Here is a review of some of the biggest storylines.

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Ukraine finally break through, take the title

Ukraine were relegated from the U20 EuroBasket Division A last summer after not winning a game, but they made sure their stay in Division B didn’t last long. Ukraine stormed to an undefeated run to take the title in Bratislava, beating Iceland 74-64 in the Final.

The Ukrainians had twice previously reached the U20 Division B title game, losing in both 2007 and 2024. They also finished third in 2014 and 2023. Yehor Sushkin scored 26 points against Iceland and ended up receiving the MVP award - deservedly as Ukraine’s top player.

Sushkin averaged 18.9ppg on 42.4% threes to go with a 4.7-2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio. The guard, who has already debuted with the Ukraine senior national team, was joined on the All-Star Five by his teammate Desmond Yiamu as well as Viktor Ludviksson of Iceland, Sweden’s Cheick-Oumar Fadiga and Portugal's Jhonathan Andrade.

Yiamu averaged 9.4pt 8.9rb 2.4as 1.3st but struggled at times, especially fouling out in the Quarter-Finals and Final. His selection for the All-Star Five was a little surprising considering his performance compared to that of his Ukraine teammate Maksym Hryshchuk.

Hryshchuk, who was making his debut for the country, collected 16 points and 13 rebounds in the Final. He also averaged 16.9pt 8.9rb 1.4bl and had two monster games with 32 efficiency value in the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals. The forward helped save Ukraine against a tough Ireland team in the Quarters with 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Ukraine had three players from the 2007-born generation on the squad but only Iliia Hohulenko contributed much with 8.0pt 4.4rb 2.6as. That generation finished 16th of 21 teams at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023, Division B and 17th of 22 teams at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2025, Division B.

Iceland back in Division A

Iceland will be playing next summer in Division A for the sixth time. They lost to Germany in the decisive 13th place game last year to be relegated. Viktor Ludviksson played in the Division A in 2025 and was a real force for Iceland in Slovakia with 16.9pt 12.1rb 3.4as 1.8st 1.5 bl for a tournament-leading 23.8 efficiency. One of his biggest helpers was Magnus Svansson, who had 10.9pt 10.3rb.

Iceland finished second for a third time following 2016 and 2022. Five of the players on the team in Bratislava are 2007-born so they will play next summer in the top flight. That Iceland generation finished 15th of 21 teams at FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023, Division B and 15th of 22 teams at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2025, Division B.

Sweden rally to return to top flight

Sweden are the third team making the jump to Division A after an improbable 75-68 overtime win over Portugal in the Third Place Game. Sweden trailed 62-53 with 4 minutes to play but Isak Homelius drained three triples to put Sweden up 65-62 before Apolo Caetano answered with a three-pointer off the glass with 6.6 seconds remaining to force overtime. Sweden conceded only three points in the extra session and will play in the Division A for the first time since 2018.

Cheick-Oumar Fadiga grabbed a spot on the All-Star Five with 13.6pt 4.3rb 4.1as as the team’s real leader. The guard had played the last two summers in the U18 EuroBasket Division A - including reaching the Quarter-Finals in 2024. Fadiga is a 2007-born player meaning he will play in Division A next summer. That Sweden generation was 12th of 21 teams at FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023, Division B. They did play in Division A of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2025, but finished 16th to be relegated with Fadiga on the team.

Andrade and co. miss chance to become Portugal’s next heroes

Portugal came up just one win short of returning to the Division A for the second time following 2022 as they lost to Sweden. Jhonathan Andrade had 15.6pt 3.4rb 2.1as 3.0st to make the All-Star Five. But he could not enter his country’s history books alongside the legendary U20 team that won Division B at home in 2019 with Neemias Queta and Rafael Lisboa.

Ireland make history with 5th place - as GB do not play

One of the biggest stories of the U20 EuroBasket 2026, Division B will be Ireland making history with a strong generation. Victor Okojie really stood out with 14.0pt 10.3rb 1.9st 1.4bl. The athletic big man has already debuted in Ireland’s senior national team at the FIBA EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers.

The team also included intriguing players such as Harry Scully and Fortune Igbokwe. The Irish ended up placing fifth to improve on their best ever result of seventh place from last summer’s U20 EuroBasket event. Ireland nearly made the Semi-Finals as they gave eventual champs Ukraine all they could handle.

This Ireland generation took the next step in their history-making progress. They registered the country’s best finish at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket Division B with 11th place in 2024, beating Cyprus, Urkaine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Iceland along the way.

All this Ireland success came as big neighbors Great Britain did not even compete in the U20 age category this summer.

Luxembourg come back and grab best-ever sixth place

More history was made from Luxembourg, who came back after not competing for two years and took sixth place for the country’s best-ever U20 result. Edson De Sousa Silva stood out with 15.6pt 2.6as 2.1st including pouring in a tournament high 33 points in Classification 5-8 action against Bulgaria. De Sousa Silva played in this month’s FIBA EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers.

Agbason with just the fifth triple-double including blocks in youth European history

One player who definitely needs to be mentioned is Azerbaijan’s Emmanuel Agbason, the country’s 16-year-old 2009-born big man who also has Nigerian nationality. Agbason made headlines against North Macedonia with a rare triple-double.

He collected 12 points, 18 rebounds and 10 blocks in the group stage game to become just the fifth player in history to register a triple-double with blocks in a Youth EuroBasket event.

The first one was by Martynas Andriuskevicius from Lithuania against Israel in FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2004 with 18 points, 15 rebounds, 10 blocks. Serbian Dejan Musli followed at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2007 with 10 points, 11 rebounds, 12 blocks against France in the group stage. The third was also at the junior level as Estonia’s Matthias Tass had 13 points, 15 rebounds, 10 blocks against Iceland in the group stage at FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2016, Division B.

The only triple-double with blocks at the cadet level actually came a couple weeks later and it was a massive game. Usman Garuba helped Spain to the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2016 title with 15 points, 11 rebounds, 10 blocks against Lithuania in the Final (!!!).

Agbason ended up with 14.4pt 14.9rb 4.1bl per game and his 29 blocks in 7 games tied the highest U20 Division B average by Killian Gribben of Ireland from 2023. Agbason is already making in-roads at the senior level, having played six games with the Azerbaijan senior national team at the FIBA EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers.

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Gohier signed with Nanterre 92 in hopes the French club can help develop him similarly as to how they did for one of their most famous alums: Victor Wembanyama. For more than a year now, Gohier has been having a competition between himself and the NBA superstar in his head.

As Nanterre posted on their Instagram post with him working out, “Work in progress… ⏳🚧🏗️”

Gohier was in Istanbul for the FIBA U17 World Cup until July 5 and really didn’t get much of a chance to produce. In the three group games, he averaged 11.7 minutes and contributed 2.0 ppg on 27.3% shooting to go with 3.7 rebounds and a total of 2 blocks over that time. In Canada’s Round of 16 and Quarter-Finals games, the big man played only 12 minutes total and combined for 3pts 4rb.

The only game Gohier really was able to show what he could do was the Classification 5-8 contest against Puerto Rico: 8pts on 4/5fg 7rb 3as 1st 2bl in 21min. Most of the highlights you will see from him came from that game. Against France in the fifth place game, Gohier totalled 0pt 3rb 1as 2st in 10min.

All told, his numbers ended up being 2.4ppg 3.6rpg in 11.1min. And that for a player who was born in November 2010 - so almost two years younger than some of the competition. Those numbers weren’t that much different from last summer when Gohier had 2.5ppg 4.3rpg in 10.6min at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2025.

40 pounds of muscle later

But Gohier did not look the same. When asked how he changed most from last summer to this summer, Gohier told TTC: “I got stronger. I took 40 pounds of muscle. My wingspan grew, I got more skills, better shooting capacity. Everything. I got better.”

Gohier said his height is 7-foot-5 on the dot, “Not more, with shoes.” And he said his wingspan is 7-foot-6. And he said he’s done growing: “Yeah I checked last year.”

As amazing as it may sound talking about a guy standing 7-foot-5, Gohier was probably playing out of position in Istanbul. At least in his mind. And at least how he usually plays.

“When I’m with my team actually I play like more like a power forward, small forward, but when I’m in Team Canada, I’m a center. So I play like Shaq, take rebounds, O-boards, crashing the defensive board, picks, everything. And they’ll be surprised to see a 7-5 guy moving like a guard,” he answered the question about his playing style and what people will be surprised to see from him in Istanbul.

Talking to the big man - which as someone who is about 6-foot isn’t the easiest - Gohier doesn’t really want to be playing center too often.

“Oh, I want to be the best small forward, bro. The best small forward. If I reach the NBA, I want to be a small forward.”

Thank you karate school for closing

The basketball world can actually thank a karate school in Laval - just north of Montreal in Quebec - for closing and giving Gohier’s parents no other choice but basketball for their son.

“I started playing basketball after there weren’t any sports left in my neighborhood. All the programs had shut down. There was nothing left. My mom signed me up for a sport and asked me: ‘Do you want to play basketball?’ It wasn’t because of my height or anything like that. She just wanted me to play a sport,” Gohier described to Au Coeur du Québec in September 2025.

“It really wasn’t because of his height. We were simply looking for a sport in the neighborhood. He had been doing karate, but the karate school closed,” his mother Geneviève Brosseau said.

“We wanted him to stay active, but at the same time we didn’t want to have to travel too far. We saw that the school next door offered basketball classes, so that’s how he started playing basketball. We just wanted him to be involved in a sport.”

That was when Jeremy was 6 years old.

Fast forward about seven years and he was becoming an internet sensation after attending a basketball event in the United States. Clips of him and his moves and skills at that age and height were going viral left and right.

Going with that popularity is everybody wanting to interact with you.

“I know almost everyone would say they’d be excited to experience something like that once in their life. But if it happens every single day, after every major game... it’s different,” Gohier said in the Au Coeur du Québec video.

“I worry about the pressure it puts on him. When Jeremy walks into a gym, people expect something from him, and he knows it. So he puts that pressure on his own shoulders,” his mother said.

Jeremy added: “I have a lot of pressure. A lot. But I hide it. Recently, everything has happened so fast. I’ve received all kinds of invitations—everything you can imagine—from major programs in the United States.”

One of the truly special things his mother said in that piece was how proud she was that he doesn’t walk around with his head down like others might at that height at such a young age.

“Jeremy doesn’t. He walks with his head held high. He knows he’s taller than everyone else. All he sees are the tops of people’s heads, but he still walks confidently. That’s probably what makes me proudest. I think basketball is what eventually allowed him to embrace what makes him different,” she said.

Gohier really has a high level of maturity when you consider just how young he his - again, he won’t turn 16 until November 5, 2010.

“I’d like to be a role model for everyone in Quebec - for all basketball players - with my professionalism and my desire to dominate,” he told Au Coeur du Québec.

And when asked where that competitive drive come from, he answered: “My competitive spirit comes from ... the lack of exposure. Yeah, the lack of exposure. And it also comes from my coach, who taught me to stop hesitating. He always told me not to beat around the bush—just go for it.

Signing with same agency as Wembanyama

Gohier and his family made a big decision in April 2026 for Jeremy’s career when they signed with the Comsport agency. That is the same group - led by Bouna Ndiaye and Jérémy Medjana - that discovered and developed Victor Wembanyama.

“We see huge potential in him. I don’t want to draw comparisons because they are two different profiles, but Jérémy does share some similarities with Victor,” Medjana told le Journal de Quebec in in April 2026.

“He has an incredible physique. He weighs nearly 40 kilos (85 pounds) more than Victor did at the same age. We’ll work to ensure he doesn’t get too heavy, though, because he also possesses great mobility. We’re going to do the same work we did with Victor back then to help him develop physically, technically and mentally.”

Medjana and his team know it’s unfair to say Gohier is “the new Wembanyama”. They first have to discover what kind of player Jeremy can be. And that will depend on Gohier’s work ethic as well as his body, footwork, coordination, defensive timing, hand quality and technical development.

“Me vs Him”

Returning to Istanbul, Gohier is asked who are some of the guys he looks up to or after whom he models his game.

“I’m not going to lie, Wemby, bro. He looks like me ... same mobility just stronger. So it’s more difficult for me, but I want to play like him, I want to shoot like him, I want to be better than him.”

Gohier said he really discovered Wembanyama at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021. He nearly helped France beat USA in a great tournament with 14.0ppg 7.4rpg 1.4apg 5.7bpg.

“I know him since he played the FIBA U19 World Cup, but I started like to create a competition me versus him. A competition of me versus him in my head last year.”

Gohier described the competition in more details: “I just watch him play, watch his good plays, his bad plays. See what I can do better than him, see what I can’t do better than him. But I will be better than him. I believe that.”

Gohier knows he is not there yet.

“I don’t do anything better than him. He does everything better than me,” he said.

But Gohier did list one advantage he has over the San Antonio star: “Physicality. He’s not as strong as I am. He’s skinnier, so I think I can be more physical.

U18, U21 French leagues … plus NextGen EuroLeague?

So what does the 2026-27 season have in store for Gohier in France?

You can expect him to play for Nanterre’s U18 and U21 teams. Among the players he will be playing with Mathias Fabien, who played for France at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025 but did not make team for Istanbul; and Marko Bardic, who has palyed two FIBA U16 EuroBaskets for Montenegro.

There is also the possibility that Gohier could play in the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague. While it’s unclear that Nanterre would bid to play - the club played in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, their first one with Wembayama - the Canadian giant could be chosen for one of the Next Gen select teams.

Regardless, Gohier is on a new mission in a new place and given his maturity, his preceived work ethic and the people behind him, you would have to think something really good could be in the works.

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Here is a look back at the final day of action and a quick review of the teams.

Gold Medal Game

No stopping USA - 8 for 8 and 58-0

USA Basketball retained its stronghold on this competition as they controlled comfortably Serbia 107-81 in the Final to win their eighth straight FIBA U17 World Cup title and improve their all-time record to 58-0.

The Americans gradually pulled away in the second half of the third quarter and then started the fourth period with the first 14 points to grab the win. Five USA players scored in double figures, topped by CJ Rosser’s 23pts while Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje collected 20pt 15rbs 3bl and Beckham Black tallied 12pt 10as 3st.

The Serbs were paced by another otherworldy effort from Nikola Kusturica, who totalled 37pt 9rb (8or) 2as 1st 1bl in vane. Matija Lukic added 16pt as the only other Serbian in double figures.

