| FINAL STANDINGS 1. CANADA 2. Italy 3. USA 4. Spain 5. Germany 6. Lithuania 7. France 8. Argentina 9. Puerto Rico 10. Japan 11. New Zealand 12. Egypt 13. Angola 14. Korea 15. Iran 16. Mali | CANADIANS Rowan Barrett Jr. (Mississauga, Ont.) Danilo Djuricic (Brampton, Ont.) Noah Kirkwood (Kanata, Ont.) Grant Shephard (Kelowna, B.C.) Jordan Henry (Toronto, Ont.) Abu Kigab (St. Catharines, Ont.) Nate Darling (Sackville, N.S.) Anthony Longpre (L’Assomption, Que.) Lindell Wigginton (Halifax, N.S.) Emanuel Miller (Toronto, Ont.) Amidou Bamba (Toronto, Ont.) Prince Oduro (Toronto, Ont.) Roy Rana – coach Jamie McNeilly – assistant Paul Weir – assistant Michael Meeks – assistant Steve Konchalski – mentor Krisjon Vargas – therapist James DePoe – manager Wes Clayden – doctor |
| POOL A | FRA | ARG | NZL | KOR | Record | ||
| France | —– | 62-53 | 80-69 | 87-55 | (3-0) | ||
| Argentina | 53-62 | —– | 74-70 | 100-76 | (2-1) | ||
| New Zealand | 69-80 | 70-74 | —– | 88-81 | (1-2) | ||
| Korea | 55-87 | 76-100 | 81-88 | —– | (0-3) | ||
| POOL B | LTH | GER | EGY | PUR | Record | ||
| Lithuania | —– | 98-79 | 88-50 | 96-57 | (3-0) | ||
| Germany | 79-98 | —– | 66-40 | 69-49 | (2-1) | ||
| Egypt | 50-88 | 40-66 | —– | 67-65 | (1-2) | ||
| Puerto Rico | 57-96 | 49-69 | 65-67 | —– | (0-3) | ||
| POOL C | SPN | CAN | JPN | MAL | Record | ||
| Spain | —– | 78-73 | 78-67 | 62-43 | (3-0) | ||
| Canada | 73-78 | —– | 100-75 | 91-42 | (2-1) | ||
| Japan | 67-78 | 75-100 | —– | 76-73 | (1-2) | ||
| Mali | 43-62 | 42-19 | 73-76 | —– | (0-3) | ||
| POOL D | USA | ITA | ANG | IRN | Record | ||
| United States | —– | 98-65 | 109-68 | 108-48 | (3-0) | ||
| Italy | 65-98 | —– | 70-66 | 64-45 | (2-1) | ||
| Angola | 68-109 | 66-70 | —– | 70-48 | (1-2) | ||
| Iran | 48-108 | 45-64 | 48-70 | —– | (0-3) | ||
| RD16 | Canada 87 Angola 65 | |
| RD16 | Italy 57 Japan 55 | |
| RD16 | United States 117 Mali 69 | |
| RD16 | Spain 70 Iran 50 | |
| RD16 | Lithuania 110 Korea 63 | |
| RD16 | France 84 Puerto Rico 66 | |
| RD16 | Germany 72 New Zealand 65 | |
| RD16 | Argentina 72 Egypt 67 | |
| 8-16th | Puerto Rico 73 Angola 69 | |
| 8-16th | New Zealand 87 Mali 63 | |
| 8-16th | Egypt 57 Iran 53 | |
| 8-16th | Japan 77 Korea 64 | |
| QFs | Italy 73 Lithuania 68 | |
| QFs | Spain 70 Argentina 58 | |
| QFs | Canada 73 France 67 | |
| QFs | United States 81 Germany 59 | |
| 13-16th | Angola 73 Mali 54 | |
| 13-16th | Korea 81 Iran 77 | |
| 9-12th | Puerto Rico 74 New Zealand 70 | |
| 9-12th | Japan 76 Egypt 73 | |
| 5-8th | Lithuania 85 Argentina 77 | |
| 5-8th | Germany 86 France 60 | |
| Semi | Italy 66 Spain 63 | |
| Semi | Canada 99 United States 87 | |
| 15th | Iran 70 Mali 61 | |
| 13th | Angola 58 Korea 56 | |
| 11th | New Zealand 85 Egypt 69 | |
| 9th | Puerto Rico 68 Japan 67 | |
| 7th | France 69 Argentina 63 | |
| 5th | Germany 80 Lithuania 74 | |
| Bronze | United States 96 Spain 72 | |
| Final | Canada 79 Italy 60 | |
In its opener,
Canada pounded Mali 91-42 after leading 24-12, 49-25 and 70-33 at the quarters.
