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

Nike Hoop Summit: Friday Rewind

The Nike Hoop Summit practices concluded on Friday as both the World and U.S. team made their final preparations for their match-up on Saturday afternoon. The U.S. team had both a morning and evening practice while the World team had a single practice in the afternoon.

World Team:

Skal - Ken Nowaczyk/USA Basketball

NBA scouts and General Managers were out in full force to watch the World team Saturday afternoon. The long and talented team wasted no time in picking up the energy in the practice as they started with full-court shooting drills to get warmed up. It only took a few jump shots from Kentucky bound Skal Labissiere to see his immense potential and to understand why he might finish as the No. 1 ranked player in his class. Standing around 7 feet, Labissiere moves well and stays square to the basket on his jumpers. He gets good elevation and has a high release point allowing his shots to fall softly through the net. After getting warmed up, the World team went right to scrimmaging.

To start the game, the team was divided up with Jamal Murray, Stefan Peno, Ben Simmons, Thon Maker, and Zhou Qi on one team and Federico Mussini, George de Paula, Nedim Buza, Skal Labissiere, and Cheick Diallo on another. 2016 Kentucky bound forward Tai Wynyard came off the bench.

Team 1:

Right away, small forward Ben Simmons made his presence known. Without a true point guard on the team, Simmons handled the ball a fair amount and initiated the fast break after grabbing his own defensive rebounds. He knocked in a NBA three-pointer from the right corner to kick things off and then scored on two strong drives to the basket. He had a quickness advantage on Nedim Buza and used just one or two dribbles to get Buza off balance before accelerating down the left lane and finishing short runners with both his left and right hand. Throughout the game, Simmons was blazing in transition and also converted a nice finger roll after a drive down the middle of the lane.

Along with Simmons, Canadian shooting guard Jamal Murray showed off his deep range hitting multiple three’s proving that the deeper three point line did not make a difference. 7 foot forward Thon Maker struggled throughout the scrimmages before throwing down a rim rattling one hand dunk towards the end. Maker prefers to play outside the paint; however on Friday his shot was not falling and he struggled driving to the basket. While Maker has range on his shot, his misses were all over the side of the rim rather than falling short or long. 7’2” center Zhou Qi from China made a return appearance after missing numerous practices due to an ankle injury suffered on the first day of practice. Qi showed his ability to get up and down the floor well for a player his size and held his own on the defensive boards. Given his lack of upper body strength and 209 pound frame, Qi was not banging around down low on the offensive end. Qi prefers to hover around the foul line area looking for short jump shots which he can knock down given his shooting touch.

Team 2:

I came to see Skal. Both the media and NBA personnel have fallen in love with the power forward from Haiti and while it was a quite performance from the future star you could see why basketball minds are enamored with him. Skal waited until the last stanza to score a basket and did so with a right handed hook shot in the lane and he followed that up with a left-handed tip dunk in the middle of the lane where his whole forearm was above the rim. One area where he could have been more aggressive was when he caught the ball at the free throw line against a zone defense. He had several opportunities to turn and shoot from 10-12 feet but instead he passed on those open looks.

6’1”, 154 pound Federico Mussini and the 6’6” George de Paula ran the team’s offense with their contrasting styles. Mussini is short and quick and can knock in three’s from deep and get by his man off the dribble. Once past his defender, Mussini’s physical deficiencies come into play and he is often driving looking for an open teammate to kick the ball to. On the other hand, de Paula is strong and athletic and will try to use his almost 7 foot wing span to dunk on a defender’s head (which he tried). De Paula was aggressive in the scrimmages, but sometimes to the detriment of his teammates who often became upset with his lack of passing. In the first two scrimmages, de Paula took several forced jump shots and shooting is definitely not his forte. When he is driving and attacking he is a tough cover but not when shooting long and contested jump shots.