Serbia ended their medal drought that had extended back to third place in 2014. But in the end, Serbia didn’t have the depth of talent to deal with USA - as is always the case at this level. Kusturica and his expected big-money move to UCLA was talked about all tournament, and he will undoubtedly be a massive star in college basketball - having already played in the EuroLeague this past season. Matija Lukic really stepped up his level at this event - especially in the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals. The other intriguing player is Nikola Djurovic, the near 7-footer who probably plays too much outside but still lets you dream on him a bit.

As far as looking at the USA talent pool, man, where do you start. You have to go with Boumtje Boumtje, who not only took home MVP honors but opened the eyes to Americans who might not have known him yet since he has played at Barcelona - with Kusturica - for the past three seasons. Boumtje Boumtje is heading to Duke University where it would be a shock if he isn’t a superstar from the get-go.

Beckham Black showed all tournament that he can lead a star-studded team from the point guard spot while also getting his own buckets if the situation called for it. He also displayed his stellar defense.

CJ Rosser was loads of fun to watch, his offensive skillset including a more than solid outside shot. He also had tremendous energy and a great motor while being a disturbance on defense with his length and athleticism. AJ Williams is a guy who will be a superstar as well, who can just do everything and will only get better as he’s challenged even more. Jordan Page is a dominant defender, Cayden Daughtry is a bucket-getter and Erick Dampier Jr. is a force around the basket.

Third Place Game

Australia end 12-year wait, grab third place

Australia ended a 12-year wait for a medal and grabbed the bronze medal by fighting off hosts Türkiye 77-69. Australia clinched their third podium finish after back-to-back silver medals in 2012 and 2014.

A day after being blown out by USA in the Semi-Finals, Australia punched Türkiye first and led 30-12 after 10 minutes. The hosts had mounted comebacks previously in the tournament and the Basketball Development Center crowd was anticipating another one. The deficit was down to five points but the Crocs withstood the rally and celebrated winning a medal.

Luke Paul was outstanding for Australia in collecting 19pt 10rb 7as 1st 3bl while William Hamilton scored 16pt and Yahya Basaran added 14pt 10rb 3bl. Turkish star point guard Ömer Kutluay had another amazing outing with 32pt 7rb 5as and Darius Karutasu added 17pt 7rb.

This Australia team has a couple of players who long term could make a Boomers team. Luke Paul looks like a true budding star while Yahya Basaran has great potential as does John Aryang.

The medal for Australia cannot be overlooked for its importance. The Oceanians have continued to develop young talent but they have failed to take the next stop on the global stage. Twelve years without reaching the podium is a long time for such a proud basketball nation. It will prove as motivation for young Australians - perhaps as soon as next summer at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, where the Emus have not reached the top three since winning the title in 2003 with Andrew Bogut - given of course that Australia qualify through the FIBA U18 Asia Cup, a competition they have won both times they have competed - 2018 and 2024.

Türkiye and their crowd of course will be disappointed but they should be happy they reached the Semi-Finals with predominantly two stars - Kutluay and Karutasu. That was their issue the whole tournament. The next possible prospect would be Besir Briant, who it will be interesting to see how he performs at the 2026-27 Adidas NextGen EuroLeague. Noyan Tolan also flashed some strong potential.

Classification 5-6

Soliman shines, France finish fifth

France rebounded from their Quarter-Finals loss to Türkiye by winning their final two games and beat Canada 97-76 to grab fifth place - with Nathan Soliman shining in near-record fashion.

France took the first quarter 29-15 and were leading 56-27 at intermission and never let the Canadians back into the game. Soliman had a game for the ages with 37pt 12rb 3as 4st 1bl for an efficiency of 51 - just 5 off the all-time record. Aaron Towo-Nansi added 10pt 11as in the win. Isaiah Clarke and Liam Mitakaro both had 13pt to lead Canada.

France will not be happy with the final result but at least they won their final two games against solid competition. It would seem this was the one and only time that Tony Parker coaches at the French youth national team level given he will be taken charge as head coach with ASVEL Villeurbanne. Nathan Soliman will probably re-live for months - if not longer - his foul on Ömer Kutluay in the final minutes of the Türkiye game. It not only gave the Turks three points but it was his fifth foul.

Soliman definitely showed flashes about everything he can do, and he gave NBA (or college) scouts plenty of material to look at and evaluate. He will soon join the JL Bourg-en-Bresse training camp as he will debut in the EuroCup next season. Aaron Towo-Nansi will probably judge his performance on how France did and he did have some strong moments, but there were some warning signs. Some times he took bad shots and also could have made some better playmaking decisions. Messi Yangala meanwhile has some big time potential with his strength and athleticism but he also has plenty of work to do.

For Canada, Isaiah Hamilton probably has the highest talent level at the moment but he will definitely have to mature and also work harder on defense. Isaiah Clarke is an undersized big with great energy, brute power and rebounding tenacity. People at Canada Basketball love Tristan Edwards long term and they also expect big things from Kingston Thomas - the son of former Canada international Dave Thomas. The giant 7-5 Jeremy Gohier for his part has loads of work to do but you don’t find guys that size too often.

Classification 7-8

Lithuania steal win from Puerto Rico for 7th place

Lithuania grabbed seventh place as they used a late run to deliver a 98-93 win over Puerto Rico.

Lithuania jumped ahead by 15 points in the first quarter but were trailing early on in the second period. Puerto Rico led for most of the second half but Lithuania scored the final nine points of the game in the final 76 seconds for the win.

Lithuania were led by Kristupas Sabeckas’ 26pt while Benas Birzinis had 20pt 8rb 5as and Jokubas Kukta had 10pt and dished out 13as. DJ Gaines paced the FIBA Americas side with 27pt 7st.

Lithuania will probably look at seventh place and initially be disappointed, but this is a realistic finish for this team. Gabrielius Buivydas didn’t impress as much as I had expected. Jokubas Kukta is rock solid but not overly athletic. It will be interesting to see the next steps for Kristupas Sabeckas this up-coming season as a combo guard with a good motor and potential at both ends. Benas Birzinis had a strong tournament as the team’s main big. It would have been good to see what Lukas Siskauskas can do but he played a total of 21 minutes - in which he scored 21 points in the first game.

Puerto Rico will be happy they reached the Quarter-Finals for the fourth time in four appearances. You would have to think that DJ Gaines will eventually work his way into the senior national team if he keeps playing so. Sure, he took a few too many questionable threes, but this team lacked other top players. Gaines also showed he can distribute the ball and also be a menace defensively. The team lived off its energy - as any Puerto Rico does - and its working together. John Arroyo could be a piece down the road and Jeremy Willmore too.

Classification 9-10

Slovenia finish strong, grab 9th place

Slovenia made sure they were leaving Istanbul with some positive feelings as they came back to beat China 76-71 for ninth place. The Europeans lost their first four games but bounced back with three straight wins.

China were leading by as many as 12 points in the second quarter but Slovenia took the second half 45 -32. Lun Jarc poured in 27pt to go with 10rb 4as 2st and Aleks Pejic Rupnik added 12pt in the win. Zhang Yizhaojie was China’s leading scorer with 18pt 5rb.

Slovenia were hoping for bigger things but were missing their starting backcourt of Bine Pregl and Martin Trsan from last summer’s third place at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025. Jakob Siftar was Slovenia’s top player and he really shined at times. Lun Jarc struggled over the course of the tournament to perform as many had expected.

China can be happy that their young players - eight of the 12 were born in 2010 - performed despite being a year younger. Zhao Boxin has the highest upside and really opened some eyes with his play defensively around the basket. Zhang Yizhaojie will need to really work hard to get to a higher level and Zhang Yuchen flashed his excellent shooting potential.

Classification 11-12

Côte d’Ivoire rally to beat snakebit New Zealand, leave Istanbul in 11th place in debut

Côte d’Ivoire completed their maiden FIBA U17 World Cup by rallying from 16 points to beat New Zealand 85-81 and capture 11th place with three wins. New Zealand once again failed to hold a big lead as they were up by 16 points in the third quarter before losing the fourth quarter 30-17.

it was the fourth time this tournament that the Kiwis watched opponents come back from deficits of at least 13 points, including wasting a 15-point cushion against China in the Classification 9-12.

JP Oka had a monster game of 22pt 11rb 4as 4st 5bl and Raphael Ouedraogo added 18pt 13rb 2bl. New Zealand guard Jayden Cecil scored 38pt for his third game of at least 37 points and he ended up the tournament’s leading scorer at 29.9 points per game.

Côte d’Ivoire definitely have a strong result to build upon as well as a couple of names to watch. Jean-Philippe Oka lived up this expectations after winning the MVP of FIBA U16 AfroBasket 2025. He will continue to grow in the US youth system. Nathan Djako is another player who blossomed as did Barakel Koffi. Raphael Ouedraogo for his part stood out at this level but it remains if he can take the next step to match his rebounding prowess.

New Zealand have found a future Tall Blacks in Jayden Cecil. Tawhiri Cate showed he can do a bit of everything but can he did it at the next level while Zach Rampton exhibited some shotblocking potential.

Classification 13-14

Italy finish with back-to-back wins for 13th place

Italy finished their disappointing appearance on a high note by beating Japan 95-62 to secure 13th place. After winning their first game of the tournament against Japan, the Italians dropped four in a row before finally winning again over Cameroon in Classificiation 13-16. Then the Europeans knocked off Japan again thanks to a 28-9 first quarter.

Simone Ventura paced the Italians with 21pt and Nicolo Ronci added 15pt 6as. Chussonjakku “Jack” Shiratani led Japan with 22pt.

Italy cannot be happy with 13th place as they had much higher hopes - not necessarily a medal but definitely not Classification 13-16 games. Simone Ventura lived up to his billing as Italy’s top player. Lapo Santini is someone to watch looking forward with his shotblocking instincts while Farid Compaore made people anticipate what else he can do as the team’s sole 2010-born player.

Japan meanwhile have someone to dream on for a while with Shiratani. Keiji Koshi is probably too small to make a big impact internationally at the senior level but he is fun to watch - even though we didn’t get to see much of him since he suffered a hit to the head early in the first game.

Classification 15-16

Venezuela send message of hope back home after historic first win

History was made to start the day in Istanbul in the game for 15th place as Venezuela collected their first victory in their first FIBA U17 World Cup by beating Cameroon 71-61. It was a battle of debutants and Cameroon were also hoping for their first ever win but will return home wtih a 0-7 record.

Venezuela never trailed, leading the game 42-29 at halftime and building a 19-point cushion. Cameroon tried to make things interesting but could not really threaten in the final frame.

Venezuela captain Carlos Perez and Julio Vasquez both scored 15pt as the South Americans gave their people back home a little bit of good news in light of the devastating earthquakes back home. Nolan Ngangmeni had 15pt in the loss.

Venezuela also can be pleased about seeing their youngsters compete well on the global stage. Vasquez will only get better the longer he stays in Spain while Kevin Gutierrez has a nice frame and all-around game and Chris Echezuria makes you wonder just how he could be in this event in two years if Venezuela can make it there as he is 2011-born.

Cameroon definitely will not be happy about going 0-7. They can be pleased with how some of their players played. Ngangmeni can play at the level and Lenny Nouhet-Epesse Titi has some moments as did Jason Essoua with his rebounding and shotblocking.

Now we look ahead to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2027 in Pardubice, Czechia before the next FIBA U17 World Cup in Athens in 2028.

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Can Serbia end USA’s winning streak? Or will it be 58-0 for USA all-time in this event?

Before that, here is a look back at the two Semi-Finals and the rest of the classification action on the penultimate day in Istanbul.

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Kusturica, Lukic help Serbia overcome record crowd, amazing Kutluay to reach first Final

Türkiye and Serbia provided basketball fans with a game for the ages in the Semi-Finals, and in the end it was Serbia somehow keeping their focus in front of a wild record-breaking crowd to beat the hosts 76-71 and reach the Final.

Türkiye have been thrilling the fans all tournament and they looked like they would do it again against Serbia, coming back from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter to pull ahead in the final frame. Ömer Kutluay had been bottled up by Serbia in the first half with just 6 points but he erupted for 12 points in the third quarter alone.

By that point, the crowd of 8,348 fans the Basketball Development Center - a new FIBA U17 World Cup attendance record - was simply deafening.

The previous record was 8,122 fans in Malaga in 2022 in the Final between Spain and USA.

Much of the talk during the tournament has been about K&K - Türkiye’s superhero tandem of Kutluay and Darius Karutasu. But Serbia have shown they have a pretty strong one-two punch as well with Nikola Kusturica and Matija Lukic.

The Serbs trailed 60-55 but their dynamic duo went on a 12-0 run with Lukic draining back to back three-pointers and Serbia led 67-60. Kutluay provided some more magic with back-to-back triples of his own and Türkiye were down just 73-71.

After an empty Serbia possession, Türkiye were charged with an offensive foul and the Turkish coach was hit with a technical foul. Ognjen Simjanovski held his nerves as the Turkish fans were even louder to hit the free throw and Kusturica split two free throws with 64 seconds to play to make it 75-71.

Neither side could score until Simjanovski again braved the Turkish fans’ jeers with 5 seconds to play and made one of two for the final scoreline, later saying: “I'm glad I hit at least one of them. They were hard as fuck.”

Serbia had done it - they reached their first Final in history. Kusturica finished with 25pt 5rb 3as 3st 1bl, Lukic scored 20pt and Simjanovski added 10pt 6as in the win. Türkiye were paced by Kutluay with another magical performance of 25pt 7rb 8as 2st 3to - no turnovers in the final 30 minutes of the game. Karutasu did his thing with 16pt 10rb while Besir Briant had his best game with 17pt 6rb.

While Serbia take on USA for the title, Türkiye will look to make it back-to-back bronzes as they face Australia for third place.

USA dominate third quarter, one win from 8th straight title

USA showed once again their relentness and domination as they put together an impressive defensive performance in the third quarter to race away from Australia 114-65 to reach the Final.

The Americans already took control of the game with a 26-14 second quarter but then tightened the screws in the third quarter, which they won 32-10 to end any hopes of an upset. Six USA players scored in double figures, topped by Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje with 23pt 15rb while AJ Williams had 16pt and NaVorro Bowman added 15pt.

