Portland, Oregon • April 12, 2019

It was fitting that in the 22nd edition of the Nike Hoop Summit on April 12, 2019, at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, it was Portland-born Cole Anthony (Oak Hill Academy, Va./New York, N.Y.) who led the USA to a 93-87 win over the World Select Team.

A key matchup in the game was Anthony against the World Team’s Nico Mannion (Pinnacle H.S., Ariz./Italy), and each player indeed was the leading scorer for his team. Anthony put up 25 points and Mannion led all players with 28 points.

The U.S. got off to a slow start, as the World Team ran out to a quick 7-0 run to start the game. Towards the end of the first quarter, the U.S. managed to tie it with about one minute left after Matthew Hurt (John Marshall H.S./Rochester, Minn.) drilled a trey.

Anthony, who along with Hurt is undecided on a college for next fall, got on the scoreboard with a step-back 3-pointer to start the second quarter. And from there, he showed why he was ranked number two on the ESPN 100 rankings for the class of 2019. Anthony finished the second quarter with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting.

The second quarter wound down with the World Team tightening up its defense, switching to zone and pushing the lead to 50-43 at halftime.

The World Team struggled coming out of halftime, and the USA was within four points, 58-54, around the five-minute mark. At the end of the third and for much of the fourth quarter, Mannion and Anthony went head to head and countered shot for shot.

The game came down to the wire, but Isaac Okoro (McEachern H.S./Powder Springs, Ga.), who will play at Auburn University, came in as a defensive substitution and swatted Mannion’s go-ahead 3-pointer. From there, Anthony iced the game with four free throws to win the game for the United States, 93-87.

Anthony chipped in eight rebounds in addition to the 25 points. Mannion had an efficient night, with his 28 points coming on 12 shots, and adding five rebounds and five assists.

“Tonight was a tough game,” said U.S. head coach Scott Fitch (Fairport H.S., N.Y.). “We knew going in that it was going to be tough. They were very prepared. They were strong. I thought they played very physical tonight and pushed us around a little bit. I didn’t think that they would beat us on the glass, and they did. So, I’m really proud of our team for hanging in there, because I thought we showed a lot of culture. I think the culture kind of won the game tonight.”

The World Team’s Precious Achiuwa (Montverde Academy, Fla./Nigeria) made his presence felt throughout, finishing with 15 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and four blocks.

For the U.S., James Wiseman (East H.S./Memphis, Tenn.) was able to exert himself on the defensive end with six rejections. The future University of Memphis Tiger also finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and a nifty 360º spin move to the rack.

From the bench, future Duke University freshman Wendell Moore Jr. (Cox Mill H.S./Charlotte, N.C.) chipped in with 13 points, five rebounds and a game-leading plus/minus of 15 for the USA. The U.S. bench totaled 42 points compared with 31 from the World Team.

The USA finished at 50% from the field, while the World Team struggled at a paltry 37.2% clip. The international squad also did not help themselves at the free-throw line, going 20-for-38. However, the World Team did manage to tie their record of nine made 3-point field goals from 2015.