Hamburg, Germany • July 2-11, 2010

Returning nine members from the inaugural USA U16 Team that captured gold at the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, USA Basketball’s first U17 World Championship squad was clearly the class of the field as the American juniors rolled in impressive and dominating fashion to an 8-0 record and the U17 World Championship title.

The 2009 U16 coaching staff returned intact, with Don Showalter of Mid-Prairie High School (Iowa) back on the sidelines as head coach, while Herman Harried of Lake Clifton High School (Md.) and Kevin Sutton of Montverde Academy (Fla.) returned as his assistants.

Opening it training June 18 in San Antonio, Texas, the U.S. squad’s preparations for the FIBA U17 World Championship included a pair of exhibition games in Kaunas, Lithuania. Gaining some much need international experience, the U.S. fell to Russia’s U18 team and bounced back to defeat the host Lithuania U17 Team.

In the USA debut, and in what turned out to be the closest any opponent would stay with the powerful USA Team, Argentina fell to the USA by 12 points, 82-70, as Michael Gilchrist paced the U.S. effort with 24 points and 15 boards. The following day the USA offense was sharp as the Americans pounded Lithuania 102-66 as Brad Beal tossed in 16 points. James McAdoo poured in 26 points, and guard Quinn Cook handed out a game best 13 assists in the USA’s 113-73 rout of China. The USA offense exploded in a 132-64 rout of Egypt as Beal and Gilchrist each recorded 18 points. Closing out preliminary round play with a convincing 125-75 win over Serbia and Beal scored 20 points, while McAdoo recorded 15 points, 13 rebounds, four blocked shots and four steals.

Facing Australia in the quarterfinals, the U.S. team effort made it look easy as it rolled to a 105-70 win. Beal dumped in 25 points on a sizzling 7-of-9 shooting performance from behind the 3-point arc, and McAdoo finished with 17 points on flawless 8-for-8 shooting and collected nine rebounds. Additionally, Tony Wroten was credited with 11 points, seven assists and three steals, Marquis Teague finished with 10 points and a game best eight assists, and André Drummond had a productive evening with a double-double of 10 points and a game best 12 boards in only 14 minutes of action.

With Canada standing in the way of a advancing into the gold medal game, Gilchrist was virtually unstoppable, recording 30 points and 15 rebounds as the USA eliminated Canada 103-83.

Meeting also undefeated Poland in the gold medal contest, all 12 members of the USA Team scored and the Americans’ depth and team work again proved, as it had all tournament, too much for its opponent and the U.S. ran to a 111-80 victory. Leading 46-41 with 2:54 remaining before halftime, fueled by points from four different USA players, the Americans closed out the second quarter within 12 consecutive points to take a 58-41 lead to the locker room at intermission. That was that as the U.S. was never seriously threatened in the second half. McAdoo, Beal and Gilchrist paced the U.S. scoring with 20 points, 19 points and 16 points, respectively.

Beal, who averaged a USA high 18.3 ppg. and made 47.7 percent (31-65 3pt FGs) of his 3-point tries, was selected MVP of the World Championship, and teammate McAdoo, who averaged 15.0 ppg. and 7.3 rpg., while shooting 65.6 percent from the floor, joined Beal on the five member All-World Championship Team.

The USA’s dominating showing was again an all-around team effort. Winning its eight games by an average of 34.9 points a game, the USA as a team ranked first in 13 of 15 statistical categories.

The team had nine players average between 18.3 and 7.0 points per contest. Beal paced the USA’s scoring at 18.3 ppg., Gilchrist added 15.0 ppg. and a team second best 7.3 rebounds per game, McAdoo tossed in 14.5 ppg. and a team best 7.9 rebounds a contest. Cook handed out 7.4 assists a game, while Teague dished out 6.0 assists per outing, and Wroten averaged 4.3 apg. and a team best 3.5 steals a game.

Canada collected the bronze medal after nipping Lithuania 83-81.

2010 USA Men's U17 World Championship Team Roster

2010 USA Men's U17 World Championship Cumulative Statistics