16U FIBA USA vs. Puerto Rico
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The U.S Team has embarked on their run in Mexico as they look to bring home another Gold Medal. This team is stacked with players that have height and versatility. The game started a little sloppy as US players are…
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Continue ReadingThe U.S Team has embarked on their run in Mexico as they look to bring home another Gold Medal. This team is stacked with players that have height and versatility. The game started a little sloppy as US players are not use to playing FIBA rules as every country they will see has these kids playing FIBA rules coming up. Right off the bat you could see that a few players were getting use to the contact they had to play with. The difference I would say is that most of these players playing for high level teams on the Nike EYBL or Adidas 3SSB circuit are more then use to playing through contact. It was a packed house in Merida, Mexico as everyone cane to watch the show and they got a glimpse of the future of hoops in the US.
Alpha Energy
There were two players in Game 1 last night that really came to bring it and that was Tyran Stokes Tyran Stokes 6'7" | SF Prolific Prep | 2026 State CA-N , California (Prolific Prep/ Vegas Elite EYBL) and Darryn Peteron, Ohio (Phenom United 3SSB). This pair was elite.
The thing that jumped out the most besides Stokes is leaping ability is the angles he takes when he is running the wing. Basketball at high levels is always about angles and if you study the way he is running the floor getting ready to explode he is elite. The crazy part is that Stokes is one of the youngest players on the floor as a 15 U kid. He came in off the bench and he was electric right off the jump as he caught back to back lobs and forced Puerto Rico to call timeout. He brought that energy and he was active on the boards, getting tips and he was moving his feet defensively against everyone at Team USA switches everything.
This kid is special. He has big time playmaking ability. He was making buckets from all over and that pace and calm demeanor he plays with is exactly what this team needs if things get sloppy, they have someone to go to off the ball that can settle everyone down. He has a smooth game and he is going to be an big impact player at the college level for sure.
The Little Things
It might have been surprising to a lot of people seeing JJ Mandaquit get the start in game one but you can see his level of play is something that can help everyone on the squad as he is a good facilitator. Koa Peat was just a load inside taking up space and he was good and will be better next time around when it comes to being the middle guy in the press-break. Cameron Boozer does it all and that what he did in the win, he did a little bit of everything.
JJ was solid scanning the floor and getting that ball up the sidelines. He was feeling things out and ended with 5 points but he was instrumental in big runs and extra passes that eventually led to the ball going down the hoop. Look for him to be better and more aggressive off the bounce in their next outing.
Koa was dominating the pant with his strength as he hauled in boards or occupied bodies that allowed other to haul in rebounds. Koa should be a big impact because there is nobody on any team that is built like him out there.
The 6’8 Point Forward was in his bag dishing, rebounding and scoring when he needed to. It should be interesting in the next match against Argentina as they have more size but they are not as quick as him, so he could be a focal point in the attack as he should be able to beat his defender on the bounce with ease.