Australia committed 25 turnovers in the game and shot just 15% on three-pointers. Luke Paul managed to score 12pt and Alex Mabbott evened his tournament high with 10pt. The Crocs will hope to bounced back in the third place game against hosts Türkiye as they aim to add 2026 bronze to their silvers from 2012 and 2014.

Classification 5-8

Strong second half carries France to 5th place game

The fifth place game is not where France were hoping to play on the final day in Istanbul, but at least the team can feel good about their bounce back. After a disappointing loss to Türkiye in the Quarter-Finals, France used a strong second half to beat Lithuania 73-59 to set up a game against Canada for fifth place.

Tony Parker’s team won the final 20 minutes 42-30 with Messi Yangala scoring 15pt and Nathan Soliman totalling 9pt 10rb 8as 2st 3bl. Lithuania were led by Kristupas Sabeckas with 17pt but they were not enough and the Baltic nation will face Puerto Rico for seventh place.

Canada take out Puerto Rico after losing 19-point lead

Canada gave their fans a wild ride in the Classification 5-8 action as they blew a 19-point lead but still managed to blowout Puerto Rico 101-82 to set up a showdown with France for fifth place.

Canada led 54-34 with 2 minutes left in the first half but then trailed in the fourth quarter. The game was knotted 80-80 with 5 minutes to play when Canada ran away with it on a 21-2 surge. Liam Mitakaro had 23pt 6rb 10as 2st 2bl, Isaiah Hamilton scored 20pt, Kenyon St. Louis contributed 17pt 7as and giant Jeremy Gohier chipped in 8pt 7rb 3as 2bl.

Jeremy Willmore poured in 24pt and DJ Gaines added 13pt 8as 6st in the loss for Puerto Rico, who will take on Lithunia for seventh place.

Classification 9-12

Siftar leads Slovenia to another win

Slovenia are just one win from at least salvaging their disappointing start to the tournament as they knocked off Côte d’Ivoire 86-73 to reach the game for ninth place. The Europeans took the fourth quarter 27-10 and won their second straight game - setting up a matchup against China.

Jakob Siftar poured in 21pt with 7rb 4as to lead the way and Matic Rezec picked up 19pt 9rb 2st for Slovenia. Jean-Charles Siransi had 12pt to lead the Africans, who will take on New Zealand for 11th place in their first tournament.

China rally as New Zealand fall apart - again

New Zealand fans have to be thinking what could have been as the Kiwis once again lost a big lead in losing to China 92-79 in a rematch of the FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2025 Semi-Finals - won also by China.

New Zealand built a 15-point lead late in the first half and went into the break up by 12 points. China then won the third quarter 26-17 and took the final frame 31-15 to set up a showdown with Slovenia for 9th place. Zhang Chunzhi scored 24pt, Lyu Feiyan had 20pt, Zhang Yizhaojie picked up 19pt 7rb 5as 2st and big man Zhao Boxin tallied 11pt 7rb 2as 2st 4bl.

It was another collapse by New Zealand, who lost a 25-point lead to Türkiye in the opening game and a 13-point advantage the next game to Puerto Rico. Jayden Cecil continued his outstanding FIBA debut with 25pt 5rb and Liam Keogh added 14pt 6rb in the loss.

Classification 13-16

Japan finally win first game, keep Venezuela winless

Japan finally collected their first victory of the competition as they defeated Venezuela 62-52 in Classification 13-16 action. Chussonjakku “Jack” Shiratani collected 20pt 14rb 3st as Japan moved into the Classification 13-14. If the Asians can beat Italy, they will register their best finish in U17 World Cup history - topping their 14th places in 2014 and 2022.

Venezuela were paced by Kevin Gutierrez with 13pt 11rb 3as, but the first-timers are still waiting for their first win. The game had a scary moment when Venezuela Carlos Perez took an elbow from Rikuto Isoda late in the first half. Perez needed medical attention at halfcourt and was carted off the court. Venezuela have one final chance for win as they face fellow winless debutants Cameroon for 15th place.

Ronci stars again for Italy in win over Cameroon

Italy will play Japan for 13th place after the Europeans snapped a four-game losing streak in knocking off Cameroon - thanks to another outstanding showing from Nicolo Ronci.

The Italan guard poured in 18pt with 4rb 5st one day after picking up 27pt 4rb 4as 3st while playing 29 and 22 minutes in those games. Before the Classification 9-16 game, Ronci had totalled only 29 points in 59 mintues over four games. Cristian Malano led Italy in scoring with 20pt and Lapo Santini chipped in 10pt 4rb 3st 2bl.

Cameroon will take on Venezuela for 15th place - one of those teams will make history with their first ever win. The Lions had Jason Essoua collect 13pt 8rb 2st.

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We have four teams left dreaming of hoisting the trophy on Sunday in Istanbul. For USA it would mean business as usual while Australia get the first shot at handing the Americans their first ever loss. If USA reach the Final again, they will face another tough test with either the hosts Türkiye or FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025 champs Serbia.

Here are my takes on the Quarter-Finals day in Istanbul.

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Semi-Finals preview notes

Here are some notes on the two Semi-Finals.

USA and Australia have met four times and the Americans won all four times. The last two meetings have been big-time showdowns - in the 2012 and 2014 Finals. In Istanbul, the Americans are averaging 31.8 points off turnovers and 50.6 fast break points per game. The two played in an exhibition game just before the tournament and USA won.

Türkiye and Serbia for their part faced off in an exhibition two weeks ago in Istanbul. Serbia won 73-72 on a Matija Lukic 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds left after Omer Kutluay hit a jumper with 17.4 seconds remaining Nikola Kusturica did not not play for Serbia

The biggest storyline in the Türkiye and Serbia matchup will be which superstar can lead their team to the win - Türkiye’s Omer Kutluay or Nikola Kusturica of Serbia. It should be noted that the two went at each other in the NextGen EuroLeague Championship Game a few weeks ago with Kusturica’s Barcelona beating Kutluay and Real Madrid. Kutluay: 2pt 2as 1st in 10min - Kusturica: 20pt 10rb 2a.

So, let’s get to the Quarter-Finals

Türkiye close game on 13-0 run, eliminate France

All the talk before the tournament regarding France was them wanting to finish second in Group A to then avoid facing USA until the Final. That was the talk two years ago and the French were famously shocked by Puerto Rico in the Round of 16.

This time around, France’s unwanted exit after getting their wish in terms of the bracket came in the Quarter-Finals. And instead of Puerto Rico, it was Türkiye who eliminated Tony Parker’s team.

Türkiye’s amazing run in Istanbul has not been one for the faint of heart. And they kept up that tradition against the French with a thrilling 94-87 victory - scoring the final 13 points of the game for the win and reach the Semi-Finals for a third time in four U17 World Cup appearance.

Some time around halftime, I told a colleague that France better be leading by like 8 or 10 points in the closing minute or they would lose the game. There is just something magical about this K&K duo of Omer Kutluay and Darius Karutasu. They perform all game - and play nearly all game - and then still have energy and focus to deliver in the clutch moments.

Kutluay did just that again. With his team down 87-81 with 2 minutes left, Kutluay converted an and-on layup, which also fouled out France’s star forward Nathan Soliman. Kutluay punched right back the next possession with a triple to tie the game 87-87.

Kutluay was not yet done, driving in for another layup to put Türkiye ahead and France were emotionally beaten at that point. Kutluay finished with 30 points as well as dishing out 11 assists without a single turnover in 34 minutes of intense play. How much stronger mentally can you get?

Kutluay’s father Ibrahim Kutluay accomplished some massive achievements - winning the EuroLeague with Panathinaikos in 2001 and taking silver at the FIBA EuroBasket 2001 being the biggest of them. And while Omer still has a ways to go, he is certainly on a good track.

Karutasu for his part was outstanding as well with 24pt 5rb while the team did get a crucial performance from big man Ruzgar Opcun with 11pt 5rb 1bl and guard Omer Yusuf Sik drained 3 triples in scoring 13pt with 4rb 2as.

France point guard Aaron Towo-Nansi had 20pt 5rb 7as and Messi Yangala added 15pt 8rb, but they were not enough with Soliman finishing with 9pt 5rb 3as 3bl in 27min. The French now must regroup and try to grab fifth place.

Kusturica shines again, Serbia into first Semi since 2014

Serbia came into their Quarter-Finals showdown with Lithuania knowing the two teams had plenty of history. They faced off three times last summer with Lithuania winning twice in the European Youth Olympic Festive - including in the Third Place Game. But it was Serbia who got the big win - taking down Lithuania in the Final of the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025 for the crown.

Fast forward one year and the two teams - with both of them having nearly identical rosters - were facing off again for a spot in the FIBA U17 World Cup Semi-Finals. And just like in Serbia’s 99-86 win last summer, Nikola Kusturica led the way. The Serbian guard totalled 18pt 14rb 8as 5st 2bl in 2025 and took home MVP honors. In Istanbul, the Barcelona star totalled 30pt 7rb 3as 3st 2bl. And he scored 12 of those points in a fourth quarter that Serbia won 35-11.

Kusturica was not alone as Matija Lukic picked a great time for his best game with 27pt 6rb 4as 3st 2bl in showing that he is also a top talent. Ognjen Simjanovski did a great job leading the ship with 13pt 2rb 6as (with 1to) 5st.

Benas Birzinis had a big game after missing the Round of 16 matchup due to suspension with 17pt 6rb while Gabrielius Buivydas had 16pt 4rb 6as. Kristupas Sabeckas was battling a leg injury and finished with 9pt and captain Jokubas Kukta had 8pt on 3/10 shots 8rb 4as 6to.

USA break scoring record with 149 points vs Puerto Rico

Those two Quarter-Finals came after USA had blown out Puerto Rico 149-82 to not only move to 56-0 all-time in the competition’s history but also break a record. The 149 points were the most scored in a single game, breaking the mark of 146 set two years ago.

The Americans led 40-29 after 10 minutes and never let up as six players scored in double figures. Pacing the group was Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, who put together one of the greatest games in FIBA U17 World Cup history. The Duke-bound big man collected 31 points on 11/13fg 3/3ft 16rb 4as 1st 2bl for an efficiency of 49 - all in just 21:40min. That was the fourth-highest mark in history. The record being Isaac Humphries’ 56 in 2014.

The Americans just are overwhelming all comers in Istanbul. And what has been perhaps most impressive has been their ability to share the ball with 44 assists - which was just five off their own record from two years ago.

DJ Gaines poured in 24pt with 7 triples as Puerto Rico just lacked the firepower.

Australia beat down on Canada, into first Semis since 2014

Don’t look now but Australia are into the Semi-Finals for the first time since 2014 with a perfect record and a team that cruises from win to win - the latest being a 100-86 beatdown of Canada.

While so much of the talk in Istanbul has been about USA, Türkiye, France and Serbia, Australia seem to have gone under the radar. The Crocs rolled to a 26-12 lead after 10 minutes and the advantage grew to as many as 30 points before Canada did some cosmetics on the final result to not make it look that bad.

Luke Paul seems like a lock for All-Star Five as he collected 21pt 5rb 10as. Among the other four players in double figures was Yahya Basaran, who has been enjoying his return to his native Türkiye and picked up 12pt 11rb 5bl in the win.

Isaiah Hamilton scored 19pt in the loss.

Here is the bracket for Classification 5-8

Côte d’Ivoire win U16 AfroBasket Final rematch

The biggest game of note in the Classification 9-16 action was Côte d’Ivoire taking on Cameroon in a rematch of the FIBA U16 AfroBasket 2025 Final - which Côte d’Ivoire won for their first time. And the Elephants knocked off the Lions again - this time 77-62 on the global stage.

Côte d’Ivoire took control of the game in the third quarter in building a 25-point lead and finished strong and are still alive for ninth place - which would be the best result ever for an African team in this competition. Egypt took 10th place in 2022.

JP Oka collected 15pt 7rb 4bl and Nathan Djako added 15pt 8rb 5as 3st in the win. Cameroon got 16pt from Lenny Nouhet-Epesse Titi as the country is still hoping for their first win.

Slovenia finally grab first win thanks to late run

Slovenia had been one of the biggest negative surprises of the event, losing their first four games. But they bounced back in fine fashion to beat Italy 70-64 thanks to a 10-0 run over the final 3 minutes.

Slovenia’s stars shined together in this one with Jakob Siftar scoring 20pt and Lun Jarc adding 16pt 11rb in the win. Italy have now lost four in a row despite Nicolo Ronci scoring 27pt - just 2 more than he totalled coming into the game.

Jack scores 35 for Japan but Cecil gets 31 and W for New Zealand

The Classification 9-16 game between Japan and New Zealand turned into a shootout and while Chussonjakku “Jack” Shiratani scored 35 points for Japan, it was Jayden Cecil hitting for 31 points and getting the 104-83 win for the Kiwis.

In a rematch of the Third Place Game at the FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2025, New Zealand won again thanks to a 51-39 second half. Cecil also collected 11rb 6as in the win while Marco Sula had 17pt and Kiam Keogh chipped in 14pt 8rb 5as.

Second half carries China past still winless Venezuela

China moved into the Classification 9-12 by knocking off Venezuela 84-63 to keep the South Americans winless in their first FIBA U17 World Cup appearance. The Asians took the second half 43-23 to ease to the win.

Chen Yuxiu had 5 three-pointers for 18pt and Zhang Yizhaojie collected 15pt 7rb 5as in the victory. Julio Vasquez scored 23pt in the defeat.

Here is the Classification 9-12 bracket

Here is the Classification 13-16 bracket

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For just the second time since the start of the Round of 16 format in 2014, all of the teams finishing top two in the groups advanced to the Quarter-Finals - 2022 being the other tournament.

We have some really great Quarter-Finals matchups with Lithuania vs Serbia and France vs Türkiye being the two big ones. The Canada vs Australia showdown should be fun while USA should have little trouble with Puerto Rico.

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Let’s review the Round of 16 action.

Türkiye survive Venezuela scare in another K&K star showing

First-timers Venezuela nearly caused the biggest upset in the history of the competition but Türkiye were able to pull out the victory 78-73 to the collective relief of the crowd at the Basketball Development Center. Once again the heroes for Türkiye were K&K - Omer Kutluay and Darius Karutasu.

