Zaragoza, Spain – For the fourth time in as many tries, the United States won gold at the FIBA U17 World Championships. It was a relatively easy feat for the Americans, who handily defeated Turkey in the final 96-56. The 40-point victory is the largest winning margin in the tournament’s history – surpassing the American’s 111-80 blowout of Poland in the 2010 championship game.
The United States were led by team captain Gary Trent Jr., who scored 17 points, and the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, Collin Sexton, who added 16 points and eight assists. Wendell Carter Jr. scored 11 points and grabbed eight boards.
It was Turkey’s first appearance in the U17 World Championships. The Turks were the first European team to reach the title game since Poland in 2010. They were led by Ragip Berke Atar’s 13 points and Eray Akyuz’s 12 points.
After falling down 8-2 early in the first quarter, the United States went on a 23-2 run to take a 25-10 lead into the second quarter. By halftime, the United States were sitting comfortably up 50-20. Sexton and Trent Jr. combined for 23 points while Carter Jr. had eight points, seven rebounds and two steals at the half. The United States never let up in the second half on their way to a 40-point win.
MVP goes to Sexton; named to the tournament’s All-Star Five
Sexton, an athletic scoring guard, averaged a team-leading 17.0 points and 4.2 assists per game. The tenacious competitor also averaged over four rebounds per game and shot over 50 percent for the tournament. The Georgia native was joined by teammate Carter Jr., Spain’s Sergi Martinez, Bosnia Herzegovina’s Dzanan Musa, and Lithuania’s Arnas Velicka on the tournament’s All-Star Five Team.
Lithuania secures third place; Classification 5-8 games
Lithuania steamrolled past Spain 81-63 for third place – reaching the podium for the time ever; Canada blew out France 99-68 for fifth place; Australia finished in seventh place after defeating Korea 83-76.
Final Standings
- USA
- Turkey
- Lithuania
- Spain
- Canada
- France
- Australia
- Korea
- Bosnia Herzegovina
- China
- Dominican Republic
- Finland
- Argentina
- Chinese Taipei
- Mali
- Egypt
Tajh Jenkins is a Correspondent for NetScouts Basketball.
