USA Basketball Announces 2016 Men’s U18 National Team

After three training sessions featuring 16 finalists, the 12-member 2016 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team was announced on Tuesday.

USA Basketball Announces 2016 Men’s U18 National Team

The team will remain in Houston through Friday to continue preparing for the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championships, which will be held July 19-23 in Valdivia, Chile. The top four finishing teams will earn a qualifying berth in the 2017 FIBA U19 World Championship. All the games will be streamed live online at YouTube.com/FIBA.

Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens who are 18 years old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1998).

The squad includes three athletes with prior USA Basketball experience and four who will play for some of the nation’s top universities in the fall. The 12 players named were: Jarrett Allen(St. Stephen’s Episcopal School/Round Rock, Texas); Mohamed Bamba (Westtown School/New York, N.Y.);James Banks (La Lumiere School, Ind./Decatur, Ga.); Matt Coleman  (Oak Hill Academy/Norfolk, Va.);Hamidou Diallo (Putnam Science Academy/Corona, N.Y.); Markelle Fultz (DeMatha Catholic H.S./Upper Marlboro, Md.); Quade Green (Newmann-Goretti H.S./Philadelphia, Pa.); Kevin Huerter (Shenendehowa Central H.S./Clifton Park, N.Y.); Michael Porter Jr. (Father Tolton Catholic H.S./Columbia, Mo.); M.J. Walker (Jonesboro H.S./College Park, Ga.); Paul ‘P.J.’ Washington (Findlay Prep, Nev./Frisco, Texas); andTrae Young (Norman North H.S./Norman, Okla.).

“I’m really excited about the make-up of our team,” said USA U18 and University of Texas head coach Shaka Smart. “First of all, we have 12 high character guys, they are guys who really seem to get along well with each other, and that’s important on any team. And then we have some very talented kids at a variety of spots. We have size, we have length. Our point guard play is going to be very important on this team. Those guys are going to have to set the tone in terms of leadership, in terms of getting us into offense and defense the way we want to get into it. I’m excited about the guys we have.”

“We want to play fast; we want to play exciting basketball,” added Smart about the style of play he expects from the USA team. “On the defensive end we want to really pressure people. I think we have the advantage with length and athleticism. We have some real size at the rim.”

Allen, Fultz and Washington make up the trio of former USA Basketball team members. Allen and Fultz helped lead the 2016 USA Junior National Select Team to a 101-67 victory over the World Select Team in April. Washington gained international experience as a member of the 2015 USA 3×3 U18 World Championship Team that finished with a 4-3 record and in eighth place in Debrecen, Hungary.

Allen and Banks will play for Smart next year at Texas, Fultz has signed with the University of Washington and Huerter is going to the University of Maryland.

Smart will be assisted by University of Connecticut Huskies head coach Kevin Ollie and Maryland Terrapins head coach Mark Turgeon. 

The USA team, playing in Group B, will open the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 preliminary play on July 19 against Puerto Rico, followed by a July 20 match against host Chile and a July 21 clash versus the U.S. Virgin Islands.

After playing each of the three other teams in its preliminary round group, the top two finishing teams from each group will advance to the July 22 semifinals, while the bottom two teams from each group will play for fifth-eighth places. On July 23, the semifinal winners will meet in the gold medal game, and the semifinal losers will play in the bronze medal game.

USA men’s teams are 48-2 in the U18 / Junior World Championship Qualifiers and won gold in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2014, while capturing silver in 2008 and bronze in 2002.

Past USA U18 team members of note include: Carmelo Anthony (2002); Chris Bosh (2002); Nick Collison (1998); Jonny Flynn (2006); Grant Hill (1990); Allan Houston (1990); Andre Iguodala(2002); Kyrie Irving (2010); Stanley Johnson (2014); Stephon Marbury (1994); Austin Rivers (2010);Kyle Singler (2006); Marcus Smart (2012); Jarnell Stokes (2012); Rasheed Sulaimon (2012);Kemba Walker (2008); Deron Williams (2002); and Justise Winslow (2014).

CHICAGO, IL – MARCH 30: Jarret Allen #31 of the West team dunks against the East team during the 2016 McDonalds’s All American Game on March 30, 2016 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena