Washington, DC • November 11-14, 2022

The United States went 1-1 in the fifth round of qualifying for the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup, beating Colombia (88-81) after falling to Brazil (94-79) with both games taking place at Washington D.C.’s Entertainment & Sports Arena. The win improved the USA’s overall record to 8-2, and puts the Americans on the verge of qualifying. 

In its first game versus Brazil, Langston Galloway led the U.S. in scoring with 14 points while Chris Chiozza contributed seven points and seven assists, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a strong Brazil squad. Led by Bruno Caboclo with 24 points, Brazil started fast and never looked back en route to the win.

“We have to learn from this moment,” USA head coach Jim Boylen said. “It’s a two-game season. We’ve got a game Monday night, and we’ve got to get ready to play a good Colombia team. Nobody’s feeling sorry for us. We’ve got to keep working at it, and we will.”

Guard Georginho de Paula also shined for Brazil with 15 first half points. Like Caboclo, de Paula found his way to the foul stripe. In total, Brazil ended up shooting 20 free throws in the first half and hitting 17 of them.

The U.S. played with much more energy in the second half, but every time the Americans chipped away at the lead, Brazil answered right back. This came despite some electrifying moments early in the fourth quarter, many of which were keyed by Galloway. Fellow Americans Charlie Brown Jr. and Alize Johnson helped chip away at the Brazil lead, each with 10 points on the night.

Although Brazil struggled to get to the foul line in the second half — it only had two free throws — the South Americans continued to hit enough shots from the field to stem the U.S. advances.

The game marked the first matchup between the U.S. and Brazil in this qualifying cycle. The two countries will meet again in Brazil on Feb. 26 in the final game of World Cup Qualifying.

In its second game, the United States led from start to finish, beating the Colombians by seven points.

After struggling to make shots three nights ago against Brazil, the U.S. saw its shooting percentage improve against Colombia. Thanks to some good ball movement, the Americans frequently found themselves with quality looks from beyond the 3-point arc early in the game, and they took advantage by knocking down those opportunities. As a team, the U.S. started off shooting 5-of-9 from 3-point range as it jumped out to a 19-8 lead midway through the opening quarter.

Galloway made his presence known in the fourth quarter. He scored on three consecutive U.S. possessions: a 3-pointer, a drive and spin move to the basket for a layup, and then another 3-pointer.

Galloway’s standout play opened a 77-65 lead for the Americans with five minutes left to go in the game, and then it was another teammate’s turn to deliver the dagger. By scoring seven points in less than 80 seconds, Stockton brought the lead to 84-69 and helped his team match its largest advantage of the game.

From there, the U.S. was able to close out the final minutes of the game for the win.

“Langston’s professionalism is a big part of this,” Boylen said. “So although maybe he doesn’t go to the World Cup, he’s one of 297 guys since 1992 that have worn that (USA Basketball) jersey. He takes a lot of pride in that; we take a lot of pride in that. Nobody’s ever going to take that away from him.”

For the second consecutive game, Galloway led the U.S. in scoring, finishing with 23 points. He was a major factor on the defensive end as well with two blocks and one steal.

David Stockton, who was driving hard to the basket all night long, also finished with 23 points to go along with three assists.

Although the win over Colombia wasn’t enough to secure the U.S. its World Cup berth, it puts the team in a great spot. There’s one final qualifying window still to come in February, when the U.S. will travel to South America for a pair of road games. A win in either of those games would qualify the U.S. for the tournament, but even with a pair of losses, there are other scenarios that would still clinch the World Cup berth for the United States.

NOVEMBER 2022 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM ROSTER

NOVEMBER 2022 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS

Recife, Brazil • September 2-11, 2022

In 2022, the United States competed for the 10th time in a zone championship and their first since 2017. The event was originally slated for 2021 before being postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. faced tough competition, ultimately finishing with the bronze medal behind host country Brazil and AmeriCup champions Argentina. Featuring a team directed by former Utah Jazz assistant coach Alex Jensen and relying on a roster consisting primarily of NBA G League and international players, the U.S. captured the bronze medal for the first time in competition history.

“I’m happy for our guys…There’s pressure to it, but you’re carrying it for the moment. You want to take care of what those before you had done and pass it on in good shape to those that come after. And I think our guys did a great job of that,” U.S. head coach Alex Jensen said. “It was an honor to be a part of it.”

