FIBA U17 World championships

[Balatro Diabolus Ex]

After the first 2 days of competition, Team USA is 2-0 at the FIBA U-17 world championships, and remains the favorite to win the tournament, after defeating Greece 83-73, and Angola 99-56. Terrance Ferguson, a 6’5” shooting guard from Dallas, who has SMU on his list of possible schools, scored 4 points and grabbed 2 rebounds against Greece, and followed that with 13 points and 1 assist against Angola. Ferguson does not start, but he’s averaging 20 minutes played per game, off the bench, which is the most minutes amongst the non-starters. His 13 points against Angola was the 2nd highest on the team for that game, as several bench players saw significant minutes in the blowout win. Ferguson is considered the #10 player in the class of 2016, and has a long list of offers, including SMU.

The leading scorer for Team USA through the first 2 games has been Diamond Stone, a 6’10 power forward from Wisconsin, and the #4 ranked player in the class of 2015. This is potentially significant for us, because he currently lists UConn as his top choice.

Team Australia is also 2-0, defeating Japan and France, and SMU has shown an interest in 2 Aussie big men. Isaac Humphries, a 6’11 center, is averaging 12.5 points, 10 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 4.5 blocked shots, after the first 2 games. Recruiting services consider Humphries to be a high major candidate, with a long list of schools interested in him, most notably UCLA and Syracuse.

Against Japan, Harrison Froling played just 5 minutes, and finished with 3 rebounds. He bounced back with a stronger game in the win over france, scoring 13 points and adding 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Froling does not start, but he has been the first player off the bench in both games, and played 20 minutes against France. Froling is listed as either 6'9 or 6'10, and is said to still be growing, he plays mostly power forward but has played the small forward spot before, and has a steady shot from outside the 3-point arc. Several small schools have expressed interest in Froling, the most prominent being Gonzaga, SMU, and UNLV, with UNLV offering. Humphries and Froling would both be in the class of 2016.

The leading scorer for Australia has been guard Dejan Vasiljevic, averaging 19.5 ppg. Dejan has expressed a desire to play college ball in the US, but so far his recruitment has been slow, with only Lehigh showing interest. His recruitment could pick up this fall, if he continues to shine on the international stage.

The tournament is being played in Dubai, which is 9 hours ahead of US Central Time, so games start at 4:30 AM our time. ESPN has shown the US games on tape delay, on ESPNU, and if you have the WatchESPN app, the games should still be available in the archives.

Terrance Ferguson attended Prime Prep this past year, and I don’t know where he will enroll next year. He lives in Flower Mound, but he could go to a prep school.

One of the top womens recruits in the country also lives in Flower Mound. Lauren Cox has already lead Team USA to the womens U17 World Championship, earlier this summer. Cox had 20 points in the Gold medal game against Spain and was named to the all-tournament team along with Katie Samuelson (committed to Uconn, #1 player in 2015 class) and Joyner Holmes of Cedar Hill Tx. Cox is considered the #1 recruit in the class of 2016, and Joyner is ranked #4 in 2016. Lauren Cox is the daughter of former SMU player Brenda Bruggeman-Cox, and has been attending our games since she was a little girl. I am told she has also scheduled her first official visit with SMU, which I find somewhat encouraging, that an elite player already familiar with us would use their first official visit to come to our campus, so SMU appears to be in the running.

No games scheduled for the mens tournament today, games will resume tomorrow with USA vs. the Phillipines, and Australia vs. Canada. The philipines are 0-2 and losing by an average of 15 points a game. Theirs is not the worst performance of the tournament though. United Arab Emirates is nominally the host team (Dubai), and they have lost to Italy and Spain by more than 100 points, per game.

[PoconoPony]

Good post. Thanks.

[JoeKidd]

Great information on the FIBA U17, honestly don't follow women's bball that closely, but seems to me if they work hard they could land Lauren Cox, I would like to see women's bball on the rise as well.

[Balatro Diabolus Ex]

On the last day of the group stage, Team USA defeated the phillipines 124-64, and that isn’t a misprint. Terrance Ferguson had 15 points, all from 3-point range as he went 5/9 from outside the arc. He had no assists, or rebounds, a trend which has become a bit head scratching. For the tournament he has just 1 assist, and 3 rebounds, in total, and this is the second time he’s put up a donut in either category. How, when you’re playing against a team that doesn’t start anyone over 6’3”, and your team wins the rebounding margin 66-26, how do you not grab at least 1 board in 20 minutes of court time? When your team scores 50 field goals, how do you not have a single assist? Even the post players all got at least 1 assist. Ferguson has shot the ball well, 11/19 (58%) from outside the arc, but it looks like he’s not putting much effort into the other aspects of the game.

Isaac Humphries set a new tournament record with 41 points and also hauled in 19 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as the rest pf the Australian team went ice cold from the floor, and the Aussies lost to Canada. 85-74. Humphries was 16/23 from the floor, and his teammates were a combined 13/51. The Aussies couldn’t even make free throws, Humphries was 9/11, and the rest of the team was 6/12. Humphries also blocked 5 shots, to remain the tournament leader in that category.

