Team USA’s U18 AmeriCup team had gotten used to throwing a punch and their opponents folding.
In the U18 AmeriCup finals, Team USA found themselves in a real battle. They initially pulled away in the second quarter, but Argentina, refusing to back down, punched back and took a 28-26 lead.
It was only delaying the inevitable. Team USA completed an undefeated AmeriCup run with a 110-70 win.
“I’m really proud of these guys,” said USA head coach Tommy Lloyd. “I’m really proud of how they handled the situation, the adversity of this tournament. FIBA basketball is hard.”
It was the seventh straight gold medal for USA Basketball.
Tournament MVP Darius Acuff Jr (IMG Academy/The Family) led the Americans. Acuff Jr. saved the best for last, scoring 26 points while dishing out nine assists and grabbing six rebounds.
Takeaways:
Pace Still Matters: Team USA’s superpower is forcing pace and using its depth. When Team USA faced Argentina in the Group Phase, it was in the fourth quarter that the Americans’ depth showed up. Argentina outscored the Americans in the third quarter. Up by nine, Team USA would close the game with a 26-13 fourth-quarter advantage.
After a blowout win over Belize, Brazil was the next team to fold up in the fourth. The Brazilians would only score seven points in the last ten minutes.
Puerto Rico and Canada would suffer the same fourth-quarter woes.
It’s About More Than Size: Team USA’s selection of “bigs” played a part in its success. Daniel Jacobsen (Brewster Academy/JL3), Patrick Ngongba (PVI/Team Takeover), and Morez Johnson Jr. (Thorton Township/Meanstreets) brought something different. They all have their moments.
Jacobsen is a true 7-footer who was a defensive rim defender and a capable scorer around the rim on offense. Jacobsen’s ability to clean up on both ends was more valuable than the numbers show.
Ngongba was the physical presence the Americans needed. In the first game against Argentina, Ngongba’s defense got the Americans on track. He battled for every rebound on both ends, which tied up the Argentinians.
Johnson Jr. was the hustle guy who ran the floor, made 50-50 plays, and was an athletic menace on the boards. He averaged 13.6 minutes per game and, in what looks like limited time, averaged 8 points and nine rebounds. It wasn’t about the minutes he played but what he did with them.
“Shot Hunting”: One drawback of putting together a team in a short window is that defining roles becomes a challenge. This could lead to miscommunication and misunderstandings. That’s understandable, but some players sometimes go on the floor to hunt shots.
Too many times, players made the game more complicated than it had to be because they played like it was their turn to shoot.
When the ball moved and touched both sides of the floor, or the ball-handler got both feet in the paint, the perimeter players had clean opportunities.
The only time the offense looked terrible in the half-court was when agendas got in the way.