It was a slow start for the USA, who dropped their first game to Mexico, 73-67. It was tightly contested throughout the opening half, as Mexico went to halftime holding a one-point advantage. Second half runs from both teams kept the game close, but following a 58-58 tie, Mexico was able to get control of the game and keep the Americans from coming back. Jeremy Pargo led the USA with 14 points, while Norris Cole scored 11.

The U.S. rebounded against Venezuela, and a fast start cemented a 48-21 lead at halftime. Craig Sword stood out for the Americans in first-half play, recording seven points in the first frame and 12 by halftime without missing a shot. While the U.S. made it rain on the court, the rain in Recife, Brazil led to multiple leaks in the arena room which ultimately led to a postponement of the second half.

Two days later, the U.S. finished the game, notching a 52-point victory, 101-49, and set tournament highs for total points and assists after dishing out 31 total helpers. Sword ended with 19 points, while Cole and Frank Mason each added 12 points. Patrick McCaw led the team defensively, tallying five steals which tied the USA single game AmeriCup record.

Before the U.S. finished out the second half against Venezuela, the team took its first win over Panama, 88-58. The team never trailed Panama and led by double figures following the 2:20 mark of the first quarter. Strong 3-point shooting helped the Americans elevate their play, finishing with 16 threes which marked the second-most by any team throughout the competition.

With a 2-1 record and the most points through group play, the USA took the top-seed in Group C and faced Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals. The U.S. trailed for the first 19 minutes of the game before a 13-2 run gave the team their first lead of the game (42-41). The third quarter was tightly contested, but the U.S. took a 64-60 lead into the final frame and held off Puerto Rico before the final 30 seconds, when their opponents tied the game at the free throw line, 82-82.

After Norris Cole gave the Americans a one-point lead with under 10 seconds remaining, Puerto Rico’s Tremont Waters took it back with a layup, putting the U.S. down one (83-84) with six seconds remaining. Fueled by his missed opportunity at the free throw line seconds before, Cole went on to hit the game-winning layup for the USA to punch its ticket to the semifinals. Cole was held scoreless in the first half but finished with a team-high 20 points, the most points scored by an American across the tournament.

In the semifinals, the U.S. faced undefeated Argentina. The two teams traded leads throughout the first frame, but a 10-0 run at the start of the second quarter gave Argentina its first double-digit lead of the game and a seven-point lead going into the half.

In the end, Argentina outlasted the U.S. with timely runs and an advantage at the free throw line. Cole recorded four points in the first half, but much like his performance against Puerto Rico, he came out firing in the second half. Cole finished with a team-high 18 points (7-11 FG, 2-6 3FG, 2-2 FT), eight of which he scored consecutively in the fourth (7:35-5:12) to help the USA close the margin as the game neared its conclusion. Zylan Cheatham scored 10 points for the U.S. to go along with his team-high eight rebounds.

The bronze medal game featured the U.S. and Canada in their 10th AmeriCup matchup since 1989.

The U.S. trailed at halftime 36-29 but rallied in the third quarter to pull within one possession (57-54) to enter the fourth. Gary Clark put the USA ahead, 75-73, on a layup with 1:27 remaining. From there, the Americans held on to earn the bronze.

Argentina defeated Brazil 75-73 in the gold medal match.

Argentina forward Gabriel Deck was named MVP of the AmeriCup and was joined on the five-member all-tournament team by Norris Cole, Facu Campazzo, Yago Santos and Dalano Banton.

Las Vegas, Nevada, and Barranquilla, Colombia • August 25-29, 2022

The United States opened the second round of qualifying for the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup with two wins over Uruguay (105-71) and Colombia (95-77), marking six straight victories for the U.S. The two wins improved the USA's overall record to 7-1 and pushed the Americans to first place in the group standings.  

In its first game versus Uruguay, John Jenkins scored 22 points, Langston Galloway had 18 and DaQuan Jeffries 16 for the USA, who blew the game open with a 21-2 run early in the second quarter that turned a tight game into a comfortable cruise to victory. 

“We have great leadership on this team,” said U.S. coach Jim Boylen, in his fourth window with this team. “We have as much a player-coached team as any window we’ve had. … They take ownership of this. We talk about it. It’s an option to come here. You could maybe do something else, but once you’re here, you’re obligated to play the way we play and to give it everything you have. Langston and John and (Jeffries), they’ve really led us and it makes it easy on everyone. They’ve led. They’ve taught the young guys.”

