Four Things We Learned FromThe USA's FIBA U19 Gold Medal Victory

Former Illinois Mr. Basketball Morez Johnson Jr. leads six players in double figures, AJ Dybantsa voted the Cup's MVP, as Americans turn close game into romp for their ninth FIBA U19 title

Utah Prep's AJ Dybantsa, of Brockton, was named the MVP of the FIBA U19 World Cup games in Lausanne, Switzerland, while lead USA to seven straight victories including Sunday's 109-76 win over Germany in the finals. This file photo is Dybansta for Utah Prep during a game vs. Montverde Academy the HoopHall Classic at Springfield College on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. Dybantsa, a 6-9 forward ranked the No. 1 2025 recruit in the country by 247Sports, is signed to play at BYU. / Jason Snow / The Enterprise / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

USA's star-studded deep roster was in full display when it counted most Sunday en route to a U19 FIBA World Cup championship in Lausanne, Switzerland. Here are three things we learned.

1. Morez Johnson Jr. Provided Leadership for Team USA

Former Illinois Mr. Basketball Morez Johnson Jr., now a rising sophomore at the University of Michigan, scored 15 points, leading six players in double figures as USA routed Germany 109-76 in the title game. Johnson played three high school seasons at St. Rita of Cascia (Chicago) before transferring to Thornton Township (Harvey, Ill.) for his senior season.

One of the most experienced players on the team, the 6-foot-9 wing played his freshman season at Illinois and in 30 games averaged 7.0 points and 6.7 rebounds before transferring to Michigan on April 1. He started six of seven games for USA in Switzerland and averaged 9.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 18.6 minutes per game.  

He had a game-high 10 rebounds in Sunday's championship game as USA dominated on the boards with a 50-31 edge.

• USA U19 WINS SEMIFINALS | Caleb Holt leads USA to semifinal win

2. Koa Peat and Mikel Brown Jr. Provided Scoring Depth

Koa Peat of Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) and Mikel Brown Jr., a McDonald's All-American who last attended to DME Academy, had 12 points apiece, AJ Dyubansta chipped in 11 and Jordan Smith Jr. and Tyran Stokes added 10 points apiece, leading USA to the seventh straight win in the international tournament that earlier included wins over Australia (88-73), France (108-77), Cameroon (129-70), Jordan (140-67), Canada (108-102) and New Zealand (120-64).

Peat, who is headed to the University of Arizona, averaged 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in the seven games while shooting 48.6% from the floor.  

Brown, who has signed to Louisville, was the team's leading scorer during the seven games at 14.9 per game and led the teams in assists (6.1 per game).

Perry's Koa Peat was one of six USA players to score in double figures Sunday in a 109-76 win over Germany to win the Americans' ninth U19 FIBA World Cup championships. Peat, who has signed to the University of Arizona, was one of 24 high school basketball players from Arizona nominated for the McDonald's All-American Game. / Naji Saker

3. The U.S. Knows How to Rebound

It was the Americans ninth FIBA U19 title, which is an ongoing record. USA finished fourth in the last U19 FIBA games in 2023, so they considered themselves a "Redeem Team."

Besides the 50-31 edge on the boards during the game, the Americans definitely rebounded strongly from the 2023 showing.

German, which got a game-high 19 points from Hannes Steinbach, trailed just 56-47 at halftime, before the Americans went on a 28-10 blitz in the third quarter. The quarter included a 22-2 run.

4. AJ Dybantsa Continues to Shine on the Biggest Stages

Dybantsa, who just graduated from Utah Prep and is headed to BYU, was named the Most Valuable Player of the competition, averaging 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Brown was the only other American on the All-Star Five squad.

manual