USF guard Dominique Jones accepted an invitation May 27 to attend the 2009 USA Men’s World University Games Team training Camp in Colorado Springs, Colo. from June 16-24.

Jones will compete against 16 other elite players from across the country for a spot on the 12-man roster, which will be announced prior to the team’s departure for Serbia on June 25.

Jones, a junior from Lake Wales, averaged a team-best 18.1 points per game last season and was a Big East Conference honorable mention. Jones talked to the Oracle as he prepared for his upcoming trip.

The Oracle: What was your initial reaction to the invitation?
Dominique Jones: I was surprised and excited at the same time. I’m glad that I got this
opportunity.

O: Was it a topic that was brought up in the past, or did it catch you by surprise?
DJ: It was a little bit of both. Coach said something to me about it, but I wasn’t really sure it was going to happen. When it happened, it kind of hit me by surprise. I’ve been preparing ever since.

O: Has coach Stan Heath given you any advice about going to the camp?
DJ: He told me to be in shape. I’ve just been trying to get in shape by working out. I want to be as sharp as I can. There’s one thing about representing South Florida, but when you get to go somewhere and represent the United States, you’ve got to be special.

O: Can you talk a little about playing with the cream of the crop players throughout the country?
DJ: It should be fun. I don’t know those guys personally but I know (West Virginia’s) Da’Sean Butler and (Villanova’s) Corey Fisher from the Big East.

O: If you make the team, will this be your first time out of the country?
DJ: Yeah, I just got a passport. It’s going to be a new experience.

O: Are going to try to make a vacation out of it?
DJ: I’m going to try, but it’s still business.

O: What does it mean to represent USF like this?
DJ: Out of all the good players that have come through USF, I don’t know how many have ever played on this team. For me to do something like this, to be the first person to do this … it feels good. But then again, it pushes me to keep going hard.

O: Where does this rank on your career accomplishment list?
DJ: I only celebrate things when they come. If I don’t get selected, it’s going to push me to get back in the gym and go harder. If I do get selected, I’m going to still go hard and I still feel like I’m going to have a chip on my shoulder. It’s either/or — I just don’t know.

O: How will this experience help you for next season?
DJ: It’ll help. Going back to what you said, if I don’t make the team, I’ll feel like I failed. I know you have to fail to succeed but this isn’t something I want to fail in. This is like my first season. Then I come back after July 12, rest for a week or so, and go back to my second season.