Coach Roy Rana said it was a “great way to start the World Cup on Canada Day
with a good win. We were able to play everyone and everyone made positive
contributions.” Grant Shephard said “it’s an honour to play for Canada, especially
on Canada Day with everybody back home watching. I think towards the end of the
game we picked up on the little things we were supposed to do. We can
definitely rebound better, there’s lots of room for improvement but we still
did a good job.” Rowan Barrett Jr paced Canada with 20 on 9-16 overall, 8-14 from
the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 11 boards, 3 assists and 2
steals. Abu Kigab added 16 on 7-13 overall 7-12 from the floor, 0-1 from the
arc, 2-4 from the line and 7 boards. Nate Darling added 14 on 5-12 overall, 1-2
from the floor, 4-10 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Noah Kirkwood added
8 on 3-8 overall, 2-5 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4
boards and 2 assists. Lindell Wigginton added 6 on 1-8 overall, 1-6 from the
floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 7 boards, 7 assists and 2 steals.
Jordan Henry notched 5 on 2-2 overall, 1-1 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 3
boards and 2 assists. Danilo Djuricic scored 5 on 2-5 overall, 2-2 from the
floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Grant Shephard added 4
on 2-3 overall, 2-3 from the floor, 5 boards and 3 assists. Prince Oduro scored
4 on 2-6 overall, 2-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 0-4 from the line, 5
boards and 2 assists. Anthony Longpre scored 4 on 2-7 overall, 2-4 from the
floor, 0-3 from the arc and 8 boards. Amidou Bamba scored 3 on 1-2 overall, 1-2
from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 7 boards. Emanuel Miller added 2 on 1-5
overall, 1-5 from the floor and 4 boards. Canada hit 38-87 (.425) overall, 30-61
(.492) from the floor, 7-26 (.269) from the arc and 10-22 (.455) from the line,
while garnering 73 boards, including 25 on the offensive glass, 24 assists, 26
fouls, 21 turnovers, 7 steals and 2 blocks. Sekou Dembele paced Mali with 13 on
5-12 overall, 5-12 from the floor, 3-7 from the line, 14 boards and 2 blocks.
Mahamoud Balayira added 12 on 4-11 overall, 4-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the
arc, 4-14 from the line and 5 boards. Ousmane Traore added 6 on 1-2 overall,
0-7 from the floor, 1-16 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 6 boards and 2
steals. Martin Diakite scored 5 on 1-6 overall, 0-1 from the floor, 1-5 from
the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Lassana Haidara scored 3 on 1-6
overall, 1-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and
4 assists. Namakan Traore added 3 on 0-5 overall, 0-2 from the floor, 0-3 from
the arc, 3-4 from the line and 4 boards, while Badra Samake, Ibrahim Camara,
Ichaka Samake, Oumar Drame, Moulaye Sissoko and Blaise Keita were scoreless.
Drame nabbed 3 boards, B Samake 2 and Camara 2, along with 2 assists. Mali
(coach Kaba Kante, assistant Boubacar Kanoute) hit 12-78 (.154) overall, 10-45
(.222) from the floor, 2-33 (.061) from the arc and 16-34 (.471) from the line,
while garnering 47 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 16
fouls, 17 turnovers, 9 steals and 2 blocks.
