July 6, 2012

TUCSON, Ariz. - University of Arizona men's basketball players Solomon Hill and Mark Lyons were invited to participate in the 2012 LeBron James Skills Academy, July 6-9, in Las Vegas, Nev.

The invitation-only camp spotlights 20 of the nation's top college players and 80 prep performers in a setting that fosters both intense skill development and in-game competition.

Hill, a 6-foot-6, 226-pound senior forward from Los Angeles, Calif., averaged 12.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 34 appearances (all starts) in 2011-12. He led Arizona in rebounding, field goal percentage (.505/146-of-289) and assists (87), and his three-point field goal percentage (.382/34-of-89) was a career best. He scored in double figures a team-leading 26 times as a junior, including three games with 20 or more points, and notched 11 double-doubles.

A 2012 first-team all-Pac-12 and NABC all-District 20 honoree, Hill led the Wildcats in minutes played (32.2 mpg) and has started 77 consecutive games for Arizona.

Lyons, a 6-foot-1, 188-pound guard from Schenectady, N.Y., averaged 15.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game for Xavier University, helping the Musketeers to a 23-13 record and a berth in the NCAA South Regional semifinal. He connected on 42.5 percent (176-of-414) of his field goal attempts, including 39.2 percent (58-of-148) from three-point range, and knocked down 76.1 percent of his free throws (102-of-134) in earning third-team all-Atlantic 10 Conference honors. His 58 treys led Xavier in 2011-12, while Lyons ranked second on the team in scoring, assists and steals.

Lyons earned a sociology degree this summer at Xavier before transferring to Arizona, and tallied 1,194 points during his three-year career, a figure that ranks 28th in XU's record books. He's seen action in 98 career games (66 starts), helping the Musketeers to a 73-29 (.716) record in that span, including two A-10 regular-season championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances. He averaged 6.0 points and 2.6 assists in seven career NCAA Tournament appearances.

Hosted by the 2012 NBA champion and three-time most valuable player, the LeBron James Skills Academy employs many of basketball's elite instructors. The camp is a part of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball initiative.

Both players previously had participated in elite skill camps this summer. Hill was a part of the Kevin Durant Skills Academy, featuring the nation's 10 top wing forwards, June 24-26 in Chicago, Ill., while Lyons participated in the Deron Williams Skills Academy, featuring the nation's top-10 point guards, June 21-23, also in Chicago.