Baskets by Esteban Batista and Luciano Parodi opened the game and gave Uruguay a quick 4-0 lead. Not soon after that, Eric Mika of the U.S. picked up his second foul and was sent to the bench for the rest of the half.

It was at that point the U.S. team showed up to right the ship, and behind seven points from Jeffries and five from Galloway, the Americans were able to take a 20-16 lead after the first quarter. Soon after in the second, the U.S. found its touch and exploded for a 21-2 run that made it 43-21 and a cruise to the finish. The U.S. also had 16 assists on 21 first-half buckets.

The U.S. would go on to score a personal best for points in a 2023 World Cup Qualifying game and earn the win, 105-71.

“I thought we got a lot from a lot of guys,” Boylan said. “Dewan was terrific. I thought Robert (Woodard II) had his moments, I thought Mac McClung had his moments. You know, you play your minutes as hard as you can, you play them the right way and I think good things happen. With this team, like every window we’ve had, our depth is a big weapon for us. But your depth has to have the right attitude because you can’t start 10 guys, 12 guys, right? So, I just love the fact that our guys come off the bench with force and ready to play. We hope we can wear people down. We hope we can. And tonight, I thought every guy just played as hard as he could play.”

Following the first win, the U.S. packed their bags and left for Barranquilla, Colombia, for the second leg of the world cup qualifying window. Both the United States and Colombia were in strong form entering the game, with the U.S. winning its last five qualifying matches and Colombia its last three.

After both teams traded opening scores, the U.S. went on a 10-0 run to take an early ten-point lead (12-2) with just under five minutes remaining in the first frame. Colombia stayed the course, outscoring the U.S. 8-7 through the rest of the first, leaving the U.S. with a nine-point lead entering the second quarter.

The U.S. stretched their lead to 13 by the end of the quarter, but poor shooting hampered the Americans and gave Colombia hope going into the second stanza. Colombia, which handed Brazil its only first-round loss on the same court, fed off the home crowd to climb out of an early 17-5 hole in the first quarter. As the U.S. struggled with its shot, Colombia’s confidence grew and the hosts came within 31-26 on Andre Felipe Ibarguen Andrews’ basket with 2:51 left in the half. Ensuing 3-pointers from Jenkins and Galloway restored a little breathing room for the U.S., which led 45-32 at halftime.

After going 17-of-37 from the field in the first half, including just 8-of-23 from distance, the USA rewrote the script by shooting 18-of-28 in the final 20 minutes, including 9-of-11 on 3-pointers, to keep the cardiac Colombians — who have had a penchant for comebacks — at bay.

“I want our guys to play loose, and I want them to play confident,” Boylen said. “What we talked about is, ‘Continue to move (the ball) and they’ll go down.’ You’re not going to make every one, so sometimes when you miss, you think those are bad shots. I thought we had the right guys shooting them.”

John Jenkins connected on eight 3-pointers en route to 26 points for the U.S., while Langston Galloway and DaQuan Jeffries  added 14 apiece.

“Just never giving up,” Jenkins said of the key to the victory. “I told everybody in the locker room before the game not to worry about what happens in the first quarter. I’ve been in this moment before and a lot of times we end up being down in the first quarter. We were up, but we were missing shots. We didn’t play like we thought we were going to play in the beginning. We kept going, we kept fighting, we kept playing and shots started to fall.”

Jenkins stamped his name into the record books with his performances against Uruguay and Colombia. In this two-game window, he finished with 48 points and 14 3-pointers. His 26 points vs. Colombia tied for the most by an American in World Cup qualifying, set by Cameron Reynolds against Panama on Feb. 22, 2019, and tied by Justin Jackson against Puerto Rico on July 1, 2022. Jenkins’ eight 3-pointers against Colombia also broke the U.S. qualifying record, which he shared with Reynolds after hitting six against Uruguay.

In Group F competition, a Mexico win over Brazil 82-72 and Uruguay bouncing back to top Puerto Rico 78-70, gave the U.S. a two-game lead in Group F, one of two groups in the Americas region.