Canada’s record was evened at 1-1
after falling 78-73 to Spain in its second contest. Spain led 22-18, 39-33 and
57-53 at the quarters. Canadian coach Roy Rana said “tough loss in game two of
the tournament, hope to bounce back with a better performance against Japan in
game three. These tournaments are about character and resilience and we’re
going to keep fighting for Canada.” Jordan Henry said “I think we started
off slow, and because of that we had to climb back in the second half and
didn’t have enough left in the tank at the end.” Aleix Font paced Spain with 19
on 4-7 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 5-5 from the line and 6 boards. Pol Figueras-Lopez
added 14 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 2 boards,
7 assists and 2 steals. Eric Vila added 11 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-5 from the
arc, 2-2 from the line, 9 boards and 3 assists. Joshua Tomaic added 10 on 4-8
from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 7 boards. Maxim Esteban scored 8 on 1-1
from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 4 assists. Pol Molins added 7 on 3-7 from
the floor, 1-1 from the line and 4 boards. Osas Ehigitor added 5 on 2-4 from
the floor, 1-5 from the line and 4 boards. Alvaro Miguel Sanz Barrio scored 2
on 1-1 from the floor. Bernat Vanaclocha added 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 boards,
while Victor Moreno, Ignacio Ballespin and Ignacio Rosa were scoreless. Spain
(coached by Luis Guil, assisted by Salvador Camps and Javier Zamora) hit 29-64
(.453) overall, 23-44 (.523) from the floor, 6-20 (.300) from the arc and 14-19
(.737) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 16 on the offensive
glass, 15 assists, 31 fouls, 18 turnovers, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Abu Kigab
paced Canada with 16 on 6-10 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-4 from the
line and 8 boards. Prince Oduro added 14 on 4-7 from the floor, 6-7 from the
line and 6 boards. Lindell Wigginton scored 11 on 4-12 from the floor, 0-3 from
the arc, 3-6 from the line and 7 boards. Rowan Barrett Jr. added 10 on 3-11
from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 4-8 from the line, 3 boards, 6 assists and 5
steals. Danilo Djuricic added 10 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 2
boards. Nate Darling scored 4 on 0-1 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-5 from
the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Jordan Henry added 3 on 1-1 from the arc and
2 boards. Amidou Bamba scored 3 on 0-1 from the floor, 3-6 from the line and 5
boards. Grant Shephard added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 2 boards, while Noah
Kirkwood, Emanuel Miller and Anthony Longpre were scoreless. Longpre nabbed 2
boards. Canada hit 24-68 (.353) overall, 20-48 (.417) from the floor, 4-20
(.200) from the arc and 21-36 (.583) from the line, while garnering 46 boards,
including 22 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 19 fouls, 13 turnovers, 7
steals and 3 blocks.
Canada improved to 2-1 by whipping Japan 100-75. Japan led 21-20 after one quarter. Canada led 47-32 at the half and 77-51 after three quarters. Coach Roy Rana said “good win for us today. Happy to see a number of players play well and hopefully we can start to get on a roll.” Abu Kigab said “I thought we came out with a lot of energy, rebounded well against a smaller team. That’s how we bounce back – we took a loss (on Sunday) and we had to focus, regroup, watch a lot of film and see what we could improve on. We came out and executed well.” Lindell Wigginton paced Canada with 21 on 6-8 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 6-9 from the line, 9 boards, 4 assists and 4 blocks. Rowan Barrett Jr. added 20 on 6-10 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 5-8 from the line, 7 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Danilo Djuricic added 20 on 5-5 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Abu Kigab scored 11 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 12 boards. Nate Darling added 10 on 2-2 from the floor and 2-5 from the arc. Noah Kirkwood added 6 on 1-2 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Prince Oduro scored 6 on 3-5 from the floor, 4 boards and 2 steals. Emanuel Miller added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 2 assists. Anthony Longpre notched 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 2 boards. Amidou Bamba scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 0-2 from the line and 6 boards, while Jordan Henry and Grant Shephard were scoreless. Henry dished 4 assists. Canada hit 37-78 (.474) overall, 27-46 (.587) from the floor, 10-2 (.313) from the arc and 16-25 (.640) from the line, while garnering 53 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 16 turnovers, 9 steals and 5 blocks. Rui Hachimura paced Japan with 21 on 9-15 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 11 boards. Tensho Sugimoto added 8 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 2 assists and 3 steals. Yudai Nishida added 8 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Yuki Mikami added 6 on 2-6 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Keisuke Masuda scored 6 on 0-3 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Shinsaku Enomoto added 6 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 4 boards. Shuki Shigetomi added 5 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2 boards and 3 assists. Avi Koki Schafer scored 4 on 1-2 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Kazuma Tsuya added 4 on 1-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Taiga Kagitomi added 4 on 2-2 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Shuki Nakata added 3 on 1-3 from the arc, while Kanta Mizuno was scoreless and nabbed 3 boards. Japan (coached by Torsten Loibl, assisted by Koichi Sato) hit 26-72 (.361) overall, 16-36 (.444) from the floor, 10-36 (.278) from the arc and 13-18 (.722) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 20 fouls, 16 turnovers, 7 steals and 1 block.
