MADISON, Wis. -- Former Wisconsin big men Brian Butch and Greg Stiemsma are two of 21 players that have accepted invitations to participate in the Oct. 14-22 USA Pan American Games Team training camp. The training camp will be utilized to select the USA's 12-man roster that will compete in the 2011 Pan American Games that are being held from Oct. 26-30 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Since leaving Wisconsin, Butch has played professionally overseas and enjoyed a successful stint in the NBA Developmental League that earned him a spot on the Denver Nuggets roster late in the 2010 season.

The Appleton, Wis., native missed all of last season after dislocating his knee in an NBA Summer League game in July of 2010. An All-Big Ten selection as a senior, Butch scored 1,115 career points and finished sixth in UW history for career rebounds.

Stiemsma has taken a similar path since his days in Madison, playing professionally in Europe, the NBA D-League as well as a call-up to the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010 and later a contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

A native of Randolph, Wis., Stiemsma appeared in 95 games for the Badgers and currently ranks sixth in UW history for career blocks.

In addition to Butch and Stiemsma, the USA Pan American Games Team training camp is excepted to include:
Blake Ahearn (Missouri State '07)
Chris Daniels (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi '08)
Justin Dentmon (Washington '09)
Jerome Dyson (Connecticut '10)
Moses Ehambe (Oral Roberts '08)
Anthony Goods (Stanford '09)
Ron Howard (Valparaiso '06)
Marcus Lewis (Oral Roberts '09)
Leo Lyons (Missouri '09)
Renaldo Major (Fresno State '04)
Anthony Mason, Jr. (St. Johns '10)
Matt Rogers (Southwest Baptist '10)
Walker Russell (Jacksonville State '06)
Donald Sloan (Texas A&M '10)
Curtis Sumpter (Villanova '07)
Lance Thomas (Duke '10)
Curtis Withers (Charlotte '06)
Chris Wright (Dayton '11)
Luke Zeller (Notre Dame '09).

The Pan American Games, held every four years in the year prior to the Olympics, are being held Oct. 13-30 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The men's basketball competition, which features eight teams, is being conducted Oct. 26-30.

The USA men were drawn into Group B for the Pan American Games and are joined by national teams from Brazil, Dominican Republic and Uruguay. Competing in Group A are Argentina, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. The U.S. men open preliminary round play Oct. 26 facing Dominican Republic (5:30 p.m. CDT), then face defending Pan American Games champion Brazil on Oct. 27 (8 p.m. CDT), and conclude preliminary play versus Uruguay (5:30 p.m. CDT) on Oct. 28. Semifinals action will be played Oct. 29, and the finals will be contested on Oct. 30.

Training camp for the 2011 USA Basketball Men's Pan American Games Team will held Oct. 14-22 at the Tulsa Convention Center (Okla.). The 12-member USA Men's Pan American Games Team will be announced before the team departs Oct. 23.

Tulsa 66ers head coach Nate Tibbetts will serve as head coach for Team USA. The player and coaching staff selections were made by the USA Basketball Men's Pan American Games Committee, approved by USA Basketball's Board of Directors and are subject to final approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee Chief Executive Officer.

The USA Basketball Pan American Games Committee is chaired by USA Basketball Men's National Team Director Sean Ford, and also comprised of 2000 Olympic gold medalist Steve Smith, NBA Development League Vice President of Basketball Operations & Player Personnel Chris Alpert, and NBA Development League consultant Gordon Chiesa.