AUGUST 2022 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM ROSTER

AUGUST 2022 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS

San Juan, Puerto Rico, and La Habana, Cuba • July 1-4, 2022

The third qualifying window for the 2023 FIBA World Cup was another 2-0 window for the U.S. With wins over Puerto Rico and Cuba, USA stands at 5-1 with a share of the lead with in Group C. The July window signaled the close to the first round of Americas Qualifiers for the USA. With three qualifying windows remaining, playing in Group F along with Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Uruguay, the U.S. needs to place in the top three of the group to be guaranteed a spot in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

The U.S. opened the third window with a physical matchup with Puerto Rico. The Americans won the battle of the boards and dominated from beyond the arc in the hard-fought 83-75 win in San Juan.

Justin Jackson scored 26 points and Langston Galloway chipped in 14 of his 18 points in the second half for the U.S., which outrebounded Puerto Rico 40-38 and knocked down 13-of-36 3-pointers, compared to just 4-of-18 for Puerto Rico.

“We won the boards and we also won the 3-point line. Those are two huge things,” Boylen said.

Jackson, a former standout at North Carolina and a veteran of 255 NBA games, looked perfectly comfortable in his first senior-level FIBA game. He made 9-of-16 shots from the field, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range, while chipping in six rebounds and three assists.

His 26 points tied the single-game record for the U.S. in men’s World Cup Qualifying.

The U.S. improved to 4-0 all-time against Puerto Rico in World Cup Qualifying. One of those wins came in an earlier window of World Cup Qualifying on Feb. 24, when the U.S. won 93-76 in Washington, D.C.

Following a tight first half, the U.S. compiled a 9-1 run early in the third quarter to open a double-digit advantage for the first time. Cody Demps’ 3-pointer capped the surge and Jackson added another long-range shot less than a minute later to create a 54-42 cushion.

That began a stretch of play where Jackson scored nine straight U.S. points, helping his team open a 60-46 advantage. The third period ended with Eric Mika tipping in a missed 3-pointer by Galloway just before the final buzzer, sending the U.S. ahead 66-51 going into the final frame.

The U.S. was never seriously threatened down the stretch. Puerto Rico pulled within nine points with about four minutes remaining, but Galloway knocked down a contested jumper to restore a double-digit cushion.

“We have so much respect for this process, and we’ve very thankful to win this game,” said Boylen. “It’s an honor how we were able to come together in these 10 days and come out with this win.”

The USA played their second game of the window on July 4th, where Xavier Munford scored a game-high 24 points to lead the USA to an 87-64 victory over Cuba in Havana, Cuba.

The opening quarter was a tightly contested affair after a slow start for the U.S. Cuba led the game 16-14 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Munford helped change the USA’s fate, sparking two critical runs which aided the U.S. in building a lead that carried it through the rest of the game. The first run (14-2) came in the first 2:55 of the frame, giving the U.S. a 28-18 lead. With under five minutes to play in the first half, the U.S. went on an 11-4 run, expanding the lead and building confidence.

“We lost the first quarter, they held us to 14 points,” USA head coach Jim Boylen said. “I thought we responded in the second. We just kept grinding. In these games, you have to keep playing and keep trying to play the right way.”

The second half of the game saw the Cubans attempt to get back into the game, but the U.S. was solid in its response. Including Munford, five Americans scored at least 10 points. Justin Jackson followed his 26 points against Puerto Rico with 13 against Cuba. John Jenkins had 12 points, all coming from four 3-pointers. Will Davis II and Langston Galloway each had 10 points, respectively.

In the game, the USA shot 65% on two-point field goals, an area where Munford went 7-for-7 in the game. Munford’s shooting (10-of-12) tied the USA World Cup Qualifying Team record for most made field goals in a game with Cameron Reynolds (10 vs. Panama on 2/22/19).

JUNE/JULY 2022 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM ROSTER

JUNE/JULY 2022 USA MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS

Malaga, Spain • July 2 - 10, 2022

The U.S. entered the 2022 FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup in Malaga, Spain, with much to lose.

Dating back to the tournament’s inception in 2010, the Americans were 37-0 and won five-straight gold medals, so expectations were high for the 2022 squad. Amongst it all, the U.S. came out with an 7-0 record and a gold medal. 

The team was guided by head coach Sharman White, who joined Don Showalter as the only two coaches to lead a U17 World Cup team. The team was poised on the defensive side of the ball, holding their opponents to an average of 60.0 points per game on 32.5% shooting.

