What great news to receive, you were selected to represent your country as one of the very best in your field. USA Basketball brought together 32 of the nation’s top prospects and have them battle it out for the final 12-man roster, which was announced on Tuesday.
Be sure you watch Team USA U18s next week as they play in the 2018 FIBA FIBA Americas Championships in Canada. The team will be coached by Kansas Head Coach Bill Self as well as Dayton Head Coach Anthony Grant and Wake Forest Head Coach Danny Manning. The USA U18 Team has won four consecutive Gold Medals in this event ant will tip off on June 10 against the Dominican Republic.
While watching intently all next week, Phenom Hoops has had the privilege of watching three of these final twelve grow up for numerous years. In this piece we wanted to take a look back at the first time we saw each of these players. Before they were 5-star recruits, before anyone outside of their area knew their names. Let’s see what we said…
Josiah Jordan James
2019 || Porter Gaud (SC) || TMP Elite
Team USA Official Measurements
6’6” || 197.5 pounds || 6’9” wing span || 36” max vert
2015 Phenom’s Summer Havoc
James comes from good blood lines, as his brother KJ currently plays at High Point University. James, isn’t far behind his brother. He has a great feel for the game with high IQ and handle and makes plays beyond his years. Mark this name in your SIM card.
Armando Bacot
2019 || Trinity Episcopal (VA) || Team Takeover
Team USA Official Measurements
6’10” || 240 pounds || 7’1” wing span || 31” max vert
2016 Virginia Top 80
Bacot has the potential to be a future McDonalds All-American. Bacot used his big body frame to get great positioning inside the paint and then used a series of basic post moves to go along with his fantastic touch around the basket to score and dominant over his defenders. For a big man, he is very willing to pass to his teammates for a better opportunity/look to score. Defensively, he used his timing and his 225lbs build around the rim to block/contest shots. He showed signs of his shooting as he connected on a mid-range shot and a 3-pointer. Also a 3.9GPA student.
Coby White
2018 || Greenfield School || UNC signee
Team USA Official Measurements
6’4.5” || 291 pounds || 6’3” wing span || 33” max vert
2015 North Carolina Top 80 Preview
6’3 Freshman Coby White (Greenfield School) – A name you probably don’t know yet, but soon will. White plays with great poise and feel. A combo guard is able to shoot from beyond the arc, but also has the ability to create positive plays for his team mates. He is a major young prospect.