Canada finished 2-1 in pool play and qualified for the round of 16.
In the round of 16, Canada whipped Angola 87-65. Canada led 30-23 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 42 at the half. Canada led 64-50 after three quarters. “I’m excited and proud of these boys for making the final eight (teams) of the World Cup and excited for the opportunity to go to the final four,” said Canadian coach Roy Rana. Danilo Djuricic said “coach told me not to hesitate on my shot, so when I was open I let it fly and it was falling today. We had a tough first half but we picked up our defensive intensity and our intensity overall in the second (half) to get the win.” Danilo Djuricic paced Canada with 22 on 3-3 from the floor, 5-8 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Rowan Barrett Jr. added 18 on 6-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 7 boards and 4 assists. Abu Kigab scored 17 on 0-3 from the floor, 4-6 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 16 boards and 2 assists. Lindell Wigginton scored 13 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 9-10 from the line, 9 boards and 6 assists. Prince Oduro added 9 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the line and 5 boards. Emanuel Miller scored 5 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Noah Kirkwood scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 2 boards. Grant Shephard added 1 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists, while Jordan Henry, Nate Darling, Amidou Bomba and Anthony Longpre were scoreless. Canada hit 28-70 (.400) overall, 18-38 (.474) from the floor, 10-2 (.313) from the arc and 21-27 (.778) from the line, while garnering 58 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 19 fouls, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Silvio Sousa paced Angola with 18 on 6-13 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 6-9 from the line, 9 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Geraldo Santos added 15 on 1-4 from the floor, 4-10 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 6 boards. Childe Dundao scored 10 on 0-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 7-9 from the line and 3 steals. Cristiano Cabral Xavier added 7 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc and 3-8 from the line. Eric Amandio scored 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Melvyn Da Silva added 4 on 2-4 from the floor and 0-2 from the arc. Selton Miguel added 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Milton Valente scored 2 on 1-9 from the floor, 5 boards and 3 steals. Levy Miguel scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists, while Rifen Miguel, Jonatao Ndjungu and Tarcio Domingos were scoreless. Angola (coached by Raul Fragoso Ferreira Duarte, assisted by Joaquim Julio Pinto and Jose Antonio Pontes) hit 21-75 (.280) overall, 15-48 (.313) from the floor, 6-27 (.222) from the arc and 17-28 (.607) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 23 fouls, 10 turnovers, 11 steals and 2 blocks.
In the quarterfinals, Canada defeated France 73-67 to earn its first birth in a medal round of the U19 World Cup. “What an incredibly proud moment for this group and this team. To make history at the U19 level is sweet for us but we’re not going to settle. We’re focused on getting ready for the next challenge,” said Canadian coach Roy Rana. Rowan Barrett Jr. said ‘we played hard as a group, we knew what we had to do, and we got it done.” Abu Kigab said “it feels amazing. We made history. We’re the first team in Canadian history to ever make it to the (U19) Semi-Finals. It’s just an unbelievable feeling and I am just very happy for my guys and my country. … It’s a big thing. It really shows how far Canadian basketball has come. A lot of people don’t think Canada is known for basketball. Most people think it’s known for hockey. Us making a name for ourselves is a really big deal.” Rana said “it feels great. It’s always a nice thing for our country and the development of our country. We’re always in the mix for these. Whereas the final eight has become consistent, hopefully we can make the final four consistently now. … I said to RJ [Barrett], these are the moments. These are the moments where players arrive. And he arrived today. He absolutely delivered on the biggest stage of his career.” The score was knotted at 15 after one quarter. Canada led 35-25 at the half and 53-44 after three quarters. Rowan Barrett Jr. paced Canada with 27 on 9-13 from the floor, 9-11 from the line, 5 boards and 4 assists. Abu Kigab added 17 on 4-9 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 15 boards and 6 assists. Grant Shephard scored 12 on 4-5 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 5 boards. Danilo Djuricic added 5 on 1-4 from the floor and 1-4 from the arc. Jordan Henry added 4 on 0-1 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 5 assists. Noah Kirkwood scored 4 on 0-1 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Prince Oduro added 4 on 1-6 from the floor, 2-6 from the line and 4 boards, while Nate Darling, Amidoug Bamba, Emanuel Miller and Anthony Longpre were scoreless. Lindell Wigginton was injured (concussion) and did not play. Darling nabbed 2 boards and