The USA opened the tournament with a resounding win over Lebanon, 120-44. David Castillo led the team in scoring, finishing with 21 points (8-11 FG). In holding their opponent to just 44 points, the U.S. recorded 24 steals and 12 blocks, both event highs in their respective categories. The team also shot 50% (50-100 FG) from the field. Cooper Flagg finished with 13 rebounds and four blocks, his first game with 10-plus rebounds and three-plus blocks.

Game two against Slovenia was close to start, but the U.S. was able to turn a one-point deficit (20-21) mid-way through the second quarter into a 16-point advantage at half (40-24). The U.S. would go on to win, 88-55. Ron Holland led the Americans in scoring with 14 points.

Against Mali, the USA would capture the victory, 112-64. Ian Jackson put together a stellar performance scoring 26 points (11-14 FG), the most by an American during the tournament and third most by a U.S. player since 2010. Additionally, Holland finished with 14 points while Sean Stewart recorded 13 points and eight rebounds.

With a 3-0 record through group play, the U.S. were slated as the top seed entering single-elimination games and matched up with Egypt in the Round of 16. The U.S. jumped out to an early 9-0 lead and never looked back, eventually winning the game, 103-48. Karter Knox led the charge, tallying 18 points and nine rebounds. The team would finish with 68 rebounds, the most ever by a U.S. squad at the event.

The USA would advance to a quarterfinal matchup with Serbia, who would lead through the first seven minutes of competition before an Asa Newell 3-pointer gave the U.S. their first lead, 20-18, with just over two minutes remaining in the opening frame. The U.S. would win, 106-80, and shoot a record-setting 12-of-24 from three, marking the most threes made by an American U17 World Cup team.

In the semifinals, the U.S. defeated Lithuania, 89-62. The U.S. defense was stout to start the game, holding Lithuania to just seven points in the first quarter. Jeremy Fears Jr. led the USA in scoring with 18 points, while Holland led the team in assists (6) and rebounds (10).

The gold medal game saw the U.S. match up against Spain. In a tightly contested contest, the Americans trailed until the 2:39 mark of the third quarter, where they were able to turn the tide and take an 11-point lead into the final frame (62-51). From there, the U.S. held on to capture their sixth consecutive gold medal with a 79-67 win. Fears Jr. led the Americans in scoring again, finishing with 17 points.

Flagg’s elite play came to a head in the final, where he recorded 10 points, 17 rebounds, two assists, eight steals and four blocks to set multiple U17 World Cup records. His 17 rebounds set a new mark for most rebounds in a game by an American at a World Cup, while his eight steals tied the most by any player.

Flagg and Koa Peat were the Americans named to the All-Star Five. The duo was joined by France’s Ilane Fibleuil and Spanish teammates Lucas Langarita and Izan Almansa. Almansa was named the tournament MVP.

In the bronze medal game, France defeated Lithuania (66-58). 

2022 USA Men's U17 World Championship Team Roster

2022 USA Men's U17 World Championship Cumulative Statistics

Buenos Aires, Argentina • June 13-19, 2022

The 2022 USA Team captured its 13th FIBA Americas Championship in late July. The United States was looking for its 10th-straight Americas Championship considering the 2020 FIBA Americas Championship was cancelled due to the pandemic. 

Head coach Joni Taylor, coaching her first Junior National Team, led the team to the title and an undefeated 6-0 record.

The USA opened with an 81-29 win over Colombia in which it dished out 24 assists and blocked seven shots. Kiki Rice (16 points) and Isuneh Brady (17 points) combined for 33 points, while Aalyah Del Rosario led the team on the boards with 11 rebounds.

In the second game, the U.S. battled Puerto Rico evenly through the first quarter before jumping ahead mid-way through the second. The Americans finished with the win, 93-38, and a single-game tournament high assists. Five players scored in double figures for the U.S., highlighted by a double-double from Del Rosario (14 points, 12 rebounds).

To close group play the USA faced El Salvador and scored the most points by any team in a 106-31 victory. The team won on the boards with six players finishing with seven or more rebounds which led to a tournament-best 73 team rebounds. Brady finished with 20 points, leading the team in scoring for her second time in group play.

The quarterfinals marked another wire-to-wire win for the U.S., defeating Mexico, 77-41. The U.S. doubled up Mexico in the rebounding category, coming away with 63 boards to Mexico’s 30. Both Cotie McMahon (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Brady (10 points, 11 rebounds) finished with double-doubles.

