USA U17 Preview

The USA U17 tryouts kick-off June 10 in Colorado Springs in preparation for the U17 World Championship’s held June 23-July 3 in Zaragoza, Spain. 39 players from the 2017 and 2018 classes will be in attendance as they try to secure a spot on the 12-man roster.

History:

photo - USAB

The 2016 team will become the fourth team to represent the USA in the U17 World Championships with the event beginning in 2010. So far, the USA has won three gold medals while never losing a game. Head coach Don Showalter is 23-0 in U17 action winning games by an average margin of 37.7 points per game. The 2010 team defeated Poland in the gold medal game by 31 points and the 2012 team beat Australia by 33 points. Two years ago, the 2014 team matched up with Australia once again in the gold medal game and won by just seven points, which also happened to be the first time the USA did not win a game by double digits. Malik Newman took home the U17 MVP in 2014 following in the footsteps of Jahlil Okafor (2012) and Bradley Beal (2010).

Prior to the U17 World Championships, the USA U16 always competes in the FIBA America’s tournament the year before (2015 in this case). Last year, the USA team breezed through pool play and the playoffs leading up to the gold medal game with Canada. While the US team won by 17, they overcame a 20-point second quarter deficit as ESPN’s No. 1 rising sophomore, RJ Barrett was displaying his ability. Gary Trent Jr. and Jarred Vanderbilt led the way with 19 points in that game, with Trent Jr. winning MVP honors.

While the majority of the roster will stay in-tact, despite the 39 players in tryouts, there is always some upheaval from the U16 to U17 level. The 2010 team returned 67% of the players from the U16 team while the 2012 team returned 58%, and the 2014 team returned 75% of the players.

2015 U16 Roster:

Gary Trent, 2017, SG/SF, 16.8 ppg

Markus Howard, 2016, G, 15.0 ppg

Wendell Carter, 2017, C, 13.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg

Kevin Knox, 2017, SF, 10.6 ppg

Jarred Vanderbilt, 2017, F, 9.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg

Jordan Brown, 2018, PF, 9.4 ppg

Jalen Hill, PF, 2017, 8.6 ppg

Javonte Smart, 2018, G, 6.8 ppg

Robert Woodard, 2018, SF, 5.6 ppg

Tre Jones, 2018, PG, 4.6 ppg

Jaylen Nowell, 2017, G, 5.0 ppg

Connor Vanover, 2018, C, 3.8 ppg

Selection:

The first round of cuts will occur on Sunday, June 12. The USA coaches are trying to form the best team, which means that a handful of 5-star prospects will be cut for players that might not be as talented from an individual perspective. In 2014, players such as Dennis Smith and Malik Monk did not make it through first cuts.

Team USA Predictions:

The Locks from U16’s

Wendell Carter – Dominant big man that will be the inside force for the U17’s

Kevin Knox – Got his start last year at the U16 tryouts and now is a Top 10 player

Gary Trent – The U16 leading scorer

Markus Howard – Zone buster. Last USA experience before heading to Marquette

Jarred Vanderbilt – Pogo stick that will help with a variety of defensive sets

Highly Probable:

Jordan Brown – Came off the bench for the U16’s, top 10 in the 2018 class

Javonte Smart – Talented guard from the 2018 class, tough to stop off the dribble

Tre Jones – Continues the Jones’ USA connection

Newcomers:

Austin Wiley – Another big body to play behind Carter

Naz Reid – Cut from the U16 team, can he impress this time around?

Cameron Reddish – Smooth shooter from 2018 that was cut last year

Troy Brown – Makes his first USA appearance

2014 U17 Tryout Memories:

The tryouts occurred during the third live period in July and college coaches were allowed to watch the second day of practice. Almost all of the big time names were in attendance.

Chatting with Jim Calhoun during the first practice and listening to some wild recruiting stories

Harry Giles starting to look like the Harry Giles of old on Day 2. Pull up jumpers and one-hand dunks as his confidence grew

Derryck Thornton putting together a perfect floor game in front of Coach K, Capel, and Scheyer. After that, the full-court press was turned on in Thornton’s recruitment.

Henry Ellenson was cut from the U16 team, but one year later he was one of the most impressive players in practice. Now, he is expected to be the top draft pick from the 2015 players that were in attendance.

Links:

2014

2012

2010

Inside Look: USA U16 Tryouts

Marvin Bagley - A lock for the U16 USA team

College is still a few years away for members of the 2017 and 2018 high school classes, but tonight marks the start of tryouts for the USA U16 basketball team. 33 of the top players from the rising sophomore and junior ranks were selected to participate in these tryouts with the goal of forming a 12 man team to compete in the FIBA America’s U16 championship held this June in Argentina. The tryouts take place at the USA Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs, CO under the watchful eye of USA head coach Don Showalter and his assistants. The coaching staff previously conducted the USA Men’s Developmental camp this past October which gave 27 of the current players a chance to show off their skill-set despite having spent no more than a year in high school. While this year’s team will compete against teams such as the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Brazil for the America’s gold medal, the primary objective is to win and qualify for the U17 World Championship that will take place next year.

History:

This year’s USA U16 team has big shoes to fill. Starting with the inaugural 2009 U16 team, the USA has won their FIBA America games by an average of 30 points per game. All three of the U16 teams have won gold medals in both the FIBA America’s and the World Championships. In 2009, the team was led by Bradley Beal and James Michael McAdoo as the USA took out Argentina 101-87 in the championship.