dished 2 assists. Canada hit 24-55 (.436) overall, 19-40 (.475) from the floor, 5-15 from the arc and 20-32 (.625) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 21 assists, 17 fouls, 20 turnovers, 5 steals and 1 block. Killian Tillie paced France with 22 on 10-15 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-5 from the line, 17 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Bathiste Tchouaffe added 16 on 1-3 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Enzo Goudou Sinha scored 9 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Bastien Vautier added 8 on 4-7 from the floor, 8 boards and 2 assists. Abdoulaye N’Doye scored 6 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 1-6 from the line, 3 boards, 6 assists and 4 steals. Jules Rambaut added 6 on 3-7 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc, while Adam Mokoka, Mel Esso Essis, Warren Woghiren, Pierre Hannequin, Digue Diawara and Arsone Mendy were scoreless. France (coached by Hervé Claude Michel Coudray, assisted by Nicholas Cyril Absalon and Christophe Allardi) hit 26-71 (.366) overall, 20-43 (.465) from the floor, 6-28 (.214) from the arc and 9-22 (.409) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 20 assists, 26 fouls, 17 turnovers, 12 steals and 4 blocks.
In the semis, Canada dispatched the United States 99-87. “What an incredible moment for Canadian basketball, for these kids, for this team. Great win, now we’ve got to move on and get ready to play for – as unbelievable as it sounds – a world championship,” said Canadian coach Roy Rana. Injured point guard Lindell Wigginton said “it felt great to watch and support the team. They battled through ups and downs, battled through adversity and got it done for me when I was out.” Rowan Barrett Jr., who was two days removed from his 17th birthday, said “it means a lot. We beat the USA, we beat the champs. Hopefully we can be the champs tomorrow.” Danilo Djuricic said Barrett was the difference. “You saw it. He carried us in the first half. He had way more than all of us combined (20 first half points). He’s the reason we were in the game. RJ led us and he’s been leading us the whole tournament – scoring, passing, rebounds. He’s doing it all for us. And he’s being a great leader. … USA is always a big target in these tournaments and they’re always the ones to beat. To knock them out in the semis, this is something we’ve been waiting for. It’s been a topic for a long time. Can Canada beat the US? Can Canada hang with the US? We proved today that we are right up there. It just has to translate through all the age groups to continue to work.” The United States led 23-17 after one quarter. Canada led 45-42 at the half and 66-59 after three quarters. Rowan Barrett Jr. paced Canada with 38 on 10-18 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 12-15 from the line, 13 boards and 5 assists. Abu Kigab added 14 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 7-11 from the line, 6 boards and 4 assists. Nate Darling added 13 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists. Grant Shephard scored 12 on 5-7 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Danilo Djuricic added 8 on 1-2 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 8 boards and 2 blocks. Noah Kirkwood scored 6 on 3-4 from the floor and 2 boards. Jordan Henry added 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Amidou Bamba scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor and 6 boards. Emanuel Miller added 2 on 0-1 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Prince Oduro added 1 on 1-2 from the line, while Anthony Longpre was scoreless. Canada hit 32-76 (.421) overall, 26-51 (.510) from the floor, 6-25 (.240) from the arc and 29-40 (.725) from the line, while garnering 53 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 28 fouls, 14 turnovers, 2 steals and 4 blocks. P.J. Washington paced the United States with 17 on 4-13 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 9-16 from the line, 11 boards and 2 assists. Payton Pritchard added 16 on 2-4 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 4 boards and 4 assists. Austin Wiley added 13 on 5-9 from the floor, 3-7 from the line and 17 boards. Carsen Edwards scored 12 on 2-8 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 3 assists and 2 steals. Hamidou Diallo added 8 on 2-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-8 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Cameron Reddish added 7 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards and 3 steals. Immanuel Quickley scored 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Louis King scored 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 3 boards. Brandon McCoy added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the line and 5 boards, while Josh Okogie, Kevin Huerter and Romeo Langford were scoreless. Huerter dished 2 assists. The United States (coached by John Calipari, assisted by Thomas Boyle and Danny Manning) hit 28-85 (.329) overall, 22-62 (.355) from the floor, 6-23 (.261) from the arc and 25-43 (.581) from the line, while garnering 62 boards, including 30 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 27 fouls, 14 turnovers, 11 steals and 5 blocks.