In the semifinals, the Americans converted Brazil’s 23 turnovers into 34 points, helping the team take their fifth win, 84-40. Rice logged 22 points, a team-high in scoring and her first game with 20-plus, on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from three. The team also finished with 17 steals, their most in the tournament.

The Americans won their first five games by an average of 52 points, but a matchup with Canada in the gold medal game would show a much closer contest. The U.S. led through the start of the game and took their first double-digit lead (41-31) into the half with the help of an 11-5 run. Coming out in the second half, the Americans were tasked with holding off their stout opponents.

The U.S. saw their lead dwindle to four at the end of the third quarter, but the team started the fourth with a 19-8 run to take a 15-point lead with five minutes left to play. After a late push from Canada, the U.S. rode their fourth quarter run to an 82-77 victory and their 10th consecutive gold medal.

McMahon paced the Americans in scoring with 22 points, followed closely behind by Rice who finished with 18 points. Both McMahon and Rice were named to the All-Star Five. Rice also claimed MVP honors after leading the team in scoring (14.3 ppg) and passing (4.0 apg).Davenport joined her on the all-tournament team, along with Canada’s Christina Morra, Argentina’s Florencia Natalia Chagas and Colombia’s Mayra Caicedo. 

Kailyn Gilbert and S'Mya Nichols both missed six games due to health and safety protocols.

By virtue of their top four finishes, the USA, Canada, Argentina and Brazil all qualified for the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup.

2022 USA U18 WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER

2022 USA U18 WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS

Tijuana, Mexico •  June 6-12, 2022

Heading to Tijuana, Mexico, looking to claim a sixth-straight FIBA U18 Americas Championship gold medal, the 2022 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team took care of business, going 6-0 en route to a championship.

The USA led the tournament in several key statistical categories such as points averaged (105.2), field goal shooting (50.7%), 3-point shooting (29.4%), rebounds (343), assists (146), steals (75) and blocks (52).

With a 56.7-point average margin of victory, the USA cruised to its 10^th overall gold medal in U18 competition.

Led by Tad Boyle, head coach at the University of Colorado, the USA opened preliminary play on June 6 with a 116-48 win over the Dominican Republic. All 12 players scored, including six in double digits, and Kel’el Ware, who scored 17 points and blocked two shots, was the top scorer in the game.

With Gregory ‘GG’ Jackson scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, the U.S. outpaced Ecuador 123-41 in the second game of preliminary play on June 7. Joining Jackson was Jared McCain, who scored 22 points, Ware, who pitched in with 18, and Mark Armstrong, who added 13.

In the third and final preliminary game facing Puerto Rico on June 8, the USA was paced by the eventual tournament MVP Cam Whitmore, who scored 24 points and shot 84% from the field (11-13 FG) to lead the U.S. to a 100-55 victory.

Advancing to the quarterfinals, the USA played Mexico and received a 27-point, seven-rebound performance from Whitmore in a 92-64 win on June 10.

In the semifinals, Argentina struggled to score against the USA’s imposing defense as Ware dominated the paint all game long. Ware finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. He was joined in scoring by Seth Trimble, who tallied 16 points, Armstrong, who put up 13, and Whitmore, who scored 12. The USA advanced to the gold medal game with a 98-60 victory on June 11.

Matching up with Brazil with a gold medal on the line on June 12, Whitmore scored 30 points en route to the 102-60 victory. Whitmore’s 30 points marked the most points scored by an American in a gold medal game while also leaving him tied for third-most points by an American in U18 competition with Luke Kennard.

Ware tallied 21 points and six rebounds.

Jackson missed the last four games due to illness (non-COVID).

In addition to Whitmore, FIBA’s All-Star Five featured Ware, Argentina’s Dylan Bordon and Canada’s Vasean Allette and Reynan Dos Santos.

2022 USA BASKETBALL MEN’S U18 NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER

2022 USA BASKETBALL MEN’S U18 NATIONAL TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTIC

Washington, DC • February 24-27, 2022

Defeating Puerto Rico 93-76 and Mexico 89-67, the USA won a pair of crucial home victories in the second window of FIBA World Cup Qualifying play. The two wins improved the USA's overall record to 3-1 and lifted the Americans into a tie for first place in the group standings.

Trailing 44-42 at halftime, the USA men outscored Puerto Rico 32-14 in the third quarter to take control of the game on the way to a 93-76 win in FIBA World Cup Qualifying play in the Americas zone on Feb. 24 at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.

“I thought our depth, I thought our defensive intensity turned that game,” said USA head coach Jim Boylen. “We came together and did it at the defensive end of the floor, which we've talked about, we've worked on, and we got a lot from a lot of guys. We are a group that, since day one, has come together and really cared for each other and worked hard. We were down early, didn't maybe play as well as we had hoped, but we hung in there. I'm really happy for guys and proud of them.”

Seven-time NBA All-Star Joe Johnson led the USA with 18 points, sharpeshooter Matt Ryan added 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point, Justin Wright-Foreman scored 13 points and Juwan Morgan contributed 12 points.

Sixty-one of the USA’s 93 points came from its bench, and Jordan Bell tied a U.S. Men’s Wold Cup Qualifying single-game record with three blocked shots.

The USA trailed 17-9 to start the game, however, an 11-4 U.S. run pulled the USA within one, 21-20 at 1:25. Puerto Rico answered with a 3 and at the end the first period led 27-20. While the USA shot a respectable 7-of-15 from the field (.466), Puerto Rico was at 61.1% on 11-of-18 shooting.

Puerto Rico stretched its lead to 32-22 early in the second quarter, but Ryan answered with two 3s, which were followed by five points from Morgan, and the USA was within three points, 36-33 at 4:11. The teams traded baskets, before a score from Langston Galloway from deep was followed by points from Johnson, and the score was tied at 40-40 with 1:28 to play. Both teams added two points before Puerto Rico ended the first half scoring with a tip-in to make it 44-42 at halftime.

The USA opened the second half with 3s from David Stockton and Wright-Foreman to go ahead 48-44. The score was tied 50-50 and 52-52, before another 3-pointer from Wright-Foreman gave the USA a 55-52 lead, and the USA never again trailed.

The USA gave up just six more points in the last 6:21 of the third, while it raced to 19 points from seven different scorers to lead 74-58 at the end of the period.

The USA had its largest lead of the game, 84-60, on a dunk from Bell at 7:08, but Puerto Rico closed the game with a 16-9 run that shrank the margin to its 93-76 final score.

Bell was the USA’s leading rebounder with eight boards, while Jared Harper dished out five assists.

The USA never trailed while cruising to an 89-67 win over previously undefeated Mexico on Feb. 27 at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.

The USA’s performance was a convincing outcome that followed a 97-88 U.S. loss the last time the two teams met in the first window on Nov. 30 in Mexico.

While Mexico found success inside, matching the USA’s 43 rebounds and getting 32 points in the paint and 14 second-chance points, the USA was helped by 15 made 3-pointers (15-43 3pt FGs, .349) in the win.

“We started this camp with Mexico on our heart,” said  Boylen. “They humbled us in Mexico. We were ready to play against them. They beat us from the 3-point line down there, and they beat us bad. So, I have to give our guys credit. They came prepared. They followed the game plan and they executed against a really good team that we respect.”

Galloway led the USA with 16 points, Stockton had 15, Johnson scored 14 points, Ryan added 12 points and Wright-Foreman rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. Harper had six assists, while Bell was the top rebounder with seven boards. 

“It's big,” Galloway said of the win. “We knew they were a desperate team, and we had to come out with a lot of energy, a lot of focus, because they have a lot of skilled and talented a players. So, us coming out and playing hard and having fun - that was the biggest thing to me. We had a lot of fun tonight as a team, got a lot of rebounds, which was big, because they are a big, physical team. We just took it one possession at a time and just continued to build on that lead.”

Both teams started the game cold. The USA was 4-of-13 from the field in the first seven minutes and the score was 11-7 with 2:56 to play in the opening quarter. From there, however, the USA heated up, outscoring Mexico 13-7 to take a 24-14 lead at the first quarter break. The USA finished the period shooting 42.1% with eight assists, while the USA defense limited Mexico to just 29.4% from the field in the first stanza.

The USA gave up only seven points to Mexico in the second quarter, while Johnson scored eight of the USA’s 24 points in the period, and the USA lead ballooned to 48-21 at halftime. By the midway point, the USA had committed just two turnovers.

Mexico had a 10-0 run early in the third quarter that helped it trim the margin by four points in the period, but the USA still was comfortably in the lead, 68-45, headed into the fourth. The USA built its biggest lead in the fourth quarter, 89-58 at 4:12, but Mexico put the last nine points of the game on the board to reach the final.

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