6 players that shone at the FIBA U19 World Cup in 2023
The 2023 U19 FIBA World Cup provided spectators, coaches, and scouts with an opportunity to observe the future generation of players from across the world. Many of the developing prospects have a lot of talent and potential, but the top 10 players appear to be the most polished athletes.
Check out the players that excelled at the FIBA U19 World Cup in 2023, giving their fans and national teams a reason to be enthusiastic about the future.
Lee Aaliya – Argentina
Aaliya has already represented the generation at the FIBA U18 South American Championship 2022 and the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2022 last summer. He averaged 8.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in the latter. Last season, the power forward made such progress that he was called to the Argentina senior national team training camp in February 2023.
Aaliya improved dramatically in Debrecen, ranking fourth in scoring, rebounds, and blocks. And he improved his performance throughout the event. He averaged 11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in his first two games. He averaged 19.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game after his first rest day, including a monstrous double-double of 31 points, 20 rebounds, and 3 blocks versus Canada in Classification 5-8. Aaliya was chosen to the All-Second Team of the competition.
Melvin Ajinca – France
Ajinca was without a doubt the most significant advantage of France’s many key players being away from their squads, as he led the team in scoring while making the second-most three-pointers in the tournament (22) and hitting them at the fourth-best percentage. The guard also helped to create plays while avoiding turnovers (1.6 per game in 28 minutes).
Ajinca was also the team’s second-best free throw shooter (83%) and took the most foul throws per game (5.0). Second-highest scorer in the tournament and the final (21 points). The French player was named to the tournament’s All-Second Team.
Xaivian Lee – Canada
Lee made his debut appearance for Canada, and expectations were low after averaging 4.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 13 minutes for Princeton in his rookie season. With top playmaker Aden Holloway out, Lee’s prospects of making an impact increased significantly.
He only had 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 turnovers in the first game against Spain. However, he responded well and scored at least 11 points in each of the final six games, including a game-high 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists versus Argentina in the Classification 5-8.
Mathias M’Madi – Madagascar
M’Madi entered the competition with all eyes on him to see what he could accomplish for Madagascar’s U19 World Cup debut. And the guard, who was named MVP of the FIBA U18 African Championship 2022, did not let anyone down. After scoring 28 points on 56% shooting in his debut game on the world stage against the United States, he poured in a tournament-high 34 points to assist Madagascar earn their first-ever victory against Lebanon.
M’Madi ended as the tournament’s top scorer, with 33 points against France. He also helped the club in every other area, finishing second in assists and tied for first in steals.
Baba Miller – Spain
Miller entered the event after competing in the FIBA U18 European Challengers 2021, where he averaged 11.8 points and 4.4 rebounds. Miler played his freshman season at Florida State University in the United States, where he averaged 4.3 points and 3.7 rebounds.
Miller has shown his ability to step up in crucial occasions in Debrecen, scoring 18 points against Argentina, but his second and third biggest scoring games came against France – 14 points in the group stage and 11 points in the Final. Miller almost had a triple-double against China, finishing with 9 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Yang Hansen – China
Yang arrived in Hungary with doubts about his ability to replicate his performance in the FIBA U18 Asian Championship 2022, when he averaged 12.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 3.6 blocks.
Yang proved he can compete on the international level with 12.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 5.0 blocks. He was the tournament’s leading blocker, as well as third in rebounds and fourth in assists. Yang was named to the tournament’s All-Second Team.
All these are the best 6 players who blossomed in the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup. Do share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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