The bracket was almost upended by the South Americans, who actually led at halftime and had fought back to tie the game in the fourth quarter after the Turks had led by 10 points in the third quarter.

Kutluay and Karutasu both drained big three-pointers in the final 3 minutes to secure the win. Karutasu collected 25pt 12rb 6as 5st 1bl in 35min and Kutluay added 15pt 4rb 8as in 39min. Venezuela are still looking for their first win despite Julio Vasquez scoring 19pt in the loss.

Puerto Rico end Côte d’Ivoire’s hopes of history

Puerto Rico made it four Quarter-Finals berths in four appearances as they out-lasted Côte d’Ivoire 101-85 to end the Elephants’ hopes of making history.

The FIBA Americas side took the fourth quarter 30-16 and reached the top-eight while Côte d’Ivoire missed a chance to become the first African team to reach the Quarter-Finals of FIBA U17 World Cup.

DJ Gaines flirted with a triple-double as he poured in 36pt to go with 8rb 9as 6st in another amazing showing for Puerto Rico, who had Eduyn Albino add 18pt. Nathan Djako had 21pt 6rb 3as 3st for the Elephants, Raphael Ouedraogo continued his great tournament with 19pt 12rb 4as 5st 2bl and JP Oka picked up 18pt 8rb 3st

France never let China challenge

France made sure there would be no repeat of the disaster from two years ago as they rolled past China 96-70 to move into the Quarter-Finals. The French famously crashed out to Puerto Rico in the Round of 16 to Puerto Rico and Felipe Quinones scoring 42 points.

France punched the Chinese right away for a 15-point first quarter lead. The young Asians managed to get within three points in the second quarter but were down by 15 points at halftime and never challenged the rest of the way. France next face Türkiye in the Quarter-Finals.

France continued to ration their players’ minutes with Nathan Soliman collecting 18pt 6rb in 25min, Yessi Mangala had 14pt 7rb in 22min and Aaron Towo-Nansi picked up 15pt 4rb 5as in 22min. The French also had Amadou Fall (12pt) and Sohan Soungo (11pt) score in double figures.

Chinese were without Yao Jiaze, who was suspended after the fight at the end of the game against Lithuania on the final day of group play. China’s star Zhang Yizhaojie was limited to 2pt 2rb 2as in 16mins (he had limped off the court after the Lithuania game). Liu Xuanyu Liu had 20pt 7rb and big man Zhao Boxin did collect 11pt 6rb 2bl.

Near records galore: USA offense rolls over Cameroon

USA are only three wins of their goal of an eighth straight title after they rolled past Cameroon 141-85 to reach the Quarter-Finals. The Americans were just 5 points off the single game scoring record; while they dished out 44 assists - just 5 off the record; and converted 34 free throws - two off the best mark.

It was the second-highest scoring game in the history of the U17 World Cup with 226 combined points. The record is 227 points, set in a Group Phase game between Lithuania and Korea in 2012. The game also set the record for the highest-scoring knockout game in tournament history.

First-timers Cameroon did register a morale victory. They scored 85 points, which was the third-most points in FIBA U17 World Cup history against USA. The only two teams to score more were Australia’s 99-92 loss in the 2014 Final and Italy’s 129-88 defeat in the 2024 Final.

USA led 40-21 after 10 minutes and never looked back. Eight players scored in double figures for the Americans, paced by Asa Montgomery’s 23pt while CJ Rosser had 20pt, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje picked up 19pt 7rb 7as, AJ Williams contributed 14pt 10rb, and Beckham Black added 10pt 9as.

Cameroon looked like the worst team in the group stage but they still were able to score against the Americans. Nolan Ngangmeni had 24pt and Lenny Nouhet-Epesse Titi scored 20pt with 6as.

Serbia too much for New Zealand in Kusturica-Cecil show

Serbia booked their ticket for the Quarter-Finals by easing past New Zealand 121-91 in a game highlighted by the fantastic showdown by Nikola Kusturica and Jayden Cecil.

Serbia also lead 31-16 after 10 minutes and put the game to bed with a 37-21 third quarter. With the game really never in doubt, it was a real joy watching the teams’ stars really do their thing.

Kusturica collected 27pt (inc 4/8 on threes) 6rb 4as 2st 1bl in 22min for Serbia while Cecil poured in 37pt with 5as to go with his 42pt outburst against Türkiye in the opening game.

Third quarter enough for Canada against off-target Italy

Canada once again booked their spot in the Quarter-Finals - for the seventh time in eight events - as they clobbered italy 86-64, thanks to a big third quarter. The North Americans delivered the knockout punch with a 32-10 third frame to get past the Europeans - and into a top-eight date with Australia.

Five Canadians had double figures scoring, topped by 12pt each by Kenyon St. Louis and Liam Mitakaro (who combined for 10as). Canada were able to shut down Italian star Simone Ventura with just 5pt while Lapo Santini had 10pt 10rb 4st 3bl. The Italians converted just 5 of 35 three-pointers.

Australian first half punch knocks out Slovenia

Australia reached the Quarter-Finals for the seventh time in eight editions - and bounced back from the massively disappointing 15th-place showing two years ago - by blasting Slovenia 104-75.

The Crocs delivered the knockout punch by halftime as they led 58-30 after 20 minutes. Luke Paul continues to build his All-Star Five case with 20pt 6rb 8as 2st and Antonio Browne is doing his best Robin impersonation to Paul’s Batman with 20pt 3rb 4as 2st. Aleks Pejic Rupnik had 15pt 5rb 5a in the loss.

Lithuania race away from Japan in final 15 minutes

Lithuania reached the Quarter-Finals for the fifth time in their six appearances as they raced away from Japan in the final 15 mintues for a 98-62 win. The Europeans move into the Quarters with a perfect 4-0 mark while Japan dropped their fourth straight game - with one heck of a list of opponents: Italy, USA, France and now Lithuania.

The Lithuanians were playing the game without leading rebounder Benas Birzinis, who was suspended after throwing punches in the last-minute altercation in the final group game against China.

Gabrielius Buivydas paced five Lithuanians in double figures with 20pt 8rb while Kristupas Sabeckas continued his superb tournament with 17pt 4rb 4as, Vytis Sliogeris had 16pt and Simas Rascius chipped in 10pt 11rb. Chusonjakku Shiratani showed why he is Japan’s next big hope with 20pt (albeit on 6 of 18 shooting) 5rb 4as 4st.

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Ladies and gentlemen … we have a bracket!

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Round of 16 notes

Before we review the final games in group play, let’s hit you with some notes about the Round of 16.

With six European teams in the field, it should be noted that at least three European teams have reached the Quarter-Finals in every previous FIBA U17 World Cup. The most was six European nations in 2022 (all five qualified teams plus hosts Spain).

Now it’s time to shock you … France and China have played three times in the FIBA U17 World Cup - and France have never won (!). Yep, China won in the group stages in 2012 and the debacle from 2024 and also in the game for seventh place in 2014.

One more note and that is about the Puerto Rico vs Côte d’Ivoire matchup. Puerto Rico have never missed the Quarter-Finals in 2014, 2018 and 2024. Côte d’Ivoire meanwhile have the best chance to become the first African team to reach the Quarters - and become one of the top eight teams in the world.

Okay … let’s get to Tuesday’s games.

Türkiye’s new superhero duo K&K

As if Türkiye’s Ömer Kutluay and Darius Karutasu had not already wowed us enough in the first two games of the tournament. K&K just keep giving us all the goodness - tormenting a feisty Puerto Rico side that had no chance in losing by 21.

Kutluay not only scored 32 points - including 17 of 19 free throws (a new U17 World Cup record for most made foul shots) - he also had 7 rebounds, 12 assists and 1 steal. The 12 assists pulled him even for third place for the most dimes in a game.

Kutluay was truly like a blur for Puerto Rico - just like he has been all tournament. The son of Turkish legend Ibrahim Kutluay is averaging an outrageous 32.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 10.3 assists.

Karutasu meanwhile isn’t too far behind as he totalled 23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals against Puerto Rico. The long, lanky wing is just a force - collecting 27.0ppg 11.3rpg 1.7agp 2.7spg while shooting 62.5%/45.0%/77.8% and committing only 2.7 turnovers in 37 minutes per game.

Türkiye this time around got two other players in double figures - Noyan Tolan 12pt and Omer Sik 11pt. The hosts have been bouyed by a great Basketball Development Center crowd and should have little problems in the Round of 16 against Venezuela.

At the other end, Puerto Rico will be aggravated that they lost to the hosts - their first loss of the event. DJ Gaines had 19pt 5as just didn’t have enough support to beat a team like Türkiye.

USA brush aside Italy with 131 points

Nothing new here … USA roll to another victory to stay undefeated. The seven-time reigning champions are still perfect in the history of the competition as seven players scored in double figures in a 131-80 blowout of Italy.

In a rematch of the FIBA U17 World Cup 2024 Final, USA never were threatened, taking the rebound battle 62-31 including 29 offensive rebounds. It’s hard not to like CJ Rosser, who used his powerful yet slender and long frame for 22pt 6rb while Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje collected 16pt 11rb 4st 2bl in 22 min, Cayden Daughtry had 19pt 9as and Xavier Young contributed 16pt 9rb 3as 3st.

As usual for USA teams, the production is just never-ending in terms of depth - not to mention sharing ball to the tune of 37 assists. USA will next meet Cameroon in the Round of 16 - in a matchup that could see more records broke.

On the other end, Simone Ventura stood strong against the US pressure and size with 20pt on 8/12fg. The Italians next have a tasty matchup with Canada - a team that has some similarities to the USA in terms of athleticism.

Lithuania show toughness in beating young Chinese

Lithuania have shown all tournament just how strong they are as a team and unit and that was on display again in their final game against China. The youngsters from China have impressed and this game was one of the most anticipated ones coming into the day.

It was a battle for a while before Lithuania pushed the lead out to 15 points late in the third quarter. Things got quite edgy in the closing minute as a push by Joris Sinica resulted in a mini fight with his teammate Benas Birzinis throwing a couple of haymakers and getting disqualified along with Yao Jiaze. Sinica and the initial pushee Zhang Chunzhi were also handed unsportsmanlike fouls and ejected.

While you never want to see such a scene, both teams can probably be happy about their players having each others backs - especially the young Chinese for not backing down.

Birzinis had been too tough all game for the Asians with 14 points and 16 rebounds while the Zalgiris Kaunas duo of Jokubas Kukta and Kristupas Sabeckas combined for 25pt 4rb 12as 3st. Gabrielius Buivydas has yet to really shine as many expected. Sure he is averaging 13.3pt 3.3rb 3.7rb, but he is also committing 3.7to per game and his +/- in Lithuania’s two tough games against Canada and China were -6 and -8, respectively and +15 in the blowout of Cameroon.

Okay, I am not the biggest fan of the +/- stat but it does present some evidence for an argument when you look at Kukta’s +/- of 22.3 and Sabeckas’ 17.3 (itself bouyed by a 36 vs Cameroon while he had a 2 against Canada but 14 versus China).

China fans can be really really excited about this group of talent - again, eight of the 12 players were born in 2010 (apparently the 2011 generation is just as if not even stronger). China star Zhang Yizhaojie was seen limping off the court after the game and he did not play the fourth quarter. It was unclear even after reviewing the game video where the injury may have occurred.

Big man Zhao Boxin looks like their top player long term. The long slender big man is averaging 7.3pt 7.7rb but has been a real force around the paint with 16 blocks in three games 5.3bpg. That would be a new blocks average record in the FIBA U17 World Cup. Egypt’s Ahmed Khalaf averaged 4.9bpg in 2014 and 4.4bpg in 2016 while Qi Zhou of China and Egyptian Moataz Hosny both had 4.0bpg in 2012.

And Lithuania kept China’s sniper Zhang Yuchen in check with just 1 of 7 from long range after he had made 10 of 20 in the first two games. Zhang is nicknamed “Huizhou Curry” - Huizhou being his home city in Guangdong. At age 10, a video of him hitting 17 three-pointers in 1 minute and 30 seconds went viral online.

New Zealand beat Slovenia, get Serbia next instead of Australia

We had a chance for the first-ever meeting of New Zealand and Australia at a FIBA Youth World Cup, but New Zealand ended up beating Slovenia for their first victory. As a reward, they will take on Serbia in the Round of 16.

New Zealand had lost leads of 25 and 13 in dropping their first two games but they never trailed against Slovenia, leading by as many as 14 points. Things got close at the end but Slovenia just don’t have the firepower as they are missing their starting backcourt from last summer of Bine Pregl and Martin Trsad. On top of that, Lun Jarc did not play this game.

Tawhiri Cate for a third straight game wasn’t far from a triple-double with 18pt 7rb 9as while Liam Keogh had 20pt 8rb and Jayden Cecil added 14pt 4rb 3as.

Observers will see New Zealand with a 1-2 record with only a victory over a shorthanded Slovenia and might wonder about how good they are. The Kiwis are a pretty solid unit but they will be hard pressed to knock off Serbia - though sign me up for the showdown of Serbian Nikola Kusturica and Jayden Cecil.

Serbia pull away from Côte d’Ivoire in second half

Côte d’Ivoire have been a pleasant surprise thus far in Istanbul - beating Venezuela in their first ever FIBA U17 World Cup game and then giving Australia all they could handle.

The FIBA U16 AfroBasket 2025 champions hung around with Serbia for one half - trailing 47-39 after 20 minutes - but then couldn’t keep it up in the second half, which Serbia took 50-32 for a 26-point win.

Serbian star Nikola Kusturica is All-Star Five bound with another star performance of 17pt 11rb 4as 3st 3bl. Matija Lukic looks like an excellent talent as well with 16pt including 4 three-pointers while Ognjen Simjanovski did a good job against the Ivorian pressure with 9pt 5rb 8as 2to in 27min.

Serbia’s defense meanwhile did well eliminating the Africans’ two main offensive options. JP Oka and Barakel Koffi combined for 14pt on 5 of 23 shots, which opened things for Nathan Djako to score 27pt while big man Raphael Ouedraogo collected 10pt 5rb as he continued his strong event.

Jack not enough for Japan against France

France were not expected to get much resistance from Japan and that was the case as the Europeans rolled to a 93-57 victory. France once again observed their players’ minutes - especially of their stars Nathan Soliman (9pt 3rb 3st 17min), Yessi Mangala (12pt 9rb 2as 1st 20min) and Aaron Towo-Nansi (2pt 7as 1st 18min). Dan Boudine led the way with 18pt and Melvyn Vounang had 10pt 8rb.

