USA Defeat Argentina 88-58 in 2026 FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup Opener

02 June 2026

USA 88, ARG 58

The quest for a 12th gold medal – and eighth straight – at the FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup tipped for the 2026 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team (1-0) on Monday with an 88-58 Group A win vs. Argentina (0-1) at Domo de la Feria in León, Mexico.

View the USA-Argentina box score here.

POSTGAME NOTES

Back Like We Never Left: The U.S. improved to 14-0 in U18 AmeriCup openers and 15-1 vs. Argentina in all-time U18 competition. The two nations played twice in 2024, with the U.S. recording both opening and gold medal game wins vs. Argentina two years ago.

All In Good Time: Each member of the USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team made their national team debuts in the first quarter tonight in León. While Bruce Branch III, Caleb Gaskins and Ethan Taylor represented the U.S. at the Nike Hoop Summit in April, today’s game marks the first time suiting up in a FIBA competition for each member of the team. Head coach Anthony Grant returned to the U18 bench for the first time since winning gold as an assistant coach in 2018. Matt Langel and Nate Oats made their official USA Basketball bench coaching debuts as assistant coaches.

Early Bird Gets the Worm: The USA wasted no time building momentum and, in turn, a solid first quarter lead. The Americans led 23-11 at the end of one, including an 11-3 run over the last 4:42 of the period. Quentin Coleman closed the quarter with 9 points (4-6 FG, 1-2 3FG) and 3 rebounds to lead the squad. In the early stages of the second quarter, the U.S. weathered a 9-0 Argentina run, taking the margin to 27-22 USA, and responded by closing the last 5:53 before halftime on an 18-4 advantage to open up a 45-26 halftime lead.

Hands of Time: The red, white and blue stayed active on defense, forcing Argentina to hurry shots and commit turnovers. On the night, the opposition shot 33.3% from the field (22-66 FG) and 25.9% from 3-point range (7-27 3FG), while giving up 22 turnovers resulting in 23 U.S. points. Malachi Jordan led the push for the U.S. on defense, tallying a game-high 5 steals, the most by a U.S. player at the event since Eric Dailey Jr. totaled 5 thefts against Ecuador at the 2022 competition.

Every Second Counts: Coleman made the most of his 21 minutes on the floor, scoring 11 points and leading the game in rebounds with 15 (7 OR, 8 DR), two short of a U.S. competition record. As a team, the U.S. outrebounded Argentina by a massive margin, 61-34, resulting in a 19-7 advantage for the USA in second-chance points.

At the Right Time: Adan Diggs (5-9 FG, 2-4 3FG) and Darius Wabbington (3-5 FG, 0-1 3FG, 6-6 FT) finished tied with a team-best 12 points in the opening win. The duo was joined in double-figures by Coleman, Gaskins and Davion Thompson with 11 each as eight of the 12 suiting up for the U.S. tallied at least 5 points.