Team USA made its final cuts Friday, announcing its 12-member team that will compete next month at the Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic.

The squad features a pair of Connecticut and Missouri players, led by likely preseason All-Americans Emeka Okafor (UConn) and Rickey Paulding (Missouri). They are joined on the team by UConn guard Ben Gordon and Missouri center Arthur Johnson.

The Big East will also be represented by Seton Hall guard Andre Barrett. The Pac-10 also has three players on the squad -- Oregon swingman Luke Jackson, Stanford guard Josh Childress and Arizona State forward Ike Diogu. Diogu was the Pac-10 freshman of the year in 2002-03.

Rounding out the squad, which will continue its Orlando training camp through July 29, are Chuck Hayes (Kentucky), Chris Hill (Michigan State) Brandon Mouton (Texas) and Blake Stepp (Gonzaga).

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo is serving as head coach for the 2003 Pan Am team and will be assisted by collegiate head coaches Lorenzo Romar (Washington) and Quin Snyder (Missouri).

Among the final cuts were 2003 Final Four participates Hakim Warick of national champion Syracuse and Marquette guard Steve Novak. North Carolina State's Julius Hodge and Baylor forward Lawrence Roberts were also trimmed from the squad. Kentucky's Gerald Fitch also was among 17 who survived the squad's first tryouts, but an injury kept him from competing for one of the final 12 spots.

"This is definitely one of the toughest decisions I have ever faced. We had so many players that could have made the team, and probably deserved to make it, but you can only have 12," commented Izzo. "I think we have a very solid, exciting team that can play good defense, rebound and shoot the ball -- you need all three of those things to compete for a medal.

"The trademark of this team will be toughness. We need to gel now and get everyone in a position to be successful. The rest of camp we will scrimmage, put in different looks offensively and defensively, and see what each player can do well. I really like our team but that was an extremely tough decision (to cut to the final 12).

"I told this team that the key is going to be trust," Izzo continued. They have to trust us as coaches and each other that everything is being done with one thing in mind - being the best. When we come together, this is going to be a very tough team to play."

Barrett is the lone team member boasting of actual USA Basketball international experience and was a member of the 2001 USA World University Games Team that claimed the bronze medal with a 7-1 record. Also, Barrett (1999), Childress (2000) and Stepp (1999), participated in a USA Basketball Youth Development Festival.

Eight nations will compete in the men's basketball competition from Aug. 2-6 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The U.S. is joined by host country, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, and three teams that will be determined at the July 21-27 South American Tournament held in Uruguay.

Of the 12 players named to the 2003 Pan American Games team, five -- Diogu (Associated Press honorable mention), Gordon (Basketball America third team), Johnson (Basketball America third team), Okafor (espn.com second team, Basketball America second team, Basketball Times third team, AP honorable mention) and Stepp (AP honorable mention), earned NCAA All-American honors.

Additionally, Diogu, Jackson, Okafor and Stepp were all-conference first team picks in 2002-03, while Barrett, Gordon, Hill, Johnson and Paulding were second team choices. Mouton earned third team honors, and Childress was honorable mention all-league.

The Pan American Games are held every four years in the year prior to the Olympics. The USA men, who fell 95-78 to Brazil in the 1999 gold medal game, have earned a medal in 12 of their 13 Pan Am Games appearances, including a record eight golds, as well as three silvers and one bronze.