Only five Japanese players scored in the game with Chusonjakku “Jack” Shiratani doing most of the work. He drained 7 three-pointers (one off the single game record) in scoring 33pt to go with 7rb 2a. His 33 points were just two off the all-time Japanese record in FIBA U17 World Cup history. Rui Hachimura scored 35 points vs Italy in 2014.

Australia remain perfect - with little resistance from Venezuela

Australia were out to show that their challenge against Côte d’Ivoire was only a fluke and showed their strength straight away against Venezuela. The Crocs took the first quarter 17-5 and never looked back for a 28-point win 75-47.

Antonio Browne continued his superb tournament and led the way with 17pt as the only Australian in double figures. The Australians have had Josh Giddey in Istanbul watching them with the NBA star saying he was really impressed with the game of Luke Paul. And the Crocs star just let this game come to him with 6pt on 6 shots while adding 5rb 7as 2st 2bl in 20min.

Venezuela for their part haven’t looked bad in their first appearance in the cadet global championship - though they are 0-3. They challenged Côte d’Ivoire in their opener and then were rolled by Serbia and only lost the second half of this one 38-31.

The South Americans have to be playing with heavy hearts after the devastating earthquakes back home. And they are playing solidly. The main thing is a lack of size. Kevin Gutierrez has impressed with his all-around game while Julio Vasquez could not get going at all in this one - 7pt on 3 of 15fg - and Venezuela fans have to be excited about 15-year-old Chris Echezuria, who had 9pt.

Canada next to beat up on Cameroon

Cameroon’s venture at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026 saw another blowout with Canada brushing away the first-timers 104-64. The Africans lost their three games by 18, 51 and 50 points - oh, and next up in the Round of 16 is USA.

Cameroon scored only 8 points in the third quarter and then lost the fourth quarter 30-17 as Canada just were way way too deep and talented. Liam Mitakaro scored 23pt while Isaiah Clarke continued his strong tournament with 13pt 9rb 4st. Isaiah Hamilton struggled a bit with 12pt on 3 of 10 shots and 4to.

One note at this point … I have not really been able to watch much of Cameroon. As the FIBA writer, sometimes I miss entire halves of games that are going on in front of me while I write articles. Or there is a surprise (or a better game) at the other gym. And that seems to have been the case for Cameroon the whole time. So I really haven’t gotten a good grasp on what Cameroon has to offer.

Okay, that is the final day of group games. We now have the knockout stage. There should be some fun games for sure. Enjoy and talk to you tomorrow.

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Here is a breakdown of the second day of action in Istanbul.

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France get revenge on Italy

As mentioned following Day One, France fans shouldn’t worry yet. The USA loss didn’t mean anything and the key game was Italy. And everything worked out for the French as they beat the Italians 88-68 for their first win of the tournament - and the first official win in the coaching career of Tony Parker.

Of course, a second-place finish was critical to France’s planning for this event - in order to avoid having to face USA until the Final. But right up there alongside that was revenge.

Last summer, France were hoping to repeat at FIBA U16 EuroBasket champions - the first time that would have happened since 2010 and 2011 with Croatia. And the French had their big guns Nathan Soliman and Aaron Towo-Nansi playing with their generation. But Italy got in the way in the Quarter-Finals. Mario Machetti banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer and Italy won 76-73. And the French were forced to win their last two games to finish fifth and sneak into the FIBA U17 World Cup.

Soliman poured in 23 points and he said it best afterwards: “When we saw that they were in the same group we just wanted to blow them out and that is what we just did.”

France are now just a win over Japan and a USA victory against Italy on Tuesday from being exactly where they wanted to be.

Türkiye’s big guns come out for their next generation of stars

Early on news came out from the Turkish senior national team camp that head coach Ergin Ataman actually was considering bringing U17 stars Ömer Kutluay and Darius Karutasu into the team for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers window. Only the FIBA U17 World Cup was kind of in the way.

Day Two action at the Basketball Development Center concluded with Ataman and some of the country’s biggest stars - headlined by Alperen Sengun and Cedi Osman - in the building and watching Kutluay, Karutasu and co. facing Slovenia. And the stars of today were really enjoying watching the stars of tomorrow.

Türkiye got another K&K show as Kutluay nearly had a triple-double with 26pt 9rb 10as and Karutasu collected 21pt 14rb a night after they combined for 76 points. A convincing as the 87-66 win over Slovenia was, Türkiye’s underlying problem is still there. There just isn’t that much help for K&K - with Arda Ozturk’s 10 points being the only other player in double figures scoring and Atahan Agacdelen being the only other player in double figures in efficiency (7pt 7rb 11eff)

Crocs avoid being trampled by Elephants

What a headline I know … You gotta love countries who have names for their national teams like Australia and Côte d’Ivoire. Australia came into this showdown on a high after beating Serbia on opening day. Côte d’Ivoire meanwhile were also on a high after beating Venezuela in their FIBA U17 World Cup debut.

The U16 African champions actually were leading the game by 10 points in the second quarter as Australia were struggling to come up with answers against the athletic and aggressive Ivorian defense.

Luke Paul eventually started figuring things out - showing why he is so highly rated - and the big men Yahya Basaran and Alex Mabbott were getting big plays inside. Antonio Browne’s dynamic play helped the cause as well but Côte d’Ivoire opened some more eyes.

Canada-based Barakel Koffi flashed his all-around game with 20pt while JP Oka just oozed energy, leadership and excellence with 9pt 13rb 2bl. Raphael Ouedraogo once again was a force in the paint with 9pt (on 4/4fg 1/2ft), 7rb 5bl. The Elephants are not done surprising people in this event.

China blows it against offensive rebound masters Canada

China and Canada came into their game heading in opposite directions - China thrilled after beating Cameroon on Day One and Canada nearly desperate after losing to Lithuania.

China’s ultra-young team - eight of the 12 players are 2010-born youngsters - looked ready and poised to make it 2-0 and beat Canada for the first time in FIBA U17 World Cup history. Canada delivered the first punch but China came right back and took the second quarter 27-14 and led at the break with Zhang Yuchen having buried 6 three-pointers in the first half. It looked like “Huizhou Curry” was going to break the single game triples record of 8.

China were even leading by nine points late in the third quarter. But Canada started to bully the Asian youngsters. And once the North Americans took the lead, China caved like a house of cards. Canada got offensive rebound after offensive rebound after offensive rebound and ended up winning comfortably thanks to a 29-15 fourth quarter.

All told, Canada grabbed 41 offensive rebounds to set a U17 World Cup team record and Isaiah Clarke snatched 13 of those - from his total of 18 - to tie the invididual single game mark with Australian Isaac Humphries from 2014.

Clarke also had 19 points while Isaiah Hamilton showed his ultra offensive minded attitude with 19 points to go with 8 rebounds. Zhang Yuchen didn’t hit another three-ball and ended with 20 points while Zhang Yizhaojie continues to really impress with 21pt 9rb 3as. Oh and Zhao Boxin nearly tied the blocks record with 8 swats to go with 6pt 10rb.

Puerto Rico next beneficiary of New Zealand blown lead

The big story from Day One was Türkiye’s magical comeback from 25 points in the third quarter. On the other end of that was New Zealand and the Kiwis again blew a strong lead in falling to 0-2. Puerto Rico rallied from 13 points down in the first quarter and the Americas side was still down nine points after three quarters.

Puerto Rico roared back with a 31-14 fourth quarter to win 85-77 and improve to 2-0. DJ Gaines was doing DJ Gaines things with 30pt 3rb 4as 7st while Joderick Torres came off for 10 points as the only other player in double figures. But Puerto Rico are just a bunch of dogs - gritty, energetic and tough. And New Zealand couldn’t handle that down the stretch.

Jayden Cecil hit for 22pt after scoring 42 in the opener while Tawhiri Cate once again just missed a triple-double with 9pt 11rb 8as - as well as 9to. If New Zealand lose to Slovenia and Australia knock off Venezuela, there will be a Round of 16 matchup of Australia vs New Zealand. I’ll take that!

Serbia bounce back

As mentioned after Day One, I have not been selling Serbia stock as they bounced back in fine fashion for a 31-point blowout of Venezuela - allowing only 4 points in the second quarter. Serbia head coach Stevan Mijovic was able to limit the minutes for his main guys as the big games will be coming soon at the end of a long season. In case you haven’t heard, Nikola Kusturica is pretty good - 19pt 6rb 2as 3st 2bl in 22min.

USA roll over Japan

As expected, USA were given little resistance against Japan in easing to a 128-66 win over the Asian underdogs. AJ Williams came off the bench for 25pt and Beckham Black continued his charge towards MVP with 19pt 10as 4st and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje collected 16pt 7rb 7bl - the blocks setting a new USA record.

Lithuania strong again, Cameroon weak again

The other game on Day Two was Lithuania just blasting Cameroon 94-43. It was not a surprise at all that Lithuania won - Kristupas Sabeckas with 22pt 4rb 5as. But boy did I read Cameroon wrong. Absolutely ugly numbers across the board: 22.9% 2pt, 23.5% 3pt, 64.3% ft; 29to. The team as a collective had an efficiency of 15. Ouch.

Blocks record seriously threatened

It seemed pretty likely that the blocks record of 9 - Jonghyun Lee of Korea in 2010 against Spain and Egypt's Moatasz Hosny against Lithuania in 2012. Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje had six in the first half against Japan but only had one more in the second half to end with seven - a new USA record. And Zhao Boxin collected 8 blocks against Puerto Rico.

So, that is it from Day Two of the FIBA U17 World Cup 2026. Monday is a rest day for the teams and the final day of group play will be on Tuesday with the Round of 16 on Wednesday.

Drop me a message if you have any comments. I would love to hear from you.

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Here is a breakdown of some of the biggest highlights from the tipoff of the biennial cadet global championship and my takes on Day One.

First off, congrats to Türkiye and New Zealand for giving us truly a game for the ages - also the Turkish fans. A fabulous atmosphere at the Basketball Development Center as they really brought Türkiye back from a 25-point deficit in 112-100 win.

Just incredible performances by Omer Kutluay (48m 39p 7r 9a 2s) and Darius Karutasu (46m 37p 11r 3s 37eff) of Türkiye while New Zealand’s Jayden Cecil showed what he learned on the US youth circuit (44m 42p 7r 3a 3s) and Tawhiri Cate nearly had a triple-double with 14p 12r 9a.

Türkiye’s worries coming into the tournament were confirmed with nobody else scoring more than 11 points in 50 minutes of action. New Zealand meanwhile will be heart-broken but it will be a great learning experience for down the road.

China had a strong start with an 18-point win over debutants Cameroon - Zhang Yizhaojie shined with 23p 3r 6a 2s. Future looks bright for China and 2010-dominant squad while let’s see how Cameroon bounce back from first ever game.

Love that Jokubas Kukta had such a great game (29p 8r 10a) in Lithuania’s impressive 14-point win over Canada - buoyed by 30-16 final 6 min. Kukta’s mother played for the LTU NT for about 15 years and Jokubas starred for Zalgiris at NextGen as a year younger.

Lithuania are a rock solid team that has different guys who can step up and are winners (2nd at FIBA U16 EB 2025 and a number of NextGen and YBCL winners). Canada have to correct their defensive meltdown.

A lot of people are rightfully high on Australia after the opening win over Serbia - Yahya Basaran (15p 7r 2s 2b) starred in comeback to home country. Luke Paul looked very solid (11p 5r 8a 2s 6to).

I am not selling any stock in Serbia. The 19 TOs are not ideal and 11/25 FT (40%) is a nightmare, but they will be in the medal mix when it’s all said and done. And very importantly for Serbia - as long as they finish second, they cannot face USA until the Final.

Congrats to Côte d’Ivoire on beating Venezuela by 11 points in their first ever game in the history of the competition. They also did well in fighting off a spirited Venezuela comeback. JP Oka (18p 4s) is really solid while Raphael Ouedraogo (4p 11r 3s 2b) is a force.

Venezuela will definitely win a game in Istanbul with an intriguing group which desperately could use a big man. Julio Vasquez (14p 5r 5a) has a nice all-around game, 2011-born Chris Echezuria (2p 3a 6s) showed glimpses.

Everybody was talking about the incredible Kutluay/Karutasu shootout with Cecil, but there was another shootout going on at same time. DJ Gaines scored 32 points in Puerto Rico’s 14-point win over Slovenia while Jakob Siftar poured in 31 points. Slovenia will need a lot of the elite scoring skills of Siftar with the absences of Pregl and Trsan.

You gotta appreciate the line of Lapo Santini in Italy’s 29-point win over - 13p 6/8 fg 1/4ft 12rb (7OR) 1s 2b in 16min. Italy killed Japan on the glass 61-31 inc 25 OR for 25-2 advantage in second chance points. Jack Shiratani with 27p 9r 3a 4s for Japan.

USA were strong as expected - shooting 41% on threes with 6 players in double figures in 115-84 win over France. Beckham Black (23p 5 3s 4a 2s) showed his class while Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (12p 5r 2a) had a solid FIBA debut. Speaking of debut, this was the first game for France head coach Tony Parker.

Last but not least France … Don’t worry yet French fans after their loss to USA. This game meant nothing to them. The big game is on Sunday vs Italy - second place means they cannot face USA until the Final while third place means a possible matchup in the Semi-Finals.

As fully by design, France managed the minutes of their big three - Nathan Soliman 22m 18p 7r 2a 2s 2b; Messi Yangala 22m 14p 2r; Aaron Towo-Nansi 18m 7p (2/10 fg) 2a 3to. Amadou Fall performed well as backup PG (20m 16p 2r 1a 2to)

Okay, there you go. What an opening day of action. It’s only the first eight games. Let’s hope for plenty more thrills.

Hit me up if you have any comments or observations.

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And that actually raises a question I have been talking about for a couple of years now and the 2026 U17 World Cup will at least give some insight into it, if not answer.

Will the FIBA U17 World Cup 2026 be more like 2022 or 2024?

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Let’s go on a journey …

First off, let’s ask a question about development. What age would you consider is the most important for most youngsters to take the next step in their development - for them to go from just interested players into budding talents.