Name	Pos.	PPG	Year	Rank	U17?
Brad Beal	G	19.0	2011	7	Y
James McAdoo	F	16.8	2011	5	Y
Quinn Cook	G	15.6	2011	38	Y
Adonis Thomas	G/F	13.8	2011	10	N
Sterling Gibbs	G	9.2	2011	NR	N
André Drummond	C	8.6	2011	2	Y
Tony Parker	C	8.2	2012	20	Y
Johnny O'Bryant	F	6.8	2011	40	Y
Chasson Randle	G	6.2	2011	61	Y
Brandan Kearney	G	4.4	2011	NR	N
L.J. Rose	G	3.0	2012	62	N
Justin Anderson	G/F	1.4	2012	63	Y

Two years later, the talented 2011 U16 team was led by Aaron Gordon, Jabari Parker, and Jahlil Okafor. They also went 5-0 and defeated Argentina by 40 points in the gold medal game. The team also included players such as Stanley Johnson, Tyus Jones, and Justin Jackson.

Name	Pos.	PPG	Year	Rank	U17?
Aaron Gordon	C	17.0	2013	4	N
Jabari Parker	F	15.4	2013	3	Y
Jahlil Okafor	C	14.6	2014	1	Y
Theo Pinson	F	11.5	2014	19	N
Justin Jackson	G	10.4	2014	10	N
Kendrick Nunn	G	9.6	2013	52	Y
Conner Frankamp	G	8.6	2013	46	Y
Stanley Johnson	F	8.0	2014	3	Y
Larry Austin	G	7.2	2014	NR	N
Johnathan Williams	F/C	5.4	2013	34	Y
Tyus Jones	G	4.6	2014	9	Y
Dom Collier	G	3.2	2014	NR	N

The 2013 team dominated the competition just like their predecessors. While they won their games by an average of 53 points, including a 99 point win over Mexico, they also recorded the first under 100 point scoring effort in their second game against Argentina. Once again, the U.S. was matched-up with Argentina in the gold medal game which they won 94-48. This team, which included current juniors and seniors in high school and was led by Malik Newman, Diamond Stone, and Ivan Rabb. Other top players in the current 2016 class included Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum, and Harry Giles who suffered a gruesome leg injury in the second game of the tournament.

Name	Pos.	PPG	Year	Rank	U17?
Malik Newman	G	16.2	2015	10	Y
Diamond Stone	F/C	13.6	2015	6	Y
Ivan Rabb	F	12.0	2015	5	Y
Josh Jackson	G/F	11.4	2016	2	Y
Thomas Bryant	F	10.0	2015	28	N
Jayson Tatum	G	10.0	2016	3	Y
V.J. King	G/F	8.2	2016	12	Y
Harry Giles	F	7.0	2016	1	Y
Daniel Giddens	F/C	6.8	2015	53	N
Terrance Ferguson	G	5.8	2016	6	Y
Seventh Woods	G	5.8	2016	29	N
Devearl Ramsey	F	4.2	2016	55	Y

By The Numbers:

43 – Average margin of victory in the U16 FIBA America’s

99 – Largest point differential (2013 – USA 130 Mexico 30)

14 – Smallest point differential (2009 gold medal game against Argentina)

17 – Total number of rising sophomore’s that have been selected (2018 class this year)

19 – Total number of rising juniors (2017 class)

3 / 9 – Rising sophomores / juniors in 2009 (Justin Anderson, Tony Parker, L.J. Rose)

7 / 5 – Rising sophomores / juniors in 2011 (Okafor, Jones, Johnson, Jackson, Theo Pinson, Larry Austin, Dom Collier)

7 / 5 – Rising sophomores / juniors in 2013 (Giles, Tatum, Jackson, King, Terrance Ferguson, Seventh Woods, Devearl Ramsey)

67% - # of players in 2009 that made the U17 team in 2010

58% - # of players in 2011 that made the U17 team in 2012

75% - # of players in 2013 that made the U17 team in 2014

4 - # of Lottery Picks from 2009 and 2011 team (Beal, Andre Drummond, Gordon, Parker)

4 - # of potential 1^st round picks in 2015 (Okafor, Jones, Johnson, Justin Anderson)

19 – Highest points per game by a USA player (Bradley Beal – 2009)

Selection:

One key thing to remember when it comes to selecting the 12 man team is that the coaches are not necessarily selecting the best individual players, but the best players that will make a cohesive unit. Last year for example, point guard Dennis Smith and shooting guard Malik Monk were cut from the U17 team despite both being ranked as top 10 players. Meanwhile, a guy like Devearl Ramsey made the team. Not ranked nearly as high as Smith or Monk, but he brought other characteristics that made him valuable to the coaching staff.

Team USA Predictions:

The Locks:

Marvin Bagley III, 6’10”, PF, Corona del Sol (AZ), 2018

Troy Brown Jr., 6’5”, PG, Centennial (NV), 2017

EJ Montgomery Jr., 6’9”, F, Montverde (FL), 2018

Highly Probable:

Jarred Vanderbilt, 6’9”, PF, Victory Prep (TX), 2017

Wendell Carter Jr., 6’10”, C, Pace Academy (GA), 2017

Jaedon LeDee, 6’7”, SF, The Kinkaid School (TX), 2018

Ja’Vonte Smart, 6’3”, G, Scotlandville (LA)

Naz Reid, 6’8”, PF, Roselle Catholic (NJ), 2018

Good Fits:

Markus Howard, 6’1”, PG, Findlay Prep (NV), 2017

Marquis Brown, 6’1”, PG, Simeon (IL), 2018

Remaining:

Gary Trent Jr, 6’5”, SG, Apple Valley (MN), 2017

Connor Vanover, 7’3”, C, Arkansas Baptist H.S.