It should be mentioned that Australian 7-footer Thon Maker is not playing in this tournament, even though he fits the age group. Maker is considered on of the top 3 prospects in 2016, and has an impressive list of offers that includes SMU, but also teams like Duke, Arizona, Kansas and Kentucky. Maker plays for a prep school in the US, and he opted not to play for his national team, and instead stayed in the US to play in a couple of tournaments sponsored by Adidas. Maker is also considering a school change so that he can reclassify as a senior next year, and matriculate in 2015.

The round of 16 begins tomorrow, and the US and Australia will trade opponents, as Team USA will play Japan, and the Aussies will take on Greece.

[Balatro Diabolus Ex]

I should have mentioned that Josh Jackson lead the US in points, rebounds and assists, with 16, 12, and 5. Jackson is a 2016 prospect that some services rank as high as #1, but does not have SMU on his list (Auburn, Kansas, Michigan State are the leaders). Jackson grew up in Detroit, but next year he will attend a prep school in California.

Malik Newman also had 16 points, and Diamond Stone also pulled in 12 rebounds.

[Balatro Diabolus Ex]

US defeated Japan 122-36 early this morning, Ferguson had 12 points and 1 rebound. Australia leads Greece at the half, 37-36. Terrance Ferguson and Harry Froling each got their first start of the tournament in todays games, Froling has 4 points and 4 boards in the first half. Isaac Humphries leads the Aussies with 11 points and 7 boards, at the half.

[Balatro Diabolus Ex]

The Greece -Australia game had an exciting finish, as the Aussies pulled away in the 3rd quarter, but had to withstand a barrage of 3 point shots from Greece to hold on and win, 84-76. The key matchup was the Australian big men against 7”1” Giorgios Papagiannis of Greece. Papagiannis attended a prep school in Pennsylvania last year, and ESPN had him ranked as the #25 prospect in 2015. His offer list included Kansas, Maryland, Pitt, Rutgers, and Temple. However, he has since signed a contract with a Greek professional team, and does not intend to return to high school, or play in college. The Australian frontcourt dominated the backboards, outrebounding the taller Greek team, 51-29. Isaac Humphries again led the way, with 20 points and 16 boards, and Harrison Froling chipped in 7 points and 8 boards. The highly touted Papagiannis was held to 12 points and only 4 rebounds.

Games will resume on Thursday, with the US playing China, and Australia facing Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has been the surprise of the tournament so far, after upsetting Spain in their first game the Puerto Rican club has been on a roll, and remains undefeated. Several of their players attend school in the US, including their leading scorer Arnaldo Toro (St. Benedicts NJ), and point guard Ivan Ganda (Huntington Prep). Toro has averaged 16 points and 14 rebounds in the tournament, and one recruiting service rates him the #32 player in 2016, The winners from thursdays games will advance to the medal rounds.

[Balatro Diabolus Ex]

(I copied the following post from a FIBA press release, I didnt write it myself, I just edited it to focus on the teams with players SMU is interested in, and leave out the part relating to consolation brackets and so on. It has some good things to say about Isaac Humphries, who is an an SMU target, and may earn MVP honors for the tournament.)

Day 2, Group phase.

DUBAI (FIBA U17 World Championship) - China will be looking to hand the United States their first-ever loss in tournament history as they tackle the two-time reigning undefeated champions in Thursday's first Quarter-Final of the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Sports Complex.

That will be followed by an intriguing Americas-European battle between Canada and Serbia, while Australia face Puerto Rico with their sights set on moving just one step away from returning to the Final and traditional European powers France and Spain clash to finish the night.

China have finished seventh in the first two editions of the FIBA U17 World Championship and will have to beat the USA in the Last Eight in order to improve that mark. But that will be a tall order for the Asians, who beat Italy to get this far.

China rely heavily on the trio of Zhao Yinhao, Hu Jianqiu and Fu Hao, who have produced 75 percent of the country's points in the tournament. The Americans' length and depth will be tough for China to match and someone other than the big three will have to step up for China.

The USA really have a dozen different weapons who can beat opposing teams, with seven players scoring in double figures for the number one offense in the competition, topped by Diamond Stone (14.0 points per game) and Malik Newman (13.0).

The winners of USA v China match-up will face off in the Semi-Finals against the victors between Canada and Serbia.

This one promises to be a fun match-up in the backcourt between Canada's Jamal Murray and Howard Washington Jr and the Serbians' Stefan Peno and Vojislav Stojanovic. Both teams are without an important big man who had to leave the team just before coming to Dubai, meaning the Kalif Young-David Miladinovic battle in the point will play a key role in the game.