10 years old? 14? 12? Let’s go with 13. That seems like a good age to consider.

- - -

So in what year did players born in 2007 turn 13? Seems like such an easy question … in case your brain isn’t working, I will help. 2020. And what happened in 2020? Of course, Covid.

Covid and the aftermath took away a lot of chances to develop for the 2007 generation and probably even more the 2008-born players. And that was the case for most of the world as society really shut down in major ways.

Things did not really completely stay shut down in the United States however. While the Americans did shut down initally, the pandemic became very politicized over time with many questioning it altogether and wearing masks was even a debate: if you wore a mask you were considered a Democrat.

That meant also that basketball was still played - albeit with some mild restrictions. That in turn meant those 2007 and 2008 born Americans were still getting the usual development.

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Almansa, Mara, Gonzalez and co. give USA major battle in 2022

Before we keep going, let’s take a step back. Of course, the United States have never lost a game at the FIBA U17 World Cup - going undefeated in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2022.

But let’s look at the Final of the 2022 U17 World Cup. The Americans were taking on Spain in Malaga, and the hosts were giving USA a real test. With a talented generation including Izan Almansa, Aday Mara and Hugo Gonzalez, Spain were actually leading 48-41 with 6 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Americans eventually turned up the pressure and surged ahead with a 21-3 run to lead 62-51 after 30 minutes. Cooper Flagg, Ron Holland, Jeremy Fears and Koa Peat were too much for Spain in the fourth quarter and USA won 79-67.

But the world was catching up to the Americans - especially if the opposing team had enough talent to keep up with the USA’s dominant depth.

Record upon record upon record

Fast forward two years, and the FIBA U17 World Cup 2024 in Türkiye gave us an entirely different picture. The United States raced from one record to the next to the next. The Americans had an average winning margin of 64.3 points.

A look at the top team single game performances in U17 World Cup history shows just how dominant the Americans were in Istanbul two summers ago.

You might be asking: How does this fit in with the topic of this article?

The 2024 U17 World Cup was for the 2007-born generation. Remember the kids around the world who missed out on their important development years of 13 and 14 because of Covid. And the Americans who never really stopped playing basketball at length.

Was the Covid pandemic the reason the Americans dominated so emphatically in 2024? Of course, it’s impossible to say for 100 percent, but the arguments laid out are at least arguments as to why it may have happened.

2009 generation … open society

That argument could gain traction depending on what happens at the FIBA U17 World Cup 2026. The eighth edition of the competition is for the 2009-born generation.

What is one major difference compared to 2024? The 2009-born players turned 13 years old in 2022 - when societies around the globe had really opened back up and life had gotten much closer to pre-Covid level. That means the 2009-born players were back to getting the much-needed training at that important age.

Many consider the 2009 generation a strong one around the world - looking at French players like Nathan Soliman and Aaron Towo-Nans, Nikola Kusturica of Serbia; Slovenia’s Lun Jarc, Ömer Kutluay from Türkiye, Luke Paul of Australia, the 2010-born Chinese duo Zhang Yizhaojie and Zhang Ziyi, DJ Gaines from Puerto Rico and Jokubas Kukta of Lithuania among others.

Closer to 2022 or 2024?

All this begs the final question. Will the FIBA U17 World Cup 2026 be closer to 2022 - where the rest of the world (or maybe Europe in particular) showed they are getting closer to the USA at the cadet level; or will the Americans be just as dominant as two years ago.

Should it be closer to 2022 than 2024, then that would strengthen the argument about Covid’s impact. Long term, this doesn’t mean much, maybe just fewer 2007 or 2008 born players reach senior national teams around the world. But it is at least a discussion point to consider for the FIBA U17 World Cup 2026.

Let me know your thoughts - leave a comment and we can discuss it

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We just saw El Clásico at the biggest stage - the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals Championship Game. Barcelona beat Real Madrid 85-77 to claim their second U18 continental crown, snapping a 10-year wait since their only other title in 2016.

What better reason to go back and review this rivalry over the last five decades in Spanish youth hoops.

Here is a look back at El Clásico: youth style.

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Campeonato de España Júnior (U18) de Clubes

Madrid end long drought in El Clásico

Let’s start with the U18 Spainsh championship, known as Campeonato de España Júnior de Clubes since there is a longer history - since 1970 compared to 1986 for the U16 championship.

Real Madrid have not (!) missed the Final since 2014 but Los Blancos came into the 2026 title game almost desperate. Despite always reaching the title game, Real had not claimed the junior crown since 2019. Barcelona won it back to back in 2024 and 2025 after Joventut Badalona reigned over Spain in 2022 and 2023. And Barcelona also won the first U18 trophy after Covid in 2021.

Before that it was Real who were dominant, breating Barcelona in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019 - losing only in 2016 to the same Barcelona group that would go on to win the 2016 Adidas NextGen EuroLeague crown.

While Real seem like the beast of European basketball at the moment - winning four NextGen EuroLeague crowns between 2019 and 2024 - it wasn’t the case before 2014.

Real won the first U18 crown in 1970 and seven of the first 14 titles - including four in six years between 1978 and 1983. But they only reached one final between 1984 and 1992 - that being in 1987.

Real did have a strong run of back-to-back crowns in 1996 and 1997, but they only claimed one trophy in the next 16 years until 2014. They won in 2000 and finished second just once in 2006.

Barcelona meanwhile topped the Spanish U18 world nine times in those 16 down years for Real - half of their record 18 junior titles including a three-peat from 2010 to 2012. Barcelona had become the leading force in the Spanish U18 championship of late with three of five last five titles since the Covid break.

Barcelona captured their first U18 championship in 1975 and it was the first of three in a six-year span. The Catalans slumped after that, winning only one title between 1980 and 1992 - that coming in 1986.

Barcelona since 1992 have not gone more than three years without taking a U18 crown.

May 2, 2026 - Huelva, Spain

The U18 final on May 2 in Huelva pitted two teams who really knew each other. Barcelona and Real Madrid had already met four times in the Spanish U22 Liga during the regular season. Barcelona had played with their U18 team while Real had a couple of players older than 18 - the main one being Izan Almansa.

Barcelona started the final on fire with a 14-2 lead and the gap grew to 14 points - 23-9 - in the first quarter, which ended with the Catalans up 27-20. Real continued their fight back and took the lead 35-34 and were up 53-44 at the break.

Real were leading 67-58 late in the third quarter and it was 67-63 after 30 minutes. Barcelona were still hanging close at 78-73 when Fabian Kayser drained two of Real’s three triples in an 11-2 run to lead 89-75 with 2 minutes to go.

Real had finally returned to the top of Spain’s U18 level as Kayser had 20 points and 6 rebounds and Egor Amosov went for 19 points and 8 rebounds. Real were playing without Ömer Kutluay, Ilia Frolov or Andrej Fantic.

Joaqium Boumtje-Boumtje had 19 points, Mohamed Keita picked up 15 points and 9 rebounds and Nikola Kusturica picked up 18 points before leaving the game with 5 minutes to go with an ankle injury that would keep him out until the NextGen Finals.

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El Clásico in NextGen EuroLeague - Real won 2021 Championship Game

For as often as the Spanish powers have met domestically, they had not faced off that often on the international stage. The 2026 NextGen Championship Game was just the eighth encounter.

The two played somewhat regularly when one of the NextGen qualifiers was in L’Hospitalet, Spain. Barcelona won in the 2010-11 group stage and in the first place game that event. Barcelona won at the 2012-13 L’Hospitalet group stage while Real prevailed in the L’Hospitalet first place games in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Real and Barcelona did not meet up again in the NextGen until the 2021 Championship Game, with Real winning 81-78. Konstanin Kostadinov collected 18 points and 12 rebounds; Eli John Ndiaye had 17 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals and Urban Klavzar chippped in 16 points. All that combatted Michael Caicedo’s 25 points.

And the two teams met in the group stage of the 2023 Finals in Kaunas, where Real won 72-54 to improve their NextGen record to 4-3 over Barcelona.

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Campeonato de España (U16 Cadete de Clubes

Robinson leads Madrid to ninth title in 12 years

Real and Barcelona have dominated at the U16 level in Spain. Real won their 14th title to go with 9 second-placed finishes while Barcelona have 12 crowns and 15 times were runners-up. Of the other 14 championships, Joventut Badalona won it five times while Unicaja Malaga and Estudiantes Madrid both have three crowns.

To show the dominance of Real and Barcelona, only five of 40 finals were played without either of the giants: 1990 (Estudiantes over Espanyol), 1998 (Unicaja over Joventut), 2007 (Joventut over Gran Canaria), 2012 (Betis Sevilla over Marin) and 2016 (Estudiantes over Gran Canaria).

Real and Barcelona were facing off in the third straight U16 final - Real won in 2025 after Barcelona hoisted the trophy in 2024. Real have been a regular customer in the Final, reaching the title game 11 times in the 12 years since 2014. Barcelona were in the Final for the seventh time following 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2024 and 2025.

The only time Real failed to get there was in 2016 when they crashed out 85-63 to Canterbury in the Quarter-Finals. The biggest name to come out of that Canterbury team was Malian big man Oumar Ballo, who took Mali to the Final of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019. Real meanwhile had Usman Garuba, Mario Nakic, Kareem Quickly and Carlos Unanue.

Real have won the title nine times: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026. They beat Gran Canaria in the 2018 title game, Joventut Badalona in 2021 and Unicaja Malaga in 2022 and 2023.

Barcelona claimed the crown just twice - in 2014 and 2024. This current generation of Barcelona (Mohamed Keita, Diego Ferreras, Oriol Filba, Jan Cerdan) won the U16 title game over Real in 2024 (Real with Andrej Bjelic, Ilia Frolov, Gunars Grinvalds).

Barcelona’s other crown in 2014 - a 73-68 win - was noteworthy for the Real team they beat. Barcelona’s squad had Eric Vila, Aleix Font, Pol Figueras, Sergi Martinez, Maxim Esteban and Atoumane Diagne - all of whom would two years later win the 2016 Adidas NextGen EuroLeague title.

But Real Madrid’s 2014 U16 team included one massive name: Luka Doncic, who had 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in the loss. One year later, Doncic would hoist the NextGen trophy in 2015.

May 23, 2026 - Cádiz, Spain

One day before Barcelona and Real were to face off in the NextGen Championship Game in Athens, the two clubs were squaring off in the U16 final.

Star talent Rhys Robinson collected 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists as Real ran away from Barcelona in overtime for a 93-81 victory in the 2026 U16 title game on May 23 in Cádiz.

Aikel Ikponmwosa Marvis Victor added 17 points and 19 rebounds and Pablo Mera Seco chipped in 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for Real, who watched Barcelona put together a 27-18 fourth quarter to force the extra session.

Cheikh Bamba Gaye tallied 22 points and 11 rebounds, Jan Martin had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists and Pau Cruz contributed 14 points and 5 rebounds but they were not enough.

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Liga U - Spain’s new U22 league

Barcelona and Real Madrid usually only meet in the Spanish youth championships as the age levels both first have regional competitions to then qualify for the finals. But the introduction of the Liga U - Spain’s new U22 league - meant the two teams would meet four times per season.

Barcelona were playing with their U18 team while Real had a couple of older players - the biggest name being Izan Almansa. Still Barcelona won the first three games: October 31 81-73 at home; November 28 93-68 in Madrid; and January 23 76-70 in Madrid. Real finally broke through on March 22 with a 76-72 win in Barcelona.

May 17, 2026 - Burgos, Spain

About two weeks after Real had beaten Barcelona in the Spanish U18 final, the two sides were facing off again in the U22 championship game in Burgos. It was the sixth matchup of these two sets of players this season.

Real pulled away in the first half and led 48-29 in the second quarter. The gap was 49-36 at halftiume. Madrid were still aheyd 57-40 in the third quarter when Barcelona charged back and trailed just 66-60 after 30 minutes.

Barcelona four times managed to cut the gap to two poitns - the last one being 84-82 on Mohamed Keita’s three-point play with 26 seconds to play. Egor Amosov could only split two free throws with 17 seconds to go.

After a timeout, Oriol Filba was unable to inbounds the ball and Barcelona were called for a 5-second violation to give the ball back to Real. And Hugo Alonso split two foul shots with 13 seconds left to secure the win.

Alonso was named Most Valuable Player as he had 16 points in the final while Fabian Kayser and Ömer Kutluay both had 14 points and Gunars Grinvalds added 13 points and 12 rebounds. Mohamed Keita picked up 25 points and 7 rebounds in the loss while Jakob Siftar scored 16 points and Mohamed Dabone chipped in 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Real win two titles … Barcelona took big prize

Real Madrid definitely cannot complain about the season - they continued their dominance at the U16 level, won their first U18 crown since 2019 and grabbed the first-ever trophy at the U22 level.

But …

It was Barcelona who won the big prize - the NextGen EuroLeague title, ending their own long drought of 10 years on Europe’s biggest stage.

Now we wait until next season when we can add more storylines to the already rich history between these two powerhouses of international basketball.

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They discuss the exciting final game as well as look at both of the finalists Barcelona and Real. Hein and Hernandez also talk about the other teams in the Finals as well as the NextGen’s “regular season”; how the competition took steps forward this season; and what top stories you can already look forward to in 2026-27.

Click here is you want to follow Rafa and here to find more content from Dave.

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First off, high school level basketball in the United States is a bit complicated … well, whose kidding who, it’s really tough to figure out. Here is a little primer so basketball fans get a glimpse of some of the best youngsters in the NextGen EuroLeague Finals.

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High school basketball season

There are essentially two seasons for high school level basketball in the United States. One of them includes the teams from the actual high schools. But those teams are starting to lose more and more in meaning.

There are still the state’s scholastic leagues - let’s compare them to the domestic leagues in European countries. New York high schools playing against New York high schools or Colorado schools playing against others from Colorado and California the same etc etc etc.

But … and you had to expect a but coming here … some of the top high school programs are not even playing against other high schools. Instead, there are leagues where they compete entirely outside the US high school structure.

Nike EYBL Scholastic

The biggest one of them is the Nike EYBL Scholastic league which includes some of the major names some outside the United States will recognize: Monteverde Academy, Oak Hill Academy, CIA Bella Vista, AZ Compass Prep, Brewster Academy, La Lumiere School, Utah Prep among others.

These are more college prep schools than high schools as many might think of them.

Overtime Elite

The high school season also includes Overtime Elite - which NextGen EuroLeague fans will know from the last two seasons as OTE has fielded a select team at the Finals.

OTE is currently a nine-team league of players generally aged between 16 and 20. This league is based in Atlanta, Georgia, where three of the teams are also housed. But the other teams are spread throughout the United States and some of them are also high schools - such as Our Saviour Lutheran School in the Bronx, New York, playing as Jelly Fam.

Grind Session

Another winter circuit is The Grind Session, which includes high level programs like Prolific Prep, Southeastern Prep, DME Academy and Academy of Central Florida. Grind Session also has a connection with FIBA with their games being shown on FIBA’s YouTube channel and a Grind Session select team facing off against Rytas Vilnius in the FIBA Next Gen Hoops Invitational 2025.

Chipotle Nationals

The unofficial high school champion is annually crowned at the Chipotle Nationals - the name sponsor used to be Dick’s and also GEICO. This seaason’s tournament from April 1-4 included 10 teams with CIA Bella Vista Prep from Arizona winning the 17th edition of the competition. The field included nine of the top 10 from ESPN’s Next 25 Rankings. There is no exact qualification process to be included in this major event that is broadcast live in the US.

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Shoe circuit season - aka AAU

Then around mid-March or early April starts the shoe circuit season - more commonly known as AAU basketball. This is where we come back to the 3SSB and the NextGen EuroLeague Finals

If you thought the high school season was a bit crazy, consider that the 3SSB circuit is just one of five major grassroots competitions during this period of the year. And all five of them are based on shoe affliation - yep, that’s right, shoe affliation.

Adidas 3SSB (Three Stripes Select Basketball)

The 3SSB teams feature many of the top-ranked athletes who are under deals with Adidas and compete in nationally television events. The season includes three sesssions - April 24-26, May 15-17 and July 8-12 - and culminates with the Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina July 16-19.

Nike EYBL (Elite Youth Basketball League)

Nike’s EYBL is widely considered the top circuit in the country as it features much of the top-tier talent, national media coverage and one of the few events anyone outside of the USA has heard of: Peach Jam.

Similiar to 3SSB, the EYBL is three sessions - April 24-26, May 15-17 and May 22-25 - before the famous Peach Jam, which will take place July 14-19 in North Augusta, South Carolina.

It’s interesting to note that schedule because the FIBA U18 AmeriCup 2026 this summer takes place June 1-7 in Mexico and the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026 will be played June 27-July 5 - just enough time for EYBL players to prepare for the tournaments and then also get back to play Peach Jam.

Under Armour Association (UAA)

Ready for more? Well, we’re only getting started. The athletic apparel company Under Armour also got into the act and has the Under Armour Association. The UAA also has three sessions - April 17-19, May 17-19 and July 9-12 - before the UAA Finals in Louisville, Kentucky from July 17-19.

PUMA PRO16 Circuit

PUMA has recently joined with the PRO16 circuit and claims to be less political and a more accessible environment for teams and individuals looking to make some traction. There are only two sessions on May 15-17 and July 9-12 before the PUMA Finals in Florida July 23-26.

New Balance Basketball Circuit: P32

New Balance is slowly gaining ground with their P32 League, pushing stops in major media markets during the NCAA live periods - with a heavy emphasis on the South and Midwest. The 2026 schedule has four regional events in April and early May and then two “Live” sessions in May and July - those being during NCAA live periods - before the circuit finishes off with the P32 Finals in Memphis on July 16-17.

Developmental Leagues

Each of those circuits has what could be described as a development level for regional teams or players looking to develop. There is 3SSB GOLD for Adidas, EYCL (Elite Youth Circuit League) for Nike, UA Rise for Under Armour, NXTPRO for Puma and E32 for New Balance.

Independent Circuits - including MADE Hoops

Wait … we’re not done yet. There are still even more circuits out there during this time. There are independent circuits that are unaffiliated with major shoe brands and operate across various competitive levels. Among them are MADE Hoops, Hoop Group, NY2LA, Overtime Select and others.

MADE (Maximizing Athletics Development & Exposure) Hoops, which is one of the leading US grassroots organizations to standardise youth development for athletes aged U10 through U14, made headlines in mid-April. They announced a strategic partnership formed with FIBA to launch the MADE Hoops Global Games, the first-ever middle school basketball world championship. The inaugural tournament is scheduled for June 12-14, 2026 in Springfield, Massachusetts—the birthplace of basketball.

Is this everything you need to know, of course not. But it is a start. And at least you know a little bit more about what 3SSB is and what its place is in the US high school age basketball scene is.

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The roster includes some real superstar names who will make big waves in the future. The 3SSB team will be very young with just three players - K’Nard Callendar, Jalen Davis and Ahmed Nur - being born in 2008, the generation of the competition. Mason Grivna, Blaze Johnson and Josiah Rose are all born in 2010 and RJ Evans is 2011-born.

This is the third straight NextGen Finals with a team from the United States. The last two years the event included a select team of players from Overtime Elite. The players will not have played very long with each other as there was a 3SSB event this past weekend in Indiana. The players then traveled from there to Europe and will practice in Athens. All told they will have three practices and one shoot-around together.

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Here is a breakdown of all 11 players currently on the roster.

Nasir Anderson

Nasir Anderson entered the season as the number one ranked point guard in the 2027 USA high school class and top 10 overall in the class, arriving at Prolific Prep from Norcross, who made it to the Sweet 16 in the highest classification of high school basketball in Georgia. He helped Prolific win their fourth consecutive Grind Session title this season. The Florida-based school then played at the Chipotle Nationals and reached the Quarter-Finals where they lost to Monteverde Academy.

Anderson and Prolific made a trip to Europe last October to play in the Bridge of Hoops Invitational event in Bassano del Grappa, Italy. Anderson and Prolific won all three of their games in Italy, beating Zalgiris Kaunas; The Star Alliance - a collaboration between Orange1 Bassano and Stella Azzurra Rome; and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. Anderson was selected among the American Best-5 as he collected 16.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, a competition-best 7.0 assists and 2.7 steals.

Anderson broke out on the international scene this past summer in leading USA to the title at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2025 crown, winning the MVP crown as he averaged 12.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG 6.8 APG, including 12 points and 7 assists in the Final against Canada. Anderson set the U.S. all-time record for total assists in the competition (41).

Anderson has the nickname “Naz” in his social media but his family called him “Rudy” - referring to Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger from the American football movie “Rudy” from 1993.

Anderson last October signed with WME Basketball for NIL Representation. Former Atlanta Hawks superstar player and Atlanta area native Josh Smith was coaching Anderson and the Game Elite U16 team on the Adidas 3SSB circuit.

Anderson also already has been in contact with a number of NBA players to offer him advice including John Wall, Nate Robinson, Kyrie Irving, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. Anderson said one of the messages which resonated was being told it’s nice to be in the top 10 and everything but just keep your head down and don’t think about short term success and focus on the long game.

Anderson has many people calling him a lefty Anthony Edwards as a power guard with a downhill style and ability to bully his way to the rim with a big upper body to deal with contact while still having strong balance and body control. He still has to work on his shooting and decision-making but he has plenty of loud tools.

Here is an article David Hein wrote about Anderson for the NextGen EuroLeague website.

K’Nard Callendar

The NextGen EuroLeague Finals is just the latest honor for a player in Callendar who is seeing his stock skyrocket. The power forward was one of the biggest stars this past season for the Overtime Elite league. He was first named as the league’s Most Underrated Player and then was named to the All-OTE team for his performance with Fear of God Athletics.

Callendar, whose nickname is “The Manimal”, also was named as the Most Valuable Player of the FIBA Youth Elite Camp, which featured 28 of the top youth athletes from across the Americas and Africa. He also was named to the All-Star Five at the Basketball Without Borders camp in El Salvador and opened eyes at the BWB Global Camp in February.

All that came in just two seasons after he moved from the Virgin Islands in the summer of 2024 to enroll at Royal Palm Beach Community High School in Royal Palm Beach, Florida after becoming one of the top players on the Virgin Islands.

The islanders have dreams now there might be another NBA player to follow in the footsteps of Tim Duncan. Callendar’s father Kennard Callendar serves as the Director of Sports and Athletics in the Virgin Islands Department of Education. K’Nard would join OTE in November 2025 and then in February 2026 became the first Virgin Islander to compete in the BWB Global Camp.

In that camp, Callendar played together at the BWB Global Camp on a team with Felipe Quinones, Ignas Stombergas and Maksim Brnovic to win the camp’s championship - Quinones being an invited player on Panathinaikos Athens while Stombergas and Brnovic are two of Zalgiris’ top stars.

Jalen Davis

Davis comes to Athens after a great high school season in which he pushed his status in Washington basketball to near legendary level. The smooth all-around guard was named as the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Washington in 2026 after helping Bremerton to back-to-back state high school championships.

The first time - Davis’ sophomore season - was the school’s first state crown in over 50 years. In this season’s Semi-Finals, Davis scored a buzzer-beating layup in overtime to send the school to the final. He then in the final made two free throws in the waning seconds to secure the title.

Davis is a great scoring but can also pass and get other players involved while also possessing great leadership qualities. In an interview, he said “discipline” was the word that most defined him this season.

Davis, who played last summer for Isaiah Thomas’ Slow Grind Elite on the shoe circuit, has been invited to two USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team camps and was invited to the 2026 Men’s U18 National Team training camp ahead of the FIBA U18 AmeriCup 2026, which will serve as the qualifier for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2027.

Davis was playing for his father, Bremerton head coach Miah Davis, who played Division-I basketballball at Pacific - where he earned Big West Player of the Year and led the Tigers to the second round of the NCAA tournament as a senior in 2004 and enjoyed a lengthy professional career overseas. Miah Davis played in Poland, Germany, Cyprus, Greece (for Ilysiakos Athens) and Belgium.

RJ Evans

Evans is the son of 15-year NBA veteran Reggie Evans and is playing for Austin Rivers SE Elite U17 on the 3SSB circuit. Evans, who is three years younger as a 2011-born, has a great motor and is a real competitor. He is a long and springy athlete with freakish athleticism who also has a good handle that could eventually make him a shooting guard long term. Equipped with explosivenss, Evans is an instinctual defender who pressures, contains and disrupts.

During an interview with Pro Insight Evans gave some insightful quotes. He said one of his mottos is “never give up on a play, do your dirty work first”. The hashtag he uses is #thegrindisreal and he said he is very funny, adding: “You can’t be sad around me ‘cause I’m gonna make you laugh. …. even if you dont speak English, I’m still connected to you some how. I’m not gonna leave you out just because you can’t speak the language I speak.”

Evans, whose favorite player is Kevin Durants and wants to go to University of Texas because of that, has three sisters and one younger brother. One of his sisters plays basketball at Penn State and another plays volleyball at UNC Ashville.

Evans, who said his favorite film is “Home Alone”, attended the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamps in October 2025 and April 2026. He would be an option for this summer’s FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026 - despite being two years younger. Koa Peat is the only USA player to play at two FIBA U17 World Cups.

Mason Grivna

Grivna is a big man from Kentucky who will also be younger than the field as a 2010-born center. He is ranked as the No. 1 big man in the 2029 class and top-five overall in the nation.

He can run, protects the rim, is a force around the glass and even shows some touch uncommon for a freshman center. Some people are saying he gives them a Zach Edey vibe as a center who can run the floor, control the paint and has a smooth jumper facing the basket.

Grivna comes from an athletic family as his father played American football at Louisville during the same time his mother played baseketball there. And his sister is committed to play volleyball at South Carolina.

Grivna said he watches Hakeem Olajuwuon for his footwork and skill. He was invited to the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamps in April 2026 in hopes of playing at the FIBA U17 World Cup 2026 as a year younger.

Xavier Hall

One of the most physical players on the 3SSB team will be Hall, who goes by Zay Hall and his Instagram handle is “Sh0wtime_zay”. The big man hails from a small town near Fayetteville, North Carolina and left the area for high school in Davidson Day.

Hall has great physicality and size with major strength that he uses in the paint to dunk on anybody and also be a rim-protecting menace. He started playing basketball in 7th grade and considers himself an old school center.

In an interview he said: “I am a dominant force. I don’t try to expand my game and go out there and look crazy. I do what I gotta do.” He also calls himself a “great passer” while also warning offensive players that they will not be getting any layups or dunks with him in the paint. Hall calls his jumpshot his most underrated aspect, saying: “People don’t think I can shoot but I really can. I work on it a bunch, a whole bunch.”

Hall likes Derik Queen’s finesse and ability to get to his spots and about Bam Adebayo, who went to high school in North Carolina, Hall said: “I feel like I am as dominant as him.”

Hall said he is a big horror film fan and it should be a surprise if opponents feel scared with him around.

Jamal “Blaze” Johnson

Johnson, who goes by Blaze, is another 2010-born player who will be shining in Athens. The guard impressed as the youngest player on the Overtime Elite circuit at 15 years old with the City Repears.

The lefty guard has good positional size and length, has elite playmaking and can finish through contact with either hand, shoot from long range and has good bursts of speed getting downhill and can change speeds as well. Johneson averaged 12.8 points, 3.9 reboiunds and 2.3 assists in the OTE season.

Johnson’s heritage goes back to Cebu, Philippines, and he on March 30 helped Fil-Am Nation USA complete a three-peat at the NBTC National Finals in Manila and even took home the Most Outstanding Player trophy.

Johnson has a Philippines passport and would not be considered a naturalized player if he plays for Gilas Pilipinas. But there is a chance to represent United States after he participated in the USA Men’s Jr. National Team Minicamp in April 2026 at the NCAA FInal Four in Indianapolis. He would be fighting for a spot at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026.

His Instagram profile includes the hashtag #staytrue and he also often uses #quietstorm. His father played college football at Georgia Tech and then played in the NFL.

Cole Kelly

Kelly has a strong all-around game as he can hit from deep but is a wing who can rebound like a power forward and pass like a point guard. He averaged 19.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 steals for Neuqua in helping them to a program record 32 wins as well as the DVC and regional champions. He also became the fastest player in school history to 1,000 career points.

