John Cox Named to Venezuela National Basketball Team
One of the Top Scorers in Dons History, Cox Lifted USF to 2005 NIT
DONS SOCIAL MEDIA HUB | STB LE HAVRE (FRANCE ProA) | COX VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
May 21, 2012
Former Dons basketball star John Cox has been named to the Venezuela National Team. A two-time All-West Coast Conference First Team selection, Cox played on the Hilltop from 1999-2005 before embarking on a successful professional career in Europe, most recently with the STB Le Havre (ProA) in France.
"This is great opportunity for John,” former NBA head coach and current Venezuelan National Team head coach Eric Musselman said. “Everyone associated with the Venezuela National Team is excited for John to join us as we are trying to earn a spot in the London Olympics. We will be heavy underdogs but with a backcourt of Greivis Vasquez and Oscar Torres (former Golden State Warriors) and John Cox, we hope to put together the best team in Venezuela Basketball history. John has played well in France and is a player with NBA potential. Our coaching staff and I really look forward to coaching him this summer."
Cox and Team Venezuela will begin training for its quest for the 2012 London Olympics when it competes in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament July 2-8, 2012 in Caracas, Venezuela. Twelve nations are competing for three spots. Pot A includes Angola, Nigeria, Jordan and Korea; Pot B consists of Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, tournament host Venezuela and New Zealand; Pot C contains Russia, Macedonia, Lithuania and Greece.
Cox, the 2011-12 team MVP, has played with STB Le Havre in France (ProA) since 2010. In 30 games this season, he leads the team in points (15.8) and minutes (35.5), while shooting at a 43.4% from the field, 41% from 3-point range and 72.3% from the free throw line. In addition, Cox adds four assists, four rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest.
The son of former NBA Don Chubby Cox, John led the WCC in scoring as a senior, averaging 20 points a game, and lifted the Dons to its then-first postseason appearance since 1998 with a berth in the 2005 N.I.T. He scored 621 points his final year with the Green and Gold and departed USF ranked eighth on the all-time USF career scoring list with 1,540 points (13.2 ppg).
ABOUT THE FIBA WORLD OLYMPIC QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT: The 2012
FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament is a men's basketball tournament that will consist of 12 national teams, where the top three teams earn a place in the
2012 Olympics basketball tournament. It will be held on 2–8 July 2012 in
Caracas,
Venezuela.