The low post will definitely be a focus of the third Quarter-Final between Australia and Puerto Rico. Australian center Isaac Humphries is playing his way into being an MVP candidate as he's third in the competition in scoring (21.5 points per game), third in rebounds (13.8 rebounds) and second in block shots (3.8 blocks), while shooting 55 percent from the field and 77 percent from the free-throw line and also dishing out 2.0 assists per game - the most for a center in the Championship.

Puerto Rico's big man Arnaldo Toro has been fantastic with 16.0 points, 14.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals per contest. But the at 2.05, he is giving away five centimetres to Humphries, who has collected 61 points, 35 rebounds, six blocks and three assists while shooting 65 percent from the field in the last two games against Canada and Greece.

Puerto Rico for their part will need Ivan Gandia and Leandro Allende to produce offensively and keep Australia's Dejan Vasiljevic from heating back up - having scored 41 points in the first two contests but just 17 points on 6 of 26 shots in the last two.

The winners of the Australia-Puerto Rico match-uo will take on a European team in the Last Four as France hook horns with Spain in the last Quarter-Final.

[Balatro Diabolus Ex]

The Gold Medal game at this years U-17 World Championships will be a rematch of the last U17 title match, with defending champion USA a heavy favorite over 2012 silver medalist, Australia.

The United states struggled early against Serbia in the semifinals, actually trailing for the first time in the tournament, and having to fight their way to a 3 point lead at the half. In the second half, The US's depth was too much for the Serbs, and the Americans slowly and steadily pulled away to win 89-68. Malik Newman lead the US with 15 points, while Diamond Stone had 14 points and 10 boards, Stone is still the US leader in both categories. Terrance Ferguson was again in the starting lineup for the US, he had 7 points, but also added 4 assists, his best assist game of the tournament.

After easily defeating Puerto Rico in the quarter finals, 76-52, Australia had to make the biggest comeback in tournament history to get past Spain and reach the final game. Early in the second quarter, the Aussies were down 40-18 to the spaniards, and it looked like they would be run out of the gym. Dejan Vasiljevic, who has been a top scorer for Australia in the first 6 games, went 0-6 from 3 point range, to start the game, and almost shot his team out of the game before halftime. Harrison Froling then sparked the Australian comeback by making a one man 10 point run over just a 4 minute span, to close the gap from 22 points down too 11. In the last minute of the half, Froling pulled up twice at the top of the key and drained long 3-point shots that gave his team new life. In the second half the rest of the Aussies recovered their shooting touch and steadily fought their way back into the game. Vasiljevic finished with 14 points and Isaac Humphries had his usual game, 22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals and 2 assists. Froling finished with 12 points. Aussie guard Tom Wilson made two steals in the final 30 seconds of regulation, and converted them into layups, to send the game into overtime. In overtime the Aussies continued their momentum, and won 80-74.

The US will play Australia in the Gold Medal match tomorrow at Noon Dallas time, and Serbia will play Spain for the Bronze. The US remains a prohibitive favorite.

[Balatro Diabolus Ex]

USA defeated Australia 99-92 to win its 3rd consecutive FIBA U-17 championship. The Aussies lead for much of the first quarter, but the superior depth of the US team helped them close the gap and gradually pull away. Malik Newman had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead the US, and was also named MVP for the tournament, He was joined on the All-tournament team by teammate Diamond Stone, Australians Dejan Vasiljevic and Isaac Humphries, and Serbian team captain Nikola Rakicevic. Vasiljevic lead all scorers in the title game with 29. Isaac Humphries was held in check by a strong US frontcourt, and early foul trouble, he finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds. Aussies guard Tom Wilson had another strong game with 23 points and 6 boards, and Harrison Froling added 13 points. While Humphries was saddled with foul trouble, the Aussies kept the game close with a strong showing outside the arc, where Vasiljevic, Wilson, and Froling were 10/21.

Terrance Ferguson again started the game for the US, but was held to 1 point,1 rebound, and 1 assist.

Serbia defeated Spain 62-59, to take the Bronze.

[LA_Mustang]

Good stuff. Thanks for the updates.

[ponyboy]

Yes, thank you Jon.

[Balatro Diabolus Ex]

Thanks, and you’re welcome, I had fun, it was an interesting tournament, moreso because there were actually players involved who were considering SMU. Here ae some links to press releases from FIBA that covered the final game and all-tournament team:

http://www.fiba.com/world/u17/2014/news ... to-learn-f

http://www.fiba.com/world/u17/2014/news ... f-FIBA-U17

http://www.fiba.com/world/u17/2014/news ... ament-Team

http://www.fiba.com/world/u17/2014/news ... three-peat

One last bit of news, Isaac Humphries has enrolled at a US prep school, La Lumiere in La Porte Indiana, so he should be ranked in Rivals soon, etc. ESPN shows him with an offer from Arizona. La Lumiere was ranked 4th by USA Today, last year, and has almost their entire team back, plus Humphries, and 3 other top-100 caliber transfers, so we will probably see them play a few times on ESPN this winter.