By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
LAUSANNE (Switzerland) – Two years ago, Team USA’s hope of getting another shot at the gold medal in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup was shattered as they finished in 4th place.
Coming to Lausanne in 2025 with a stacked roster full of an extreme level of talent, they regained that 1st position, getting on top of the youth basketball world and continuing the legacy started last year at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup.
The cherry on top of the cake was put in the final against Germany, winning 109-76, especially thanks to a huge 28-10 run in the third quarter.
Tommy Lloyd’s national team fully dominated their opponents without a single player getting the vast majority of credit. In fact, six players on Team USA finished in double-digits.
Koa Peat (12 points and 9 rebounds), AJ Dybantsa (11 points and 6 rebounds), Mikel Brown Jr. (12 points and 4 assists), Jordan Smith Jr. (10 points), Tyran Stokes (10 points and 7 rebounds), and Morez Johnson Jr. (15 points and 10 rebounds) all gave their contribution to the winning cause.
For Germany, instead, Christian Anderson (18 points, 4 rebounds, and 9 assists) didn’t follow up on his hot start. Jack Kayil (13 points and 5 assists), Hannes Steinbach (20 points and 7 rebounds), and Eric Reibe (16 points) tried their best, but it wasn’t enough.
Third place
Before the Championship Game, Slovenia and New Zealand put on a show in the third-place game, with the Europeans surviving and bringing home the bronze medal by winning 91-87.
The Slovenian trio composed of Vit Hrabar (20 points), Urban Kroflic (19 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists), and Zak Smrekar (20 points and 5 rebounds) was fundamental. For the Tall Blacks, Hayden Jones and Tama Isaac combined for 41 points in the loss.
Previously in the day, Canada and Israel respectively beat Australia and Switzerland, completing the picture of classified teams from 5th to 8th position. Serbia also beat France in the 9th-10th clash.
Quarter-Finals
Slovenia – Israel 79-55
Germany – Australia 80-67
Canada – USA 102-108
New Zealand – Switzerland 84-70
Semi-Finals
Slovenia – Germany 72-84
USA – New Zealand 120-61
Finals
3rd place: Slovenia – New Zealand 91-87
1st place: Germany – USA 109-76
Final Standings
- USA
- Germany
- Slovenia
- New Zealand
- Canada
- Australia
- Israel
- Switzerland
- Serbia
- France
- Mali
- Argentina
- China
- Cameroon
- Dominican Republic
- Jordan
PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA