U17 FIBA day 1: Florida Prospects

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">The ball tipped on the best group of international prospects around the world. We watched every game that had a prospect that will play their upcoming high school season in the state of Florida. Here’s how they stacked up on Day 1.</p> <p data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><strong>Canada</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1463276" first="Mikkel" last="Tyne"]</strong></p> <p>Tyne’s game is more refined than it was this time last year. He’s passed up some looks that he would have taken last year and made plays out of them. The Montverde guard has thrown some nice dimes to diving big men out of pick and roll. The 2024 prospect didn’t hit any of his 8 attempts from the floor, but his playmaking made him a net neutral on offense. He’s found the balance you need to be a high level point guard. He’s still one of the quickest players on the court that creates separation with the ball in his hands and makes defensive plays in passing lanes.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1306081" first="Olivier" last="Rioux"]</strong></p> <p>Every time Rioux takes the floor in one of these competitions, he looks like he’s improved his mobility. He spent a lot of time getting up and down the floor for the first 4 minutes of the game. Certainly not the fastest big, but the 7’6 Canadian kept up with the game’s pace. All that size and length make him a near automatic shot blocker, especially on the weak side. He can now make in air adjustments as highlighted by the double team he received under the rim that forced a kick out. It doesn’t look like the big man is used to playing stretch 5s and had difficulty getting out for perimeter closeouts. Rioux was solid on the boards and a constant putback threat for Canada.</p> <p><strong>USA</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1055791" first="Karter" last="Knox"]</strong></p> <p>Knox used his athleticism and strength to score around the rim and grab offensive boards. He threw down several alley oops in transition and finished through contact in the halfcourt. The nationally ranked guard used his athleticism to shoot passing lanes and cut to the hole for buckets.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1454289" first="Cooper" last="Flagg"]</strong></p> <p>Flagg looked bigger than his 6’8 listing in USA’s 70+ point win over Lebanon. The 2025 forward combines a high motor with high-level athleticism for effort based plays. He was present on both ends using a massive wingspan to shrink the basket and finish plays on offense. With his size and mobility, he covered every position on the floor. He led all rebounders with 14 boards, eight of them coming on the offensive glass.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1055578" first="Asa" last="Newell"]</strong></p> <p>Newell played limited minutes but showed off his finishing ability and defensive tools. The 6’9 forward crashed the boards on the offensive end for several second chance plays. Montverde is getting a 6’9 forward with stretch abilities who didn’t shy away from scoring at the rim against lesser competition.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="709255" first="Sean" last="Stewart"]</strong></p> <p>As usual, Stewart was active on both ends. He recorded several blocks, scored in transition and the halfcourt. He showed his ability to push the ball in transition while finding teammates on the break, leading to several assists.</p>