6’8” wing Nedim Buza put together a thrilling shooting display during the scrimmages knocking down deep three’s whenever his feet were set and he had some space. Buza has good lift on his outside shot and his attempts were always straight on-line with the basket. While he proved to be a knock down shooter, it was also clear that creating his own shot was not his forte. Lacking foot speed, Buza needed high picks to free him of a defender before launching a jumper.

Throughout the scrimmages the world team looked crisp. They worked on attacking the full-court press and zone defenses that the U.S. will most likely throw at them on Saturday. The U.S. will put pressure on the guards and look to speed the game up. Look for Ben Simmons to have a huge role in helping the World team combat the aggressiveness of the U.S.

U.S. Team:

The United States had two practices on Friday. The morning session consisted primarily of shooting drills and other team competitions while the evening practice featured another scrimmage against former college players. This time around the scrimmage consisted of three, 10 minute quarters.

This time around, small forward Jaylen Brown was ready to participate and took over the starting small forward spot from Brandon Ingram. The starters were Jalen Brunson, Malik Newman, Brown, Ivan Rabb, and Stephen Zimmerman. Unlike Thursday where the U.S. basically went five in and five out, substitutions were made in a more liberal manner.

Brown did not waste any time getting started making a driving lay-up, a corner jump shot from the right side of the court, and another lay-up in traffic. Throughout the course of the scrimmage Brown played primarily small forward, but also saw some time at the power forward spot where he was banging around down low with the taller and stronger opponents. In the last stanza, Brown made another driving lay-up and finished a short floater from the left side of the basket after drawing contact.

Shooting guard Malik Newman had an up and done scrimmage despite a variety of shot attempts. He was best in the open court attacking the basket and converted a few jumpers throughout but also miss-fired on several long two’s. It wasn’t an efficient performance for Newman, but it was quite the performance for Luke Kennard. One of the first players off the bench, Kennard scored a quick three baskets with a follow-up off a missed shot, a two dribble jumper from the right corner, and a cutting lay-up off of a nice feed from Briscoe. After his quick burst, Kennard sat out the rest of the scrimmage opting for some rest before the real game on Saturday.

The U.S. team also received some strong bench play with Isaiah Briscoe, Allonzo Trier, and Brandon Ingram all making plays. Briscoe continued his attacking style and even added a three in from the left wing. Trier had his soft, high arcing shot working throughout and Ingram was able to pick his spots with a few mid-range jumpers and a put back after a miss from five feet out. As for the U.S. big men, Ivan Rabb was the most active hitting short shots with both hands and relishing the contact with the former college players.

Match-Up:

The 2015 Nike Hoop Summit tips at 3pm EST on ESPN2. Last year the U.S. team won 84-73 behind the eventual trio that led Duke to the 2015 NCAA championship. Justise Winslow led the way with 16 points and Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones scored 14 and 13, respectively. This year, the U.S. guards will look to set the tempo and pressure the World team into turnovers. The World team has good height and length. Will Ben Simmons and Skal Labissiere lead the World team to a victory or will Malik Newman, Jaylen Brown, or Allonzo Trier step up for the U.S.?

Nike Hoop Summit: US Scrimmage

The Nike Hoop Summit is underway in Portland, OR this week and Thursday marked the third day of practice for the U.S. team. The early afternoon consisted of putting in plays and some light scrimmaging as the team saved up for the 6-8pm session. In this stanza, the U.S. team scrimmaged for four, 10 minute quarters against a variety of players from Portland University and other local schools in addition to future Oklahoma Sooner, Payton Pritchard (class of 2016). It also happened to be the only practice that NBA scouts could attend for the U.S. team and the gym was packed with over 100 scouts and General Managers. The U.S. team used its length and athleticism to combat its strength disadvantage and won the first three quarters comfortable before squeaking out a fourth quarter victory.

The starters included Jalen Brunson, Malik Newman, Brandon Ingram, Ivan Rabb, and Stephen Zimmerman. 

Guards:

Malik Newman – Newman got the start alongside Jalen Brunson and showcased his scoring ability throughout. Without being tasked to start the offense, Newman was free to attack the basket and look for mid-range jump shots within half-court offensive sets. He started the scrimmage off with a three from the left wing and added in a step-back jumper. In the second half Newman put up points in a hurry scoring off a pick and roll and using screens to find open 17 foot jump shots. The uncommitted guard was one of the top performers on the day and used his first quick step to constantly free himself from his defender.

Allonzo Trier – The future Arizona Wildcat was the leading scorer for the U.S. with 20 points including an and one three to win a sluggish fourth quarter for the U.S. Trier hit several three’s from the wing and looked comfortable several feet behind the arc. Trier’s ability to get to the rim against more athletic defenders has been questioned but he displayed a good bounce off the dribble and was at ease finding his shot.

Briscoe drives against Pritchard - photo by Ken Waz

Isaiah Briscoe – The powerful combo guard was manning the point guard position when he was in the game. He used his upper body strength and in and out dribble to constantly get deep into the lane where he was able to use his wing span to convert lay-ups or dish out to open teammates. Briscoe was intense on defense and put the most pressure on Pritchard when he was handling the ball. In addition to his baskets close to the hoop, Briscoe converted a long two from the left corner in the second half.

Luke Kennard – Throughout the course of the game, Kennard was the best defensive rebounding guard. He got off the ground quickly and is a good two-footed jumper which he also displayed when going for two-handed jams on various fastbreak attempts. Kennard knocked in several three’s, but struggled when he had to put the ball on the floor. He has a good first burst, but is hampered after one dribble when going towards the basket.  

Jalen Brunson – It wasn't a great scoring day for Brunson although he found the basket several times in the second half. His outside shot was off, but ran the offense well and minimized turnovers. Brunson played stellar defense on Pritchard picking him off twice and showed good instincts in intercepting a few other passes.

Small Forwards:

Brandon Ingram – The rising senior prospect started for the U.S. and finished with 13 points. He got to the line in both halves by attacking the basket and converted 7-8 from the line. He miss-fired on his three point attempts but knocked in a 12 foot jump shot after a pick and roll with Brunson in the second. Ingram used his length to block several jump shots as well on the defensive end. He didn't play as well as he did at McDonald’s, but he still looked comfortable and confident in his surroundings. Over the next few months he will need to continue to work on his strength and explosiveness as the fouls he drew today could have easily turned into blocks or missed shots against more athletic players.

Jaylen Brown – After participating in drills to start the practice, Brown was held out of the scrimmage with a sore hip.

Big Men:

Ivan Rabb – Over the last year, Rabb has worked on his body to get stronger and healthier. After winning a California state championship, Rabb’s effort has been top tier over the past two weeks. He scored close to the rim in the first half with both hands. He also displayed his passing ability with several touch passes to open teammates and operated well at the top of the key. Rabb was forced into a few contested shots in the second half going against stronger defenders and he noted that continuing to get in the weight room was one of his priorities.

Stephen Zimmerman – Big Zimm had a strong run in the second quarter scoring nine points in a quick burst. He converted a touch pass from Rabb and finished close to the rim including an and-one. While he scored in a hurry in this quarter he was also challenged by the physical play and struggled to score with the ball in his hands. He also didn’t get a chance to showcase his 12-15 foot jump shot during the course of the game.

Chase Jeter – The future Duke tandem of Kennard and Jeter connected several times for baskets including one where Kennard took the ball up the court and after attacking the basket he dished out to Jeter for a swish from the foul line extended. Jeter used his go-to move (right hook) to score in the second quarter.

Caleb Swanigan – Swanigan scored three points in the first half and struggled to convert down low; however he used his upper body to keep the opposing post players out of the paint and also man handled a smaller defender down low in the fourth quarter. He stepped outside the paint twice miss-firing on both of his jumpers which he was knocking down in the McDonald’s practices. Swanigan has the power to bang with college players but will need to work on his explosiveness off of two feet.

The U.S. won the first quarter 27-14, the second quarter 34-21, and the third quarter 31-15. With both teams looking tired the fourth quarter it was an issue getting the ball in the hoop on both sides. Down 15-12, Allonzo Trier hit a three from the top of the key and got fouled with two seconds left providing the U.S. with a 16-15 win. While not on the U.S. team, Payton Pritchard relished the opportunity to go against the older U.S. players. When he walked in the gym, the scouts were buzzing about the performance he put on a year ago in the Hoop Summit scrimmage despite being just a sophomore. While he struggled from the floor, he displayed good ball-handlings skills and was constantly getting into the paint showing good body control and an ability to avoid getting his shot blocked by the U.S. big men.

Team USA Scouting Report: Guards

The 17U USA team kicks off World Championship play in Dubai beginning August 8. The 12 man team is set and will be highly dependent on the limited guards on the roster. Malik Newman returns as the leading scorer but will be one of the primary ball-handlers this year. 6'7" Jayson Tatum will help with these duties given his unique skill-set and 5'10" Devearl Ramsey will be a sparkplug off the bench (and the only true pg on the roster).

Malik Newman – 6’4”, G, Callaway High, Jackson, MS (#6-Scout, #3-ESPN, #2-Rivals)

Height	Wgt	Wing Span	Birth	Class
6'4"	180	6'5.5"	2/21/1997	2015

USA (U16 Stats):

GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG	FGA	FG%	3FG	3FGA	3PT%	FT	FTA	FT%
5	5	22.2	16.2	30	64	47%	10	28	36%	11	14	79%

RPG	APG	TPG	BPG	SPG
2.6	2	1.2	0	2.8

AAU (Nike EYBL Stats):

Year	Min	PPG	FG	FGA	FG%	3FG	3FGA	3PT%	FT	FTA
2014	28.7	22.5	86	207	42%	26	87	30%	72	93
2013	28.1	24.1	157	388	40%	50	138	36%	142	178

Year	RPG	APG	TPG	BPG	SPG
2014	4.7	1.8	2.7	0.4	1.1
2013	5.2	3.4	2.8	0.3	1.4

Strengths:

The combo guard is the most dynamic scorer in high school hoops. He led the USA team with 16.2 points per game last year and was the EYBL leading scorer in 2013 averaging 24.1 points per game. He shot 47% from the field and 36% from three last year in his five games with the USA team. This year he struggled a bit in AAU play shooting just 42% from the field and 30% from three. He is routinely double and triple teamed resulting in a fair amount of forced shots. The double and triple teams are necessary because Newman is an extremely tough cover. He can blow by a defender on the wing or use the pick and roll to his advantage to create an open jump shot or a runner in the lane. He also likes to utilize a crafty step back move (out to the three point line to get an open look). While a lot of his baskets come off the dribble, Newman can also curl off a screen for an open three which is an underutilized part of his game. Also, Newman has a tireless work ethic and is constantly in the gym trying to improve. 

Weaknesses:

At 6’4”, Newman lacks the ideal height for a shooting guard, but even though he will perform a lot of the ball handling duties for the USA team he is not a natural point guard. Sure, his handles are fine but he is still working on his decision making and actually getting the ball to players in a position to score. Playing point also takes away from his explosive scoring ability at times and can lead to forced jump shots as the shot clock winds down. Newman is a solid athlete and a high volume scorer, but is going through a positional transition which is not the easiest to switch to make.

Jayson Tatum – 6’7”, G/F, Chaminade College Prep, St. Louis, MO (#1-Scout, #2-ESPN, #4-Rivals)

Height	Wgt	Wing Span	Birth	Class
6'7"	193	6'9"	3/3/1998	2016

USA (U16 Stats):

GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG	FGA	FG%	3FG	3FGA	3PT%	FT	FTA	FT%
5	0	18.2	10	19	51	37%	4	13	31%	8	11	73%

RPG	APG	TPG	BPG	SPG
4.6	2.2	1	0.8	1.6

AAU (Nike EYBL Stats):

Year	Min	PPG	FG	FGA	FG%	3FG	3FGA	3PT%	FT	FTA	FT%
2014	26.1	18.9	108	260	42%	13	46	28%	74	99	75%

Year	RPG	APG	TPG	BPG	SPG
2014	6.5	1.3	2.8	0.8	2.3

Strengths:

Standing at 6’7” and probably still growing, there is not a whole lot that Jayson Tatum can’t do on the basketball court. While he is the second youngest player on the team, he is the most skilled from an offensive stand point. Not just on the USA team though, in all of high school basketball. He is comfortable playing point guard (and will probably handle the ball a fair amount for Team USA) and on the wing. Tatum also uses both his strong (right) and weak hand (left) interchangeably while dribbling or finishing shots in the paint. He likes to take advantage of miss-matches and can post up smaller defenders and either shoot over them or hit a fade-away. He can drive by slower defenders and finish at the rim or pull-up from 15 feet as well. Tatum dominated AAU at the 16U level last year and averaged 18.9 points in the 17U EYBL this year. Tatum came off the bench for Team USA last year, but he will definitely be one of the focal points this year.

Weaknesses:

Strength and shooting are the focal points even though he’s already shown improvements in both areas from his freshman to sophomore season. Tatum has a thin frame, but he has definitely put on muscle in his upper body and will continue to do so over the next two years. The only time I’ve seen Tatum bothered on the offensive end, was when a team put a strong and athletic 6’5” wing on him who tried to rough him up. Tatum still did what he wanted, but had to work a little harder than he was accustomed to. As for shooting, Tatum shot just 28% from three and 42% from the field in the EYBL. During the USA tryouts he was draining three’s from the international line on the first night and continues to improve in this area. One other note, he does not exhibit freakish athleticism like some players but with his height, guard skills, and offensive repertoire it isn’t easy for anyone to slow him down.

Devearl Ramsey – 5’10, PG, Sierra Canyon, Los Angeles, CA (#37-Scout, #33-ESPN, #44-Rivals)

Height	Wgt	Wing Span	Birth	Class
5'10"	174	5'11" *	5/17/1997	2016

USA (U16 Stats):

GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG	FGA	FG%	3FG	3FGA	3PT%	FT	FTA	FT%
5	0	15.6	4.2	7	20	35%	0	3	0%	7	9	78%

RPG	APG	TPG	BPG	SPG
3	3.2	0.6	0	2.4

AAU (Nike EYBL Stats):

Year	Min	PPG	FG	FGA	FG%	3FG	3FGA	3PT%	FT	FTA	FT%
2014	24.3	9.9	52	128	41%	15	45	33%	19	30	63%

Year	RPG	APG	TPG	BPG	SPG
2014	3.1	3.1	2	0.2	2.1

 Strengths:

It looked like a long shot for Ramsey to make a repeat appearance on Team USA given all of the talented point guards in tryouts, but the 5’10” guard did it. At the end of the day the California native stands as the lone true pg on the roster. Easily the quickest player on the team and in the USA training camp, Ramsey is a jet on the court. In limited minutes he led the team in assists last year and rarely turned the ball over (obviously earning the trust of the coaching staff). He is not a big time scorer at 9.9 points per game in the EYBL, but he is tenacious driving to the basket and can usually penetrate the defense at will. Not only is Ramsey quick, but he is strong and built like a running back. He shot 33% from behind the arc playing for Cal Supreme in the spring but in tryouts showed he had the capability to knock down several deep shots in succession. 

Weaknesses:

Talented, but small. He has a quickness advantage on the majority of defenders but he can often get too deep in the lane resulting in some fairly tough shots. Ramsey can get hot from the outside in bursts, but taller defenders can also play a step off of at times. He is a tough competitor, but is also one year older than many of his 2016 counterparts. Overall, there might have been better point guards at the camp but due to injuries and a certain level of trust earned from his previous USA experience Ramsey earned a spot on the team. He played 15 minutes a game last year and that could spike if Newman or Tatum struggle handling the ball.