Team USA won the FIBA U18 Americas for the 7th consecutive time in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Sunday June 9th, 2024. The closest game for Team USA was against Argentina where they won by 22 points. The USA was so dominant in terms of talent that the second team would have most likely defeated the rest of the competition in the same fashion. Most of the top prospects from countries participating in this tournament already play their high school basketball in the USA and many are part of the grassroots AAU circuit. Therefore many of the players here should be familiar to most.
International Players:
Efeosa Oliogu 6’5 Wing OTE (City Reapers), 2006 Born, Canada
Efeosa Oliogu for a wing is a load. His strength and vertical power are what you are looking for in a wing. He will finish plays strong with backboard swinging dunks. In the Americup he demonstrated some “shiftability” with a top of the key spin move and a euro step finish to avoid a charge. He likes to use a crossover to get downhill and if he can get his shoulders past the defender, it is nearly impossible to recover given his power. Has improved his shooting range since his stint with OTE, resulting in going 5/11 from three and 12/14 from the three throw line. Yet he still seems hesitant to take the open shot at times and instead puts the ball on the floor for a drive. He did not play well against Team USA which begs the question of how well he adapts when playing against a team that can match his athleticism. Also while he has elite power, his power does not seem as transferable when he moves laterally. Averaged 10.2 points 4.2 assists 2.0 turnovers and 1.2 Steals
Jaion Pitt 6’6 PF Canyon International, 2006 Born, Canada
Jaion Pitt who plays in the EYBL circuit for AZ Unity is most effective around the rim. His combination of physicality and length makes him very difficult to guard at this level. He has nice, soft touch around the rim and is able to create space and find angles off the backboard that many other players would not be able to finish. He flashed a drop step in the post and used the rim to shield the ball away from shot blockers. If there is an aggressive closeout, he can dribble to the rim. He is not a shooter, however, making it a rare occurrence. He has a constant motor and a nose for offensive rebounds. He plays like the prototypical small ball post player. He needs to work on his shooting to make it to the highest level but will surely be effective at the college level. Averaged 9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
Tristan Beckford: 6’4 Wing, Hillcrest, 2006 Born, Canada
Tristan Beckford was voted top 5 for the tournament. Playing for Hillcrest and in the EYBL AAU circuit for Uplay with Will Riley, he was a familiar opponent to many of Team USA’s players. He has elite athleticism showcasing a few monster dunks, including a highlight dunk in the Bronze medal game where he in bounded the ball and passed to the post, then cut middle and dunked the ball over the help side post defender from the Dominican Republic (footage here). His athleticism allows him to be effective in the dunker spot for strong finishes. He showed some ability to get to the hole and avoid charges with his euro step. While he made the occasional three pointer, his shot from the outside is still very inconsistent and will need some work for the next level. He also did not show much ability as a table setter for others. He averaged 13 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1 steal per game for the event.
Tyler Kropp 6’8 PF Olentangy Liberty, 2007 Born Argentina
Tyler Kropp led the tournament in scoring and led his country, Argentina, to the gold medal game versus the United States. He shot the ball the best from three against the United States going 4 for 5. A good shooter, he’s the high man when they go into a high-low sequence and is a good pick and pop option. He was particularly effective in drawing fouls at this event and he shot it well from the free throw line going 38/49 in 6 games. He is not especially long or athletic, which comes out statistically in his lack of steals and blocks. He probably will have to transition into more of a small forward for the college level and will need to control his turnovers. He led the tournament in points and rebounds averaging 22 and 11.3 respectively.
Mathias Vazquez 6’5 Forward Regis Betis (Spain), 2008 Born Brazil
Mathias was one of the younger players at this event as a 2008 born. On offense, he played mostly as a power forward for the Brazilian team and had his best success against less athletic frontcourts, while he struggled versus the USA (7 points 4 fouls in 17 minutes) and Canada (0/10). For Brazil he was a good outlet on offense when his guards were trapped or got in trouble. He showed a high basketball IQ for a player his age and some agility on his drives and finishes. He has a good ability to draw fouls and get to the line where he shot it at 75% (27/36). He did not shoot it well from three (1/15). In the dunker spot, he can finish plays off with dunks. Mathias’ development in his shot and playing more as a wing will be essential in the next couple years. There are indications that he can do this as he has a high basketball IQ, great awareness in spacing, agility, and has sown some ability as a shooter from the free throw line.
