The Portland Trail Blazers announced Tuesday afternoon that, as expected, guard Wesley Matthews has been selected for the 2011 Rookie/Sophomore Challenge during All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.
The game is officially called the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam. More from the team's press release.
The game, which matches nine rookies against nine sophomores, will tip off Friday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m. (Pacific), and will be broadcast live on TNT from STAPLES Center.
"I'm honored to be a part of All-Star Weekend and look forward to representing the Trail Blazers," said Matthews. "I'd also like to thank my coaches and teammates for making me feel welcome in Portland and putting me in the best position to help the team win."
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"Wesley works hard, plays hard at both ends of the floor and is a big reason we are competing for a playoff spot right now," said Trail Blazers Head Coach Nate McMillan. "I'm happy to see him get recognized for everything he does, and he's earned it."
Here are the full rosters.
Sophomore Team:
- Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans
- San Antonio Spurs center DeJuan Blair
- Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry
- Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan
- Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson
- Philadelphia 76ers guard Jrue Holiday
- Oklahoma City Thunder forward/center Serge Ibaka
- Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings
- Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews
Rookie Team:
- Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin
- Washington Wizards guard John Wall
- Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe
- Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins
- New Jersey Nets forward Derrick Favors
- New York Knicks guard Landry Fields
- Minnesota Timberwolves guard Wesley Johnson
- Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe
- San Antonio Spurs guard Gary Neal
Matthews, a second-year undrafted guard out of Marquette, is averaging 16.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 33.1 minutes per game for the Blazers.
The Blazers declined comment when asked whether Matthews, who inked a five-year full midlevel contract over the summer, will be responsible for picking up every single check for his rookie and sophomore colleagues over the extended weekend.
If you missed it this morning, Blazers.com took a look at Matthews' sophomore campaign.
Because he's KP2, Kevin Pelton crunches the numbers on the rookie roster to see if there were any major omissions.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter