USA wins Gold, blasts Canada in FIBA U18 Americas Final

The Americans took home their fifth consecutive gold medal at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship, defeating Canada 113-74 in the finals of the tournament last Saturday. Canada got out to an early 12-7 lead, but the US rallied off a 22-8 run to finish the first quarter and really never looked back. It was a balanced effort from the Americans having seven players finish with double digit scoring outings, led by the stand out performances from Cole Anthony, Quentin Grimes and Matthew Hurt.

I highlighted Cole Anthony in the team’s opening win over the Dominican Republic, but I thought this was arguably his best game of the tournament. He led the team in scoring with 18 points and even though he didn’t shoot it particularly, I thought he was relentless with attacking the lane and finishing consistently at the rim.

Anthony displayed it all from smooth footwork in the lane, strength to finish through contact, his ambidexterity, body control and quick crossover in this one. He’s got good size at 6’3″, 180 pounds and knows how to utilize it at the rim to finish, even if he has subpar length. Anthony’s first step quickness is good and he has utilized it greatly to create off the bounce during this tournament for the US, with his crossover being his primary weapon of choice. He also does a phenomenal job creating great spin on the ball, if he gets it to the glass rarely does he not finish, regardless of the difficulty of the lay-up.

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I’m not sure he’ll ever be the shooter or as stout as Deron Williams was, but Anthony reminds me of the 3 time all-star. Both bigger guards who are powerful athletes with sudden quickness and strength to bull through defenders at the rim. I was so impressed throughout the tournament with Anthony and his leadership of this group, he was hands down the best shot creator on the team. I’m excited to see how his recruiting plays out over the next year, he already has offers from Duke, Kansas, UCLA, Georgetown, Oregon, St. Johns and Wake Forest.

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Quentin Grimes had a slow start to the Americas Championship, but really turned it on in medal play and showed out here in the win over Canada. The Kansas commit finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists to not only help the US clinch the gold medal, but also earn MVP honors for the tournament. Honestly, I wasn’t overly impressed with Grimes throughout the tournament and felt Matthew Hurt was probably the best player of the tournament for me. Still I really admired Grimes consistently making plays on both ends of the floor, even when his shot wasn’t falling early on and showing other facets of his game.

I really like Grimes’ versatility offensively, he’s already got a NBA body and can score or play-make off the dribble. He makes his fair share of defensive mistakes, but usually gives consistent effort on that end and should continue to improve under Bill Self at Kansas in that regard. Grimes’ ability as a ball-handler in high pick and rolls, who can shoot or get to the rim is already sound and he really can shoot it off the dribble.

I’m not sure I’d want Grimes to be my primary ball handler or playmaker, but it’s something he can do at times and something I expect Self to take advantage of at Kansas next season. Especially with the losses of guards Malik Newman, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Devonte’ Graham, Self’s gonna need someone to take some of that work load off of fellow freshman guard Devon Dotson.

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I really buy-in on Grimes’ potential already and would expect him to be a riser on boards for the 2019 draft. Kansas is many prognosticators favorite to win the national championship next season, not only because they’re returning players like Udoka Azubuike, Lagerald Vick and Silvio De Sousa to go along with transfers Dedric and K.J. Lawson but also because of this stellar recruiting class coming in headlined by Grimes. I’d expect him to really flourish in Lawrence next season, given the small glimpse of improvement we got to see from him under Self during this tournament. Plus he had one of the best dunks of the entire 2018 U18 Americas Championship below, how can you not appreciate that tomahawk?

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Big’s Highlight Team USA’s Quarter-Final Win over Ecuador

The U18 american team started their quest for yet another gold medal in FIBA play, dominating Ecuador 132-55 during the quarter-finals of the FIBA U18 Americas Championship. The defense and length of the US team dictated a majority of the game, forcing multiple shot clock violations for Ecuador and never allowing them to find a rhythm offensively. The front court dominated for the american’s, getting stand out performances from big men Matthew Hurt, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

Cole Anthony has garnered much of the headlines for this group and has seemingly become the leader for Bill Self’s roster, but Matthew Hurt for me has been Team USA’s best player so far through the tournament. Hurt once again showed off his offensive repertoire and versatility against Ecuador, scoring 19 points and knocking down four three point shots.

His form is beautiful, sporting textbook mechanics with a high and quick release, he’s been virtually automatic from beyond the arc, shooting 69.2 percent from downtown in tournament play. While it’s far from a perfect comparison and possibly even a very basic one, Hurt’s shooting ability reminds me of Dirk Nowitzki even if there is clear differences with their form. Hurt can shoot it from anywhere seamlessly, you’ll see him hit a elbow jumper off the dribble, showing tremendous fluidity and consistency already as a shooter.

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Hurt’s play-making ability was on full display in this game, he made plays out of the post and in transition. He’s got the habit of initiating fast breaks consistently, a trait that is valued enormously at the next level for big men. Not many center’s or forward in today’s modern NBA can start, let alone make positive plays out of fast breaks. You’ll see below one of the best plays of the game and passes Hurt’s made this tournament, was a late full court pass to Mark Watts for the easy lay-up in transition.

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From the post Hurt was as effective with his passing, mainly picking apart the Ecuador defense from the high post. Hurt had no problem firing passes out of double teams in timely fashion and had a nice chemistry going with Trayce Jackson-Davis, connecting multiple times with the Indiana big man. Hurt has blown me away as much as any player on this roster and looks every part of a future top ten, possibly even top five selection.

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As great as Hurt was, the best player in the win over Ecuador was probably forward Trayce Jackson-Davis. The currently ranked 24th player in ESPN’s Top 60 players of the class of 2019, had a personal dunking contest and dominated the offensive glass against the Ecuadorian team. Jackson-Davis finished with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four assists, two steals and a block, oh he also didn’t miss a shot going 10-of-10 from the field. He finished with five offensive rebounds and I’m pretty sure he scored on them all, turning each one into a highlight putback dunk. Jackson-Davis has a nose for the ball, good hands, good motor and does a really nice job of rebounding outside of his area.

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Jackson-Davis showed off much more than just his athleticism and offensive rebounding though, his passing from the post was also phenomenal. Like Hurt, Jackson-Davis did most of his damage out of the high post against the Ecuadorian team. But he also made some great passes off second chances caused by his offensive rebounding, displaying some phenomenal ball placement on these passes to Kamaka Hepa.

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I was lastly really impressed by Jackson-Davis’ length and athleticism obviously, but it’s his potential as a shot blocker that excites me. His timing is pretty poor currently as a shot blocker, he missed way too many lay-up attempts in this game that should be freebies for him in terms of blocks. But he does have the motor and athleticism to protect the rim and has no problem defending in transition, possessing good speed for a big man and easily be able to run the floor.

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It was nice to see a player who’s averaging the second least minutes per game on the team at 13.5, have such a breakout performance. I hope to see Coach Self play Jackson-Davis more in this evening’s semi-final match-up against Argentina and see him hopefully build some confidence from this outing.

The last performance I wanted to touch on was Jeremiah Robinson-Earl’s, who’s versatility shined offensively in this one. Robinson-Earl is currently ranked 34th in the top 60 players of ESPN’s class of 2019 and I’d only imagine that ranking to rise with more performances like this. He can do it all really offensively and did such against Ecuador, knocking down jump shots, making passes out of the post and some fancy plays in transition.

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Robinson-Earl’s performance might be overlooked or was quieter than Hurt’s or Jackson-Davis’ but he was still as effective to me. The play below where he reads the defender, jumps the passing lane, gets the steal and finishes the break off with a fancy behind the back dribble was one of my favorite plays of the game. He’s rated as the number one player coming out of Kansas for the class of 2019 and I’d be shocked if Bill Self doesn’t do all he can to nab him, after coaching and seeing him play at this level firsthand.

The US team will now move on to play a talented Argentina team in the semi-finals, led by guard Marco Giordano Gnass and center Francisco Caffaro. For the American’s that have won every game in the tournament by an average of 60.5 points per game, expect a much tougher outing tonight from the Argentinians.

 

Anthony and Hurt shine in USA’s opening game for the FIBA U18 Americas

The FIBA U18 Americas Championship kicked off yesterday from St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada where the US team opened up group play with a 105-73 win over the Dominican Republic. As per usual, the roster is filtered with some of the nation’s best high school prospects from the class of 2018 and 2019, many of whom could be future pro’s. This current crop of players who will be under Kansas coach Bill Self’s watchful eye, is headlined by point guard Cole Anthony and big man Matthew Hurt, both of whom stood out in the team’s opening win.

Anthony the highest rated player out of New York, top point guard and sixth ranked player in ESPN’s top 60 players of the class of 2019, balled out against the Dominican team and led the way for the US with 18 points. He showcased all the makings of an elite scoring guard, scoring at every level and consistently attacking off the bounce. Anthony had two specific drives in the fourth quarter where he showcased great footwork in the lane, body control, the ability to finish through contact and finish with either hand.

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His shooting was also on full display, nothing really came off the dribble for Anthony but he had a couple of nice catch and shoot situations where he converted three’s successfully. Now mechanically speaking I think Anthony’s shot is relatively sound, but there’s some clear flaws in his form. Anthony has a snappy, quick release that’s relatively low, but high enough and seemed to have no issue getting his shot off when he wanted against the Dominican team. But he seems to always put his guide hand, which would be his right hand, on top of the ball instead of on the side and this seems to mess with the trajectory of his shot somewhat.

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Outside of his scoring, Anthony’s athleticism impressed me more than anything, he’s got some serious bounce. Maybe my favorite play of the game from Anthony was in the fourth quarter, where he come over to help from the weak side defensively and sprung to block Joel Soriano’s shot. It was a very validating performance from Cole Anthony to start the tournament, proving why he’s got people buzzing this summer.

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As impressive as Anthony was, I thought the best player on the US team was Matthew Hurt. Hurt who’s the top rated player out of Minnesota and currently slotted one spot ahead of Anthony, ranking fifth in ESPN’s top 60 players of the class of 2019 balled out in the first quarter. He finished with 12 points, ten of which I believe came in the opening frame of the game and showcased great versatility on both ends of the floor.

Hurt’s got a beautiful shooting stroke, sporting a high release, staying square to the rim and displaying textbook form overall. His release is very fluid and quick, showing an effortless ability to get his shot off. I’m not sure he offers much off the dribble, but Hurt can extend the defense in high pick and rolls, looking the part of your prototypical stretch forward.

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Hurt’s motor and fundamentals rebounding seem to be great, he controlled the offensive glass against the Dominican team and big man Alanzo Frink. Even given his fairly thin and wiry frame, Hurt does a good job boxing out, battling for position and securing boards with two hands, his presence was definitely felt in this one on the glass.

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Hurt really has feel for initiating fast break opportunities off rebounds, he got the US team out and running time and time again, converting easy opportunities in transition. You’ll see this in one of the plays below, Hurt does a great job after boxing out Frink for the defensive rebound of pushing the ball up the floor and finding a trailing Cole Anthony for the open wing three. Having a big that can run the floor effectively, but also initiate the break and make plays out of it, is invaluable in today’s modern game.

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Hurt’s impact was definitely felt offensively, but on the other end of the floor he might’ve been just as impressive. Yes at times especially early on in this game, Hurt’s lack of strength definitely got exposed and Alanzo Frink took full advantage of that. But Hurt’s movement skills, quickness and foot speed seem to be excellent for his size, he had no problem switching onto guards in pick and rolls. He’s good at shuffling his feet and again has the foot speed it seems to stay in front of most guards, with the length to protect the rim when needed and add value defensively there as well.

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Matthew Hurt seems to deserve every bit of his top five ranking in the class of 2019 and I’m excited to see his growth throughout this tournament and as his body fills out in the next couple of years. He has all the makings of an elite, athletic, skilled big and should easily be on your draft radar for the next couple of years. Anthony and Hurt were the clear stand outs for team USA in the opening game, but to end this article I wanted to quickly highlight the defensive performance from guard Tyrese Maxey.

Maxey who’s ranked as the fifteenth best prospect in ESPN’s top 60 of the class of 2019 and has committed to Kentucky, was an absolute menace on the defensive end in this one. His motor is always going and he can do it all, whether it be on or off ball due to his great quickness and awareness. You’ll see Maxey display this in the first play below, he does a great job off ball of pushing his man all the way to half court to catch the pass, then he does a fantastic job on ball keeping a low stance and showcasing quick hips, finishing the play off with a brilliant contest.

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Maxey is effective, but still very raw offensively and John Calipari’s guidance should help improve that aspect of his game. But defensively he seems to be a very special prospect and one that could be an elite defender soon for Big Blue Nation.