Kelly hails from Naperville, Illinois, in the western suburbs of Chicago where he grew up also playing baseball until seventh grade. He is a big boating and fishing. His father played college basketball at St. Francis in Division II in Peoria, Illinois. Kelly took part in the USA Basketball Junior National Team October 2024 minicamp but did not get invited for the April 2025 camp - something he said he uses as motivation to get invited to another camp.

Ahmed Nur

Nur is one of the next big things to come out of Minnesota - Minnetonka to be specific. The smooth, versatile and skilled scoring forward can play and produce inside and out as a confident perimeter shooter with soft touch, footwork, and creativity finishing around the rim.

Nur, who goes by “1baby_slim” on Instagram, is a top 40 player in the United States in his class. And unlike many other talents, Nur has said in an interview that he is a big book reader.

Jordan Page

Page will be coming to Athens having played internationally last summer in helping USA win the title at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2025. The guard averaged 12.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists last summer in Mexico and he is expected to be one of the top players for the Americans at the FIBA U17 World Cup 2026 in Istanbul.

The 2009-born Page comes from a basketball family with his father having played at Shaw University, a Division II school in Raleigh, and his mother grew up playing in South Carolina. The advice Jordan lives by from his father is: “Be a dog everywhere.” He said an interview that he became more committed to basketball ahead of the start of the 2025-26 seasaon.

Page, who has the nickname “Baby Harden” because of his skillset and lefty shooting, uses on Istagram the hashtag #agtg (All Glory To God) and he also posted: “turn my L’s into lessons, and turn my flaws into weapons”.

Josiah Rose

Rose comes to Athens as one of the top players in Texas basketball, being a lefty wing who uses his strength, skill and athleticism to attack the basket. He can absorb contact and has the body control to finish through defenders. The 2010-born Rose also has an outside shot, which combined with his other traits should leave no one surprised his favorite player is the left-handed NBA superstar James Harden.

Rose also enjoys watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander because he “gets to his spots and can knock down easy and contested shots”. Both of Rose’s parents played college basketball and Josiah said a hashtag that fits him most would be #hardworkpaysoff.

Rose participated in last month’s Men’s Junior National Team minicamp in Indianapolis at the NCAA Final Four, meaning he could be an option for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026 despite being a year younger than the competition.

Coaching staff

Tom Hankins

Hankins is the head coach with the Noblesville Boom (formerly the Fort Wayne Mad Ants) in the G-League - the affliate team of the Indiana Pacers. He has coached there since 2021 after having served as an assistant player development coach with the Pacers from 2019 to 2020.

Dogus Balbay

Balbay is a two-time EuroLeague champion with Anadolu Efes Istanbul and has served the last two seasons as the head coach of the Adidas Next Gen teams.

Bill Bayno

Bayno is serving as an assistant coach with APR of the Rwanda Basketball League. He used to be an assistant coach in the NBA with Portland, Minnesota, Toronto, Indiana and Detroit.

Julyan Stone

Stone played 70 games in the NBA over four seasons from 2011 to 2018 for Denver, Toronto and Charlotte. He played in Italy - playing 40 EuroCup games with Umana Reyer Venice from 2019 to 2022, Türkiye and Venezuela, where he last played in 2024.

Marcus Williams

Williams appeared in 215 NBA games from 2006 to 2010 with New Jersey, Golden State and Memphis as well as 75 games in the EuroLeague from 2012 to 2016 with Unicaja Malaga, Lokomotiv Kuban and Crvena Zvezda Belgrade., and 7 games in the EuroCup in 2016-17 with Buducnost Podgorica. Williams last played in 2019 in the G-League.

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Marco Munno and David Hein review Bourg’s unlikely win in Game 1 in Istanbul and then finishing off the Turkish team at home. Bourg become the third French club to win the EuroCup - the other two coming in 2021 with AS Monaco hoisting the crown and Paris Basketball knocking off Bourg in the 2024 Finals.

This is the final episode of the season but if you have any questions or comments, please message us at heinnews@gmx.de or contact us on Twitter/X at heinnews or Marco Munno.

Marco Munno and David Hein review Besiktas sweeping Istanbul rivals Bahcesehir College Istanbul as well as Bourg needing three games to fight past Turk Telekom Ankara.

Marco and Dave also go in depth into the best-of-three Finals, which will be played on April 22, April 28 and May 1. And they both pick their winners - and give the reasons.

If you have any questions or comments, please message us at heinnews@gmx.de or contact us on Twitter/X at heinnews or Marco Munno.

The event is a great preparation for countries for the FIBA U18 continental championships later in the summer. The AST is also a chance for some countries to prepare players or teams for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup as well.

Here is a look at the 12 men’s teams.

BAHRAIN

Bahrain will be playing at their first AST and they have not played at the FIBA U18 Asia Cup since 2018. The country has participated in the last three FIBA U16 AsiaCups. The team is a mix of 2008 and 2009 born players.

The top player will probably be Hassan Abdulkadir, who averaged 22.3 ppg 15.7 rpg at the U16 AsiaCup last summer. The other big name will be Somto Onoduenyi, who was just impressive with 22.3 ppg 14.8 rpg. Another name to note is Mohammed Abdullah while Hussain Ghuloom is one name missing.

The Bahrain head coach is Georgios Vovoras, who is serving as the country’s senior national team head coach as well. The Greek playcaller was an assistant coach at Panathinaikos Athens for eight years under Argyris Pedoulakis, Xavi Pascual, Rick Pitino, Oded Kattash and Dejan Radonjic.

BRAZIL

Brazil are playing in Mannheim for just the second time - following 2010. The 2008-born generation took first place at the FIBA U17 South American Championship 2025 and will be looking to get the country back to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup for 2027 after missing out on the competition last summer.

Pedro Souza was the U17 MVP and will be one of the leaders of the team in Mannheim after he just played at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Bologna with Spanish side Baskonia - alongside with Thierry Henry Alves de Sousa Silva. Pietro Melo was also on the U17 South American All-Tournament Team and he will be on the team. Two other big names to watch will be Mathias Vazquez, who used to be based in Spain but played this season at Overtime Elite in the USA; and Isaiah Santos, who averaged nearly a double-double last summer.

CHINA

China will come to Germany with a team preparing for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026 - and not the FIBA U18 AsiaCup 2026 - as the team will be solely 2009 and 2010 born.

The two clear leaders of the team will be Zhang Yizhaojie and Zhang Ziyi - both who are 2010-born and were named to the All-Tournament Team of the FIBA U16 AsiaCup 2025, where China took second place. Zhang Chunzhi is another player to watch for the Asians - a 2009-born forward who has already played in the Chinese CBA with Fujian SBS.

GERMANY

Germany are aiming for their third AST title following 2016 and 2018. The hosts certainly will have some intriguing names. Jamie Edoka from Frankfurt should be one of the leaders along with Berlin’s Anton Kemmer, Caspar Vossenburg from Bayern and Würzburg’s Paul Plato.

There is also the big man trio of Felix Kiehlneker (Ulm), Lukas Klein (Berlin) and Kilian Dück (Bayern). The German-American guard Lucai Anderson - the younger brother of Christian Anderson - shined in the last game of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Belgrade with the select team.

ITALY

Italy have not reached the FIBA U19 World Cup since 2017. Some of the top players in Mannheim will be Livio Berlingeri, who just starred at the NextGen EuroLeague in Bologna; Thomas Acunzo, who played at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket last summer; and Federico Bottelli of Tortona.

There is also Werther Bellinaso and Edoardo Di Meo, the latter, who has already made his Serie A debut with Tortona.

JAPAN

Japan have a team predominantly designed for the FIBA U18 AsiaCup this summer though there are four 2009-born players who will be at the FIBA U17 World Cup this summer. Chuson Jack Shiratani is one of the biggest prospects in Japan as he will be playing his second AST and is still a year younger as a 2009-born player. He also has played at two FIBA U16 AsiaCups.

Goodluck Chinedu Ihetu, Tetta Sakurai and Eishin Konnoi are the other 2009-borns on the preliminary roster. The other big name on this squad will be Kenichiro Benedict, who will also be playing at his second AST and played at the FIBA U18 AsiaCup 2024, meaning he will be a leader of this summer’s U18 team.

LATVIA

Latvia will be coming to Germany looking to lay the foundation for a team that finishes in the top five of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2026 to qualify for the FIBA U19 World Cup 2027 after last playing in 2021 as hosts. This Latvia team will be loaded with talent playing abroad. Ricards Aizpurs is an elite scorer with Stella Azzurra while Gunars Grinvalds plays with Real Madrid and Bruno Jekabsons and Roberts Rotcenkovs are also in Spain.

Gustavs Brutans plays with Ulm in Germany and Niklas Veselovs is Aizpurs’ teammate in Rome. The Latvian team also includes Zalgiris big man Emils Steckis and Ronijs Jeromanovs, who are 2009-born and were part of the team that finished sixth at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025 and just missed out on reaching the FIBA U17 World Cup for the first time.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand are playing for the first time since 2012. And this group of Junior Tall Blacks actually are historic as they beat Australia in the final of the FIBA U17 Oceania Cup 2025 - New Zealand’s first win over Australia in a youth FIBA Oceania competition since 2018 at the U15 Oceania Cup.

New Zealand will not have U17 MVP Hoani Ifopo-Togia but fellow All-Tournament Team member Cole Hopoi will be in Mannheim. Cooper Adams is another big name for the team along with Phil Wickham, Arana Robertson and Aubrey Chunga.

SERBIA

Serbia are back after finishing second two years ago. The Balkan side will be stacked with a team out to win the FIBA U18 EuroBasket this summer. Many of the big names have been on display this season at the NextGen EuroLeague.

Aleksej Nedeljkovic starred for Crvena Zvezda while Nikola Karalic and Vuk Danilovic both were leaders for Mega, Andrej Bjelic is a top player at Real Madrid and Andrija Susic is taking his next steps at Bayern Munich.

SLOVENIA

Slovenia come to Germany looking to prepare for another top five finish at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket to make it three straight appearances at the FIBA U19 World Cup. The top player from the country’s 2008 generation will not be in Mannheim as Stefan Joksimovic plays with Baskonia’s senior team.

But Lukas Nikola Bojovic showed at the NextGen EuroLeague with Partizan what he can do. There is also the Cedevita duo of Maks Ciperle and Nejc Roznik. The team also features 2009-born Lun Jarc, who will be one of the country’s stars at the FIBA U17 World Cup this summer. The team also has Oskar Kuzman and Igor Stjepanovic.

SWEDEN

Sweden will actually be playing at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket Division B this summer so this will be strong preparation for them. Some of the biggest names are Malcolm Price, who is playing in the USA; the Spain based Simon Massamba; and Milos Bajic - the latter two being 2009-born players.

Idriss Kamara, Noel Karlsson, Lukas Novakovic and Micheal Odinks will be playing in his second U18 tournament this summer after Sweden finished last in Division A in 2025.

TÜRKIYE

The team will be preparation for the FIBA U17 World Cup as Türkiye is sending a roster of only 2009-born players. The main star from the generation will be missing in Ömer Kutluay from Real Madrid.

The team will be highlighted by Darius Karatasu and Demir Öztürk from Anadolu Efes as well as Beşir Briant from Karsiyaka - all three of them playing at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Belgrade in last March. Three interesting names who are USA-based are Kaan Belgutay at IMG Academy, Ömer Alp Elitaş and Sarp Arda Kaya.

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Marco Munno and David Hein go in depth into the two best-of-three series, which will be played on March 31, April 3 and April 8. And they both pick their winners - and give the reasons.

If you have any questions or comments, please message us at heinnews@gmx.de or contact us on Twitter/X at heinnews or Marco Munno.

Marco Munno and David Hein go in depth into Bachesehir’s tough win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca; Bourg battling past Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana; Besiktas surviving a valiant effort from Dolomiti Energia Trento; and Turk Telekom surprising Group A winner Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem.

They did not preview the two Semifinals showdowns - Besiktas vs Bahcesehir and Bourg vs Turk Telekom - as that will be the topic of the show next week on March 26. The third scheduled dates for the best-of-three Semifinals games are March 31, April 3 and April 8.

If you have any questions or comments, please message us at heinnews@gmx.de or contact us on Twitter/X at heinnews or Marco Munno.

The eight-team field also includes Anadolu Efes Istanbul from Türkiye, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Tel Aviv from Israel, the Serbian side Partizan Belgrade and the Next Gen Team Belgrade.

Eight teams will fight it out at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall with the first place finisher gaining a spot at the Adidas NextGen Finals at the EuroLeague Final Four in Athens in May. The winner will join Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and FC Barcelona in Greece after the Slovenian and Spanish clubs claimed the crowns at the NextGen Ulm and NextGen Bologna tournaments, respectively.

The two groups are broken down as followed: Group A: Efes, Maccabi, NGB and Zvezda; Group B: FMP, Hapoel, INSEP and Partizan .

The two group winners will face off in Sunday’s first place game while the second placed finishers in the group will square off for third place and places 5-8 will also be played out.

Here is a breakdown of the rosters from the four teams in Group B

FMP Belgrade

FMP returns to the competition for the first time since the 2010-11 season and eighth time in total. The Belgrade side was a NextGen powerhouse for a time as it reached the NextGen Championship Game in four straight seasons from 2007 to 2010 and won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009. The Serbian club Dynamic Belgrade merged with FMP in the summer of 2025.

Lazar Miličić - 2009 - SRB

Miličić will be playing in his first NextGen competition. He is averaging 9.8 ppg 2.8 rpg 1.9 apg 1.3 spg in the Serbian U19 league as well as 1.5 ppg in four games in the Serbian top flight. And he is totalling 14.5 ppg 4.9 rpg 3.8 apg 1.9 spg in the U17 league.

Miličić helped Serbia win the title at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025 with 6.1 ppg 2.3 rpg 1.0 apg. The Novi Sad native is the son for former Serbian national team player and No. 2 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft Darko Miličić. Lazar used to play with CB Las Rozas (CBLR) in Spain.

He was with the Serbian U15 national team in the summer of 2024 and was a guest player for Real Madrid in the 2023 U14 Future Stars Zuera tournament. Lazar’s sister Lara Miličić plays tennis.

His Instagram profile reads: “С вером у Бог” - “With faith in God”. He took part in the Jr NBA in July 2023.

In an interview after the cadet European championship Darko said of his son: “He’s a guy and he’s already surpassed me in every way. I hope he continues to improve - both spiritually, humanly and basketball-wise.”

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