Olympic Rudy

Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay received some good news before his breakout game against the New York Knicks. Gay confirmed that he was told that he will be among 19 players vying for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo phoned Gay with the news. Colangelo said USA Basketball will announce all the players by the middle of this month. Gay will be part of a pool of players who will be considered for the U.S team at the London Games this summer.

The final 12-man roster and six alternates must be submitted June 18, before the NBA finals will be complete. But all 19 names have to be given to the U.S. Olympic Committee by the end of January to be placed in the drug program.

Gay played for the U.S. team that won gold in the 2010 world championships. The London roster will be a mixture of the gold medalists from Beijing, and the one that ended the U.S. drought in the world championship.

Odds and ends

The Grizzlies’ have a new backup point guard for now, and his name is Josh Selby. The rookie taken 49th overall in last June’s draft supplanted fellow rookie Jeremy Pargo.

“(Pargo) wasn’t playing very well and he wasn’t getting into the offense and wasn’t guarding the ball,” Griz coach Lionel Hollins said. “I just thought we lost three in a row, so why not make a change? Selby came in and played really well in the first half.”

Selby said he kept himself mentally prepared to play after starting the season in the rotation and then going to the bench once starter Mike Conley recovered from an ankle sprain.

“Selby handled himself very well,” Conley said. “He did a good job of controlling the tempo.”

Conley connected on his first 16 free throws without a miss this season until he stepped to the line with 6:44 left in the fourth quarter. Conley’s then shot an airball.

“The ball slipped,” Conley said, laughing. “I tried to pull it back.”

Conley then buried his next foul shot, making him 17 of 18 at the line for the season.

Next up

Saturday: Grizzlies vs. New Orleans Hornets, 7 p.m., Fedexforum

Selby and guard O.J. Mayo will provide brand new Nike athletic shoes to 200 children to benefit the Samaritan’s Feet initiative today at 4 p.m. in the Fedexforum grand lobby. The players will distribute the new shoes to children from the Memphis Family Shelter, Catholic Charities, Families of Incarcerated Individuals, Refugee Empowerment Center, Building Blocks Mentoring, Girls Inc. and Tunica Mentoring Center.

— Ronald Tillery