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AJ Dybantsa, Koa Peat lead Team USA past Australia in U19 World Cup opener

Dybantsa scores 18, Peat shines early as Americans pull away for 88-73 win to kick off gold medal chase in Greece

Levi Payton

Team USA's U19 squad beat Australia to kick off their chase for a gold medal in the FIBA World Cup opener.
Team USA's U19 squad beat Australia to kick off their chase for a gold medal in the FIBA World Cup opener. / USA Basketball

The 2025 USA Men’s U19 National Team got off to a strong start in FIBA World Cup play Friday, powering past Australia 88-73 in their tournament opener in Heraklion, Greece. And they got some help from some recent - and current - high school stars in the process.

Koa Peat made a huge impact. Aiming to become the first U.S. junior national player to win three FIBA gold medals, Peat - a five-star prospect from Perry High School in Chandler, Arizona who is committed to play collegiately at Arizona - scored 9 of the Americans’ first 11 points as the team jumped out to an 11-3 lead midway through the first quarter.

Australia answered with a 7-0 stretch before Nik Khamenia stopped the run with a three. His driving layup at the 3:32 mark put the U.S. back in control at 18-10.

AJ Dybantsa (Utah Prep; Hurricane, Utah; BYU) capped an 11-1 surge with a two-handed slam in transition that pushed the lead to double digits. Australia trimmed it slightly with a late layup, but the U.S. defense had already set the tone, holding the Aussies to 4-of-14 from the field in the opening period. The Americans led 25-15 at the break.

Jasper Johnson - who attended Woodford County High in Versailles, Kentucky and Link Prep in Branson, Missouri before playing his senior year at Overtime Elite in Atlanta - got on the board with 6:50 left in the second quarter. His step-back three and ensuing free throw gave the U.S. a 36-21 lead. He added a left-hand floater a few possessions later as the Americans kept building. Johnson is now at Kentucky.

Morez Johnson Jr. threw down a thunderous put-back that forced an Australian timeout at 5:15 with the U.S. in front by 19. Tyran Stokes then scored 6 points in a 50-second span, stretching the lead to 47-23.

Johnson Jr. prepped at St. Rita of Cascia Hall in Chicago before transferring to Thornton Township in Harvey, Illinois as a senior - going on to earn the state's Mr. Basketball award for the 2023-2024 season. He has since played collegiately at Illinois before transferring to Michigan.

Stokes, meanwhile, is ESPN's No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class. The 6-foot-7, 245-pound forward attends Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California. He is a native of Louisville, Kentucky.

Australia clawed back with a 14-2 run before halftime, but Peat led all U.S. scorers at the break with 11 points and 5 boards.

Team USA came out firing to start the third, stringing together a 13-0 run that ballooned the margin to 62-37 with 6:45 to play in the quarter.

Dybantsa stayed aggressive, drawing three fouls in the first two minutes of the second half. He hit six free throws and scored 11 in the quarter.

Australia responded again, this time with a 7-0 run led by Jacob Furphy that forced a U.S. timeout at the 5:23 mark. Furphy finished with a game-high 24 points and helped cut the lead to 68-55 heading into the fourth.

Mikel Brown Jr. - who prepped at DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida and is headed to Louisville - provided a spark to start the final frame. He buried a deep 3 from the left wing, followed it with a transition layup, and pushed the lead back to 73-57. Brown Jr. also dished out a game-high 7 assists and steadied the offense throughout.

“It was good to see the ball go in the hoop,” Brown Jr. said in a statement to USA Basketball. “I didn’t shoot it well today but I think overall I did solid. Controlling the pace of the game and putting my teammates where they need to be, and I think we executed.”

Dybantsa capped his night with a fast-break dunk that gave the U.S. a 16-point lead with under five minutes left. He finished with a team-high 18 points and went 12-for-15 from the line.

Australia never got closer than 11 the rest of the way. Team USA closed it out and secured a key opening win as the tournament continues through Saturday.

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Levi Payton
LEVI PAYTON

Levi’s sports journalism career began in 2005. A Missouri native, he’s won multiple Press Association awards for feature writing and has served as a writer and editor covering high school sports as well as working beats in professional baseball, NCAA football, basketball, baseball and soccer. If you have a good story, he’d love to tell it.

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