By Ken Sugiura ksugiura@ajc.com U.S. team selection a big honor for Okogie ON THE GEORGIA TECH BEAT

Before he left to try out for the U.S. U19 national team, Georgia Tech guard Josh Okogie said it would mean everything to him to make the team. He grew up watching his favorite NBA stars, such as Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, wear American colors in international competition and imagined himself one day doing the same.

“An opportunity like this, you can’t just take it for granted,” he said. “I thank God I have the opportunity to even do this.”

Okogie made the team last Thursday, becoming the first player with Tech ties to make a USA team since Chris Bosh played in the 2008 Olympics. He’s the first active Tech player to make the U.S. U19 team since Michael Maddox in 1995.

Beyond the privilege of representing his country, the experience figures to bring considerable return for Okogie, whose team will compete in the FIBA U19 World Cup from July 1-9 in Cairo, Egypt.

“I think first and foremost, it’s the opportunity to play for some different coaches

and play a different style, which can always help your game,” Tech assistant coach Darryl LaBarrie said prior to the tryout. The team is led by Kentucky coach John Cali- pari. His assistants are Danny Manning (Wake Forest) and Tad Boyle (Colorado).

Okogie figures to gain confidence by playing in an inter- national setting. That self-as- surance stands to serve him well this coming season as he takes on a bigger role as a sophomore and the Yellow Jackets’ leading scorer from the past season.

Particularly if he has a successful run in Egypt, Okogie could return with an increased awareness of how he can elevate his team against the ACC.

Merely being selected to the team is a major honor and recognition of ability. Eight of the 12 members of the 2015 team have turned professional and five were selected in the first round of last week’s NBA draft. Another was taken in the sec- ond round, another signed a free-agent contract and the eighth was a second-rounder in last year’s draft.

Calipari prioritized versatility in selecting the roster. As a freshman, Okogie proved himself an effective slasher, but he was also the team’s most accurate 3-point shooter (38.4 percent) among players with more than 20 attempts.

This summer, he has dedicated himself to developing as a scorer. Prior to his depar- ture for tryouts in Colorado Springs, Colo., he was working with LaBarrie on all manner of shot-making, includ- ing floaters and pull-up jump- ers at the basket, his post-up game and shooting jumpers off the catch and dribble.

“My freshman year, I made a lot of mistakes,” he said. “I’d still be watching film right now if we were trying to go through all the mistakes. I guess we all know collectively what I need to work on and what I need to improve on.”

That improvement will be put to the test well before his sophomore season begins. He could go into preseason practice with a keener under- standing of what areas he needs to continue to address.

“I know what it takes to win, so I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure I can put that team in position to win,” he said.