BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Spain Park forward Austin Wiley has been invited to attend USA Basketball's sixth annual junior national team mini-camp next month.
The sophomore is one of 53 invited players from around the country scheduled to attend the event, according to a news release from USA Basketball. The event is scheduled for Oct. 4-5 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. He’s the only invitee from Alabama.
The mini-camp gives players, depending on age, to impress USA basketball coaches in hopes of eventually earning a spot on the 2014 under-16 national team, the 2015 under-18 national team, the 2015 Nike Hoops Summit squad or the 2015 under-19 world championship team.
"He's obviously a dominant big man," said Spain Park coach Neal Barker, who did not know of the invitation until contacted by AL.com. "His strength is his wingspan and timing and his ability to block shots. ... You come down the lane and you have to deal with him, and that's daunting."
The USA Basketball release lists Wiley at 6-foot-8, but Barker said he's grown to "at least 6-9, probably 6-10" and added at least 10 pounds of muscle during the offseason.
Wiley, named to at least one Freshman All-American Team last year, averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots per game for Spain Park in 2013-14. He is considered one of the top 25 sophomore prospects in the country.
Wiley is the son of former Auburn basketball player Aubrey Wiley and Auburn women's basketball legend Vickie Orr, a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame .