The final cut from the USA U19 World Championship team was made today, but it wasn’t Jahii Carson.

The Mesa High star point guard and the Tribune’s Player of the Year will be the only high schooler on Team USA as it travels to Europe tomorrow to begin preparations for the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championships. The team will first fly to Lithuania, where it will practice from June 25-28 and play a pair of exhibitions against Lithuanian clubs. The World Championships are held from June 30-July 10 in Valmiera, Liepaja and Riga, Latvia.

Carson averaged 32.2 points per game for Mesa this season, leading the Jackrabbits to the 5A Division I semifinals. He will play for Arizona State next season.

Buffalo’s Javon McCrae was the team’s final cut after it was pared down to 13 players last week. George Mason coach Paul Hewitt, the head coach of the team, said in a statement that the decision was harder than expected. McCrea, a forward, averaged 11.8 points for Buffalo last season.

“It was really just a numbers situation,” Hewitt said. “He played more than well enough to make the team. We just didn’t feel comfortable going over there without three point guards.”

Carson will play alongside Connecticut’s Jeremy Lamb, Michigan’s Tim Hardaway, Jr., Stanford’s Anthony Brown, Memphis’ Joe Jackson and others.

Tags: Jahii Carson, Mesa, Team USA