In the final, Canada dusted Italy 79-60 to win its first FIBA title at any level. “I don’t think anything was going to stop us tonight in the championship game. Incredible tournament, like most world championships. Lots of ups and downs, twists and turns, but our guys stayed in it. They were mentally tough, they believed in themselves, and we found a way. Incredible moment for our country, for these kids…it’s unbelievable to be able to say that we’re the best team on the planet at the U19 age level. It’s hard to express what we’re feeling right now as a group,” said Canadian coach Roy Rana. Canada led 24-10, 51-36 and 69-48 at the quarters. Tournament MVP Rowan Barrett Jr. said “it was just a crazy experience to see how far we came in a couple of weeks. It was an amazing feeling. It’s a hard group of guys, everybody worked hard and fought.” Agu Kigab said Barrett is “an unbelievable player, an even better character. He’s amazing off the court, just an overall good guy. I really love him just like a little brother.” Canada led 24-10 after one quarter by dominating the offensive glass and getting 7 apiece from Barrett and point guard Lindell Wigginton, who’d missed the quarter-and-semi-finals with a concussion. Nate Darling came off the bench and exploded for 8 points as Canada extended its’ lead to 51-36 heading into the lockers. Canada locked down on defence in the third quarter and led 69-48 heading into the final frame. Italy never threatened. Rana told the Globe & Mail “for a 17-year-old to lead us to the first world championship in our history is something really unique and something unbelievable. He’s a special, special young talent.” Rana later said in a press conference that “you’re on top of that podium and you know you’ve won it all. It hasn’t happened before and I think some of us just didn’t even know what to make of it. It’s always beautiful to hear our anthem and to hear it in this context is so special. I think everybody had chills. Just an incredible energy and price and emotion. It’s hard to explain. It’s hard to describe. … I think our expectations are vastly different than they were in the past. We go into every tournament thinking we have a legitimate shot to win a medal and now seeing we’ve had this success, that we can win it all, means that our expectations have risen.” Rowan Barrett Jr. paced Canada with 18 on 3-12 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Nate Darling added 12 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Abu Kigab scored 12 on 4-10 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 10 boards and 2 assists. Lindell Wigginton added 11 on 3-12 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Prince Oduro scored 8 on 4-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 5 boards. Grant Shephard scored 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-6 from the line and 6 boards. Amidou Bamba scored 6 on 3-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the line and 7 boards. Noah Kirkwood added 3 on 0-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 steals. Danilo Djuricic scored 3 on 0-1 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 10 boards and 2 assists, while Jordan Henry, Emanuel Miller and Anthony Longpre were scoreless. Miller nabbed 3 boards. Canada hit 28-84 (.333) overall, 22-60 (.367) from the floor, 6-24 (.250) from the arc and 17-26 (.654) from the line, while garnering 71 boards, including 23 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 18 fouls, 10 turnovers, 4 steals and 2 blocks. David Albright Okeke paced Italy with 14 on 5-14 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 10 boards and 2 blocks. Tommaso Oxilia added 12 on 4-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-8 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Lorenzo Penna scored 12 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Davide Denigri added 8 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Lorenzo Bucarelli added 5 on 2-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 4 boards and 6 assists. Guglielmo Caruso added 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 blocks. Riccardo Visconti scored 3 on 0-2 from the floor and 1-4 from the arc. Alessandro Pajola added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 0-2 from the arc, while Alessandro Simioni, Andrea Mezzanotte, Federico Massone and Michele Antelli were scoreless. Antelli dished 2 assists. Italy (coached by Andrea Capobianco, assisted by Fabrizio Ambrassa and Massimo Galli) hit 22-74 (.297) overall, 18-49 (.367) from the floor, 4-25 (.160) from the arc and 12-23 (.522) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 19 fouls, 7 turnovers, 5 steals and 5 blocks.
Joining Barrett on the all-tournament teams were Abu Kigab (Canada); Lorenzo Bucarelli (Italy); Tommaso Oxilia (Italy); and Payton Pritchard (USA).
In December, 20-17, the squad was named the Canadian Press Team of the Year. “From one to 12, what an incredible group of young kids we had, who did an incredible job of representing our country,” said coach Roy Rana.