(Photo by Karen Mitchell)

UPDATE: According to a USA Basketball news release, Mizzou’s Marcus Denmon made the final cut for Team USA’s 2011 World University Games roster.

Denmon will see the floor–as in, he won’t be an alternate waiting for another player to go down–when the team travels to China on August 8. Vanderbilt’s John Jenkins, mentioned in this post, also made the team.

Looks like Marcus Denmon and Purdue head basketball coach Matt Painter will have a chance to work together afterall. Mizzou pursued Painter last year, but eventually brought Frank Haith into the fold.

“Mizzou’s Marcus Denmon finalist for Team USA”

Originally published on July 31, 2011.

Mizzou guard Marcus Denmon must beat out four more players to represent the U.S. for the USA Basketball World University Games in China in August. If he scrapes by and cracks only the final two spots of the roster, he’s unlikely to see the court without an injury to or withdrawal by one of the players in front of him.

“Made the USA team , ready for our practice later this evening” Denmon tweeted Sunday.

Head coach Matt Painter and his staff trimmed down the initial field of 21 to 14 on Sunday. They will announce the final 12-man roster on August 8. Two will be alternates–traveling with the team but unlikely to play without an injury to the top 10.

If he makes the team, Denmon will be the sole representative of the Big 12 . English and Texas A&M forward Khris Middleton were not named as finalists. Other notable cuts include Cincinatti forward Yancy Gates, and Alabama forward Tony Mitchell–no relation to the former Mizzou recruit by the same name, who now playes for North Texas.

English, who looked solid in workouts according to MUTigers.com, congratulated his teammate via twitter. When Mizzou basketball sports information director Dave Reiter mentioned English’s performance, the senior swingman responded in his typical, brutally honest fashion “Did ok, could’ve shot the ball a little better.”

Continue reading for the full 14 man roster, as it stands now, including one face Mizzou fans may remember.

Mizzou fans might recognize John Jenkins, a sharp-shooting guard from Vanderbilt. He lit up the Tigers for 16 points in the first half of an eventual Commodore loss in Columbia last year. In that game, Denmon emerged as a legitimate player to watch; he led the Tigers to victory one day after the death of his cousin and close friend Marion Denmon. In that game he drilled a deep, deep three-pointer to keep the Tigers alive, and sealed the game with a steal and a layup (Video below).