Honorable Mention
Alejandro Aviles 6’8 Forward Dream City Christian, 2006 Born Puerto Rico
Spencer Ahrens 6’8 Forward Sunrise Christian, 2006 Born Canada
Felipe Minzer 6’6 Wing Zaragoza (Spain), 2007 Born Argentina rebounds
Lucas Morillo 6’7 Wing Iona Prep, 2007 Born Dominican Republic
Josiah Moseley 6’6 Forward Villanova, 2006 Born, Belize
Felipe Quinones 6’5 SG IMG, 2008 Born Puerto Rico
Team USA:
Darius Acuff 6’3 CG IMG, 2006 Born
Darius Acuff was the most efficient scorer at the event and deservedly received the MVP trophy for the Americup. He showed soft touch around the rim, and in the mid-range, shooting 33/61 from inside the three point line. He overpowered opponents to get to the hole using his shoulders and body to get downhill. He showcased a quick release and nice repeatable stroke from long range. He overwhelmed opponents with his physicality defensively. He also did not play much point guard in Buenos Aires, and was instead the featured scorer for team USA.
Jasper Johnson 6’4 SG Link Academy, 2006 Born
Jasper Johnson was an instant offense fire plug for Team USA. Coming off the bench, he raised the energy level and created offensive opportunities for himself and others. Breaking down defenders and often finding himself wide open after a flurry of moves. The lefty showcased his sweet stroke going 11/26 from three (42.3%) in 6 games. He also showed some effort on defense, against Puerto Rico, Jasper ran the full length of the court and prevented a fast break dunk with a left handed chase down block (pictured & Footage here). Scouts already knew he could score, but showing he can be effective coming off the bench and his willingness as a defender confirmed himself as more of a complete player.
Daniel Jacobsen 7’3 C Purdue, 2006 Born Video
Daniel Jacobsen, who is headed to Purdue in the fall, led the tournament in blocked shots (3.2 per game). A late bloomer, he was able to finish plays off with two handed dunks. In the post, he featured a drop step and an up and under move. He shot the ball at 65% from the field and went 11/14 from the free throw line. He needs a couple years to gain strength and weight but at 7’3, he is in the mold of a certain Purdue center that won player of the year this year.
Mikel Brown Jr 6’2 PG OTE (Coldhearts), 2006 Born
Mikel was the starting point guard for team USA and collected 31 assists to his 8 turnovers in the 6 game span. With a wiry frame, he was able to snake his way around defenders to set both himself and others up on offense. He’s a versatile point guard as he can play off the ball as well as with the ball, as he is very dangerous in catch and shoot situations. He is a high basketball IQ player both on defense and offense, anticipating plays ahead of time, leading to 8 steals.
Derrion Reid 6’7 SF Alabama, 2006 Born
Derrion Reid overpowered opponents at the AmeriCup. From the wing or the corner he was able to get to the middle off the drive and finish plays with soft touch around the rim. He featured some elite ball handling and showed some ability in the mid range. He was also a top 10 rebounder at this event. Only took 4 threes in 6 games and made none.
Jeremiah Fears 6’2 PG AZ Compass, 2006 Born
Jeremiah Fears did not play a featured role for Team USA, but he was second in steals despite only playing 12 minutes per game and led the tournament in assist to turnover ratio. He showcased both his intensity as a player and his ability as a game manager. Unfortunately for him, the ball was not going in from long distance in this tournament (3/20) and if there is any criticism to his play here it would be that he settled shooting outside shots when he was cold, instead of taking it to the rim. He did not attempt a free throw in the 6 game tournament.
Nate Ament 6’8 SF Highland School, 2006 Born
Nate Ament played the least amount of minutes for Team USA, but he may be the best long term prospect of the group. He has good positional size and length. He is a fluid athlete who is skilled as a shooter and has good positional handles. He has some work to do to become an efficient player, but it wouldn’t surprise me if 4 years down the road he is the best player from this group.
Morez Johnson 6’8 PF Illinois, 2006
Morez Johnson was an athletic force against the competition here. Despite playing less than 14 minutes per game, he was in the top 10 in rebounding, while averaging 9 per game. He had a combination of 19 blocks or steals in 6 games. On offense he usually was finishing off plays with power, shooting 62% from the field.
Honorable Mention:
Nikolas Khamenia 6’7 Forward Harvard Westlake, 2006 Born
Shelton Henderson 6’5 Wing Bellair, 2006 Born
This tournament qualified the USA, Argentina, Canada, and the Dominican Republic for the FIBA U19 World Cup in 2025.
