FOURTH FIBA 3x3 U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MEN – 2015
June 4-7, 2015 • Debrecen, Hungary
After falling to France in a down-to-the-wire quarterfinal contest, the 2015 USA Basketball Men's 3x3 U18 World Championship finished with a 4-3 record and in eighth place at the 2015 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship in Debrecen, Hungary.
2015 USA RESULTS (4-3)
2015 FIBA 3x3 U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
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The roster included Gonzaga University-bound Zach Collins (Bishop Gorman H.S./Las Vegas, Nev.), University of North Carolina signee Jalek Felton (Mullins H.S./Mullins, S.C.), University of Oregon signee Payton Pritchard (West Linn H.S./West Linn, Ore.) and then-undecided P.J. Washington (Findlay College Prep/Frisco, Texas).
With 53 points over the USA's seven games, Pritchard finished as the fourth-leading scorer in the 24-team tournament.
In the gold medal game, New Zealand outlasted Argentina 20-18, and France took home the bronze medal after defeating Spain 16-13.
In addition to the tournament, the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship included a men’s dunk contest and a men’s and women’s shoot-out. The USA's Felton took silver in the dunk contest, which saw Kobe Paras (Philippines) take gold and Agustin Da Costa (Uruguay) earn bronze. In the shoot-out competition Bathiste Tchouaffé (France) won gold, Lucía Alonso (Spain) took home silver and Giulia Ciavarella (Italy) won bronze.
All-time, the U.S. 3x3 U18 men's teams are 31-13 (including Youth Olympic Games teams).
Day 1 - June 4
The Americans began preliminary round play with a decisive 21-4 win over Puerto Rico, and then wrapped up the day with a hard-fought 19-15 victory over Georgia.
Against Puerto Rico, the USA led 5-4 before launching a 16-2 run to claim a lopsided, 21-6 win. Pritchard led the USA with 10 points.
Tied 7-all against Georgia, the USA scored five straight points to open a 12-7 advantage and create some breathing room. Pritchard paced the USA for a second straight game with eight points, Washington added seven and Collins added four.
Day 2 - June 5
The U.S. men opened day two with a heartbreaking 20-18 overtime loss to eventual silver medalist Argentina. The USA led 13-11 but Argentina fought back to take leads of 14-13 and 17-16. Felton connected on his third, 2-pointer to put the USA up 18-17, but Argentina tied the game six seconds later. Neither team scored in the last 1:07, and the game went into overtime. After a U.S. turnover on its first possession in the bonus period, Argentina sank a deep, late 2-pointer that found nothing but net and sealed the win for Argentina. Felton, who made his first appearance in the game after sitting out the first two contests due to a sore knee, led the USA with nine points, Pritchard added five and Washington had four points.
The USA finished up the day with a 21-4 rout of Indonesia that saw Washington lead his team with seven points. Collins and Felton each added five points in the U.S. win.
Day 3 - June 6
The USA began day three with its final preliminary round game, which was another overtime loss, this time to an undefeated Spain team, 15-13. The USA started with an 8-5 advantage with 6:17 remaining in the game. Over the next 4:34, however, the USA was scoreless as Spain ripped off eight points to grab control and a 13-8 lead with 2:18 on to go. Washington scored to end the drought, followed by a 2-pointer from Pritchard, and the USA rallied back to tie the game at 13-13 with 48 seconds left. Neither team scored, and the game went into overtime. The USA missed several 2-point tries, and Spain scored to make it 14-13. Spain earned the 15-13 win with a mid-range jumper late in the shot clock. Pritchard led the U.S. effort with six points.
After finishing preliminary play 3-2, the USA was Group D's No. 3 seed heading into the round of 16, which meant the USA faced Group A's No. 2 seed, Poland. The USA began with a 6-0 lead as Pritchard, Washington and Felton all contributed points. After Poland made it 6-2, it became the Pritchard show. With 7:30 on the clock, Pritchard hit his second 2-pointer, and over the next 1:45, he drained seven more 2-pointers. When he tallied his 19th point on his ninth 2-pointer with 5:45 left in the game, the USA had a 22-6 win.
Day 4 - June 7
Facing France in the quarterfinals, the USA fell 20-18. Felton had 12 points for the USA, including two 2-pointers in the last 1:30 that helped the USA cut the deficit from 18-11 to 19-16. Time ran out on the USA's comeback attempt, however, and the 10-minute game ended with the USA trailing 20-18.
2015 USA MEN'S 3x3 U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM ROSTER
NO | NAME |
POS
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HGT
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WGT
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AGE
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SCHOOL | HOMETOWN | ||
12 | Zach Collins |
F/C | 6-11 | 233 | 17 | Bishop Gorman High School/*Gonzaga |
Las Vegas, NV |
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5 | Jalek Felton |
G | 6-3 | 185 | 17 | Mullins High School/#North Carolina |
Mullins, SC |
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14 | Payton Pritchard |
G | 6-1 | 180 | 17 | West Linn High School/*Oregon |
West Linn, OR |
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7 | P.J. Washington |
F | 6-7 | 218 | 17 | Lone Star High School |
Frisco, TX |
2015 USA MEN'S 3x3 U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM STATISTICS
NAME | GP | PTS/ AVG |
Pritchard |
7 | 53/ 7.6 |
Felton | 5 | 29/ 5.8 |
Washington | 7 | 37/ 5.3 |
Collins | 7 | 13/ 1.9 |
USA | 7 | 132/ 18.9 |
Opponents | 7 | 84/ 12.0 |
2015 FIBA MEN'S 3x3 U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SKILLS CONTESTS MEDALISTS
Dunk Contest Gold Medal: Kobe Para (Philippines) Silver Medal: Jalek Felton (USA) Bronze Medal: Agustin Da Costa (Uruguay) |
Shoot-Out Gold Medal: Bathiste Tchouaffé (France) Silver Medal: Lucia Alonso (Spain) Bronze Medal: Giulia Ciavarella (Italy) |