Incoming Northwestern Freshman Finishes Up Dominant International Showing

The forward played for Team Argentina at the FIBA U19 World Cup.

Olentangy Liberty's Tyler Kropp drives from the top of the key against Newark's Steele Meister during the visiting Patriots' 58-49 victory at Jimmy Allen Gymnasium on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. | Kurt Snyder/The Advocate / USA TODAY NETWORK

The FIBA U19 World Cup wrapped up on Sunday with Team USA winning the championship game over Team Germany. Northwestern had one representative in the tournament, Argentina forward Tyler Kropp, and he was a force to be reckoned with.

Kropp plays for Team Argentina because his mother is Argentinian, and this tournament was not his first forray into international basketball. He had played in previous tournaments for different age levels, and he'd been a solid performer.

But this was Kropp's coming out party. The 6-foot-7 three-star recruit averaged 21.7 points per game over seven contests at the tournament. He was also active on the boards, averaging 9.7 rebounds per game.

The Daily Northwestern's Charlie Spungin posted all of his game lines on X yesterday.

🇦🇷 Tyler Kropp at the FIBA U19 World Cup:

22 PTS - 11 REB - 50 FG%
23 PTS - 9 REB - 67 FG%
24 PTS - 9 REB - 67 FG%
18 PTS - 12 REB - 11 FTM
25 PTS - 9 REB - 56 FG%
19 PTS - 12 REB - 56 FG%
21 PTS - 6 REB - 54 FG%

First player since 2003(!) to score 18+ points in each game. pic.twitter.com/xXNkxaWLLN

— Charlie Spungin (@CharlieSpungin) July 6, 2025

For his efforts, Kropp was rewarded with a spot on the All-Second Tournament team. He was also included on an extended list for Argentina's senior team's roster for the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup, according to EuroHoops.net.

This tournament went about as well for Kropp as Northwestern could have possibly hoped. He'll now join the Wildcats for summer workouts with a lot of confidence, and the outlook for his 2025-26 season has shifted in a positive direction.

Before the tournament, Kropp seemed like a candidate to redshirt his freshman season. Now, it's not clear at all what will happen. Kropp could potentially be good enough already to see minutes early as part of the program's highest ranked recruiting class in history.

He will be an interesting player to keep an eye on in the ramp up to the season. Head coach Chris Collins might have quite a few difficult lineup decisions on his hands heading into November--a good problem to have.