FIBA U-17 World Cup

USA dominated the U-17 FIBA World Cup, as expected.  They breezed through the group with only Greece giving them pause.  I didn't see the Greece game (USA only won by 10, though Greece went on to a 12th place finish, the Americans suffered from butterflies early on, I presume) but I watched Angola (good athletes but virtually no basketball skills) and the Philippines (good basketball skills but no size at all, the Americans towered over them), both of whom were dispatched with ease.  The size and length of the USA squad gave them dominance on the boards.

Of the single elimination games I only saw the final, where USA beat Australia 99-92.  The Aussies had their opportunities (continually missed crucial FT's in the 4th quarter), attacking the basket with abandon and generally showcasing good skills.  Vasiljevic, Humphries (both of whom made the all-tournament team), Wilson, Noi and Frohling will look good in NCAA uniforms in the next coupla years.  The Americans dominated the boards, scored well enough and were efficient enough to sneak past the Aussies who made a game of it in the 4th by nailing many 3's.  The Americans didn't play with a cutthroat mentality which allowed the plucky Aussies to keep coming back.

Ivan Rabb (currently #1 on ESPN's ranking of high school prospects) was probably the most promising all-around talent (great low post moves, great footwork) but played sparingly due to an ankle injury.  Malik Newman was the MVP of the tourney largely due to his mid-range shooting (killed it in the 1st half of the Championship game) and led USA in minutes played.  Diamond Stone (also on the all-tourney team) was money inside, great on the boards, good touch with the ball, will be in the NBA soon enough.  Harry Giles had the makings of a superior SF.  Henry Ellenson moved well for his size, not the best shooter but good basketball IQ, good footwork.  Caleb Swanigan disappeared from time to time but asserted himself inside on the defensive end.  VJ King, like Giles, looks like a solid SF.  Jayson Tatum, Josh Jackson, Terrance Ferguson all had moments in supporting roles.  Tyus Battle acquitted himself well as the backup PG.  Devearl Ramsey didn't catch my eye.  Curious to see how many of these guys turn into lottery picks (Rabb and Stone are easy calls, they're gonna be top 5 in the 2017 draft) and which ones become great college players (my money's on Tyus Battle to be the most interesting NCAA player).  

USA is still undefeated in U-17 play and that's the way it should be.  No other nation on earth takes youth basketball as seriously as we do.  That said, I was a little surprised to not see Brazil, Germany, Turkey or Russia in this tournament, I would assume them to be top 16 year in, year out.

The final rankings:
1) USA
2) Australia
3) Serbia
4) Spain (blew a big lead to Australia in the semifinals and never recovered, it seems)
5) Puerto Rico
6) Canada
7) China
8) France
9) Italy
10) Argentina
11) Angola (good finish for them, great athletes but their b-ball skills were minimal)
12) Greece
13) Egypt
14) Japan
15) Philippines (good ballers but so undersized)
16) UAE (the host country)