USA 136, MAD 69
The U.S. captured its first victory of the 2023 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup, topping Madagascar 136-69 on Saturday in Debrecen, Hungary. It was the first ever meeting between the two countries.
The USA will take on Slovenia on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. All games are streamed on FIBA's YouTube channel.
The Americans have won 16 straight games at the U19 Men's World Cup, dating back to the 2017 tournament. The United States has won the competition eight times, including three of the last four competitions (2015, 2019 and 2021).
The USA-Madagascar box score is available here.
TEAM NOTES
Worth Noting: With today’s win, the United States moves to 106-14 all-time in U19 men's competition and has won 16th straight. The USA improves to 15-1 in its opening game at the U19 World Cup. Today’s game was the first ever meeting between the United States and Madagascar.
Starting Out: Head coach Tad Boyle started the game with Mark Armstrong, Dylan Harper, Eric Dailey Jr., Ven-Allen Lubin and Omaha Biliew, though all 12 American players saw substantial minutes.
How We Got Here: USA Basketball qualified for this tournament after earning a Top 4 finish at the 2022 U18 Men’s Americas Championships in Tijuana, Mexico. The USA won the tournament with a 6-0 record and combined score of 631-328. On June 8, 30 players traveled to Colorado Springs to participate in a week-long training camp, which led to 12 players being named to the final roster on June 16.
Off the Bench: Eight-five of the United States’ 136 total points came from the bench, including leading scorer Tre Johnson with 21 points.
Big Time Boards: The United States was dominant on the boards, outrebounding Madagascar 56-22, including 21-4 on the offensive end.
No One Went Hungry: All 12 American players were in the scoring column...in the first half. Six players ended the game in double figures and all but two contributed more than eight points.
PLAYER NOTES
New Kids On The Block: Six members of the USA team (Tobe Awaka, Biliew, Myles Colvin, Harper, Lubin and Cody Williams) made their international 5-on-5 debuts. In total, nine of the 12 players had USA Basketball experience (as a member of a team or participant in a training camp or a minicamp). Three players (Awaka, Harper, Lubin) had no prior to USA Basketball experience prior to training camp in Colorado Springs earlier this month.
Coaches Corner: After a 6-0 record and a gold medal at the U18 Americas Championships last summer, Boyle (University of Colorado) returned in the first chair to coach the United States in Debrecen and is accompanied by the same staff—Mike Boynton (Oklahoma State) and Leon Rice (Boise State).
Fountain of Youth: USA starter Harper and USA leading scorer Johnson are the sixth- and seventh-youngest players in the tournament, respectively. In addition to their points totals, both Harper and Johnson contributed seven rebounds and five assists each.
Treys for Tre (and Ian): In addition to leading the team in scoring, Johnson, along with teammate Ian Jackson, led the U.S. from deep, hitting three 3-pointers apiece.
What's Next
Pool Play | USA vs. Slovenia | June 25 at 2 p.m. ET | YouTube.com/FIBA
A game recap will be published on usab.com.
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