GWANGJU, South Korea – Rising FGCU men's basketball senior Julian DeBose accomplished a feat Monday most can only dream of: winning a gold medal for the United States of America.
 
Team USA, which consists of all Kansas University players with the except of DeBose and SMU's Nic Moore, defeated Germany, 84-77, in double overtime to win the gold in the 2015 World University Games (WUG). With the victory, the USA caps a perfect 8-0 record in the tournament and claims its first gold in the WUG since 2005 and its first WUG medal since bronze in 2009.
 
"It was an amazing experience to not only participate but to be part of a gold-medal winning team," an excited DeBose said after playing eight minutes and grabbing two rebounds in the final. "I want to thank God; it was an honor to represent my country. Also, a huge thanks and shout out to everyone in Dunk City – I'll be home soon!"
 
DeBose is the first FGCU student-athlete past or present to win a medal representing the USA in an athletic competition. He scored a team-high 18 points in the USA's final group-round game on Wednesday night against Switzerland and finished the tournament averaging 4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 10.8 minutes per contest.
 
The 6-4, 197-pound guard connected on 50 percent (13-26) of his shots from the floor during the WUG, including 3-8 from 3-point range. He added nine offensive and nine defensive rebounds, with the nine offensive boards representing the second-most by any guard on the roster. DeBose also contributed six steals and a block as Team USA won its games by an average of 20.3 points.
 
DeBose was added to the USA roster after an injury to one of Kansas's players prompted a call from KU head coach Bill Self to former Kansas assistant coach and current FGCU head coach Joe Dooley in June looking for a replacement. DeBose, who will be FGCU's leading returning scorer next year after averaging 11.6 per game as a redshirt junior in 2014-15, was selected and promptly flew to Kansas to begin training with the team.
 
This was the second time a college team competed in the WUG. In 2007, the University of Northern Iowa participated and finished ninth in Bangkok, Thailand. Officials from USA Basketball, the organization, are typically in charge of assembling teams for international events; however, this summer there was another international event – the Pan American Games – so another organization, Basketball Travelers, was charged with selecting a team. Following an application process, Kansas was chosen to represent the USA.
 
With more than 150 countries competing in 21 sports, the WUG are held every two years and the 2015 Games were the 28th. Only current university student-athletes or recent graduates, born between Jan. 1, 1990, and Dec. 31, 1997, were eligible for the 2015 Games. Only U.S. citizens could compete for Team USA, and incoming freshmen and transfers qualify.
 
A native of Washington, D.C., DeBose – who transferred from Rice following his sophomore year in 2012-13 – added 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game to go along with his third-best team scoring average last year for the Eagles. He played in 30 games, making 25 starts – including a stretch of 22 of 23 to close the year with the lone exception coming on Senior Night – and was named Atlantic Sun Conference Newcomer of the Week on Jan. 26 following consecutive team-best scoring performances on the road.
 
Team USA World University Games Results:
Turkey, 66-57
Brazil, 81-72
Chile, 106-41
Serbia, 66-65
Switzerland, 96-57
Lithuania, 70-48 (Quarterfinal)
Russia, 78-68 (Semifinal)
Germany, 84-77 (Final - 2OT)
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Season-ticket renewals for the 2015-16 FGCU men's basketball season are currently underway, with new season ticket applications being accepted starting later in July. Single-game tickets are scheduled to go on sale beginning Oct. 1. For the latest ticket information, log on to FGCUAthletics.com.

SOCIAL CENTRAL
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COACH DOOLEY 
FGCU is led by head coach Joe Dooley, who is entering his third year with the Eagles in 2015-16 and coached six all-conference selections during his first two seasons. He guided FGCU to its first Atlantic Sun Conference Regular-Season Championship and first trip to the NIT in 2014, and in 2015 he led the Eagles to their third-straight 20-win season and third-straight postseason appearance with a berth in the CIT. Prior to arriving in SWFL, Dooley spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Kansas under head coach Bill Self. During those 10 seasons, Kansas produced 300 wins, nine straight Big 12 regular-season titles, six Big 12 Tournament championships, six NCAA Sweet 16s, five NCAA Elite Eight appearances and two Final Fours, including the 2008 National Championship. Dooley recently completed his sixth season overall and has a record of 101-76, and in his two years with FGCU is 44-24.

SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.