Crabbe, Solomon to try out for U-19 team

BERKELEY -- Allen Crabbe and Richard Solomon have been invited to attend USA Basketball's U-19 National team tryout camp from June 17-24 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Crabbe, the 2011 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, and Solomon are two of 17 players who were invited to the camp.

The two Bears hope to be among the 12 players chosen to represent the U.S. at the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championships, which take place from June 30 to July 10 in Valmiera, Liepaja and Riga, Latvia. Selections for the team that will be coached by Syracuse's Jim Boeheim will be announced on June 19. Saint Mary's head coach Randy Bennett will also be on the staff.

Sixteen nations will battle for the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship from June 30-July 10 in Latvia. The United States has been placed in Group D, along with China, Egypt and Serbia. The U.S. squad's preliminary round slate opens with a June 30 contest against Egypt, followed by Serbia on July 1, and concludes on July 2 vs. China. The top three teams from each preliminary group will qualify for the preliminary second round, while the fourth place teams will qualify for the classification round to determine 13th to 16th places.

Besides garnering the conference's freshman of the year honors, Crabbe was also an All-Pac-10 honorable mention selection. He set the school's freshman record for three-pointers made with 62, and ranks on numerous Cal freshman lists including fifth in three-point percentage at 40 percent (62-155) and third in free throw percentage at 81 percent (72-88). Towards the end of last season, Crabbe boasted four straight 20-point games with the last one occurring against Ole Miss in the first round of the NIT (20 points), along with a season-high three steals. He registered a team-best 16.4 ppg in Pac-10 games and, in all games, finished third on the team in rebounding at 5.3 rpg. In the Bear's overtime win over Washington State on Jan. 13, Crabbe secured a career-high 30 points.

Cal's biggest contributor off the bench last season, Solomon started both NIT games after Markhuri Sanders-Frison went down with a separated shoulder. In the first-round game against Ole Miss, Solomon tallied a game-high and season-high tying 10 rebounds. He secured his first career double-double against Hartford (10 points, 10 rebounds), along with a personal-best three blocks. He produced his season high of 14 points (shooting a clean 5-for-5 from the field) against Washington, also registering a personal-best three assists. Solomon's 27 blocks on the year led the Bears.