."

Sadler will be in Lincoln during June for individual and overnight basketball camps at the Devaney Center before leaving for Dallas at the end of the month.