Top Storylines to Follow at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship
The FIBA U18 Americas tips off in Valdivia, Chile this week as eight teams compete for four spots in the 2017 FIBA U19 World Championships.
Not only is the event a chance to represent your country and compete for a gold medal, but it is also a big chance to make a name for yourself on an international stage. The event will be filled with big-named college coaches, scouts and professional personnel.
The American team, comprised of Class of 2016 players who are entering college this season and Class of 2017 high school prospects who will be seniors in high school next season, will be heavily favored to win the event. But there are a lot of intriguing subplots surrounding the team as it pertains to recruiting and national rankings.
Here's a look at some things to watch for over the next few days as the American team tries to repeat as gold-medal winners in this event.
Recruiting ratings via 247Sports.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and information were obtained firsthand.
How Will the Future Texas Frontcourt Look Playing for Shaka Smart?
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One of the unique aspects of this FIBA U18 Americas competition will be that Texas head coach Shaka Smart gets a few extra weeks and games to work with some key frontcourt pieces for the Longhorns.
With big men Jarrett Allen and James Banks both making the 12-man roster, Smart gets to see first-hand how they look playing with each other and how both players will handle the adversity of high-level practices and games.
While some coaches will have to wait a few months until their freshmen are on campus, Smart should have a pretty good grasp on the kind of minutes that can be expected out of Allen and Banks in their freshman seasons. If the two of them show chemistry by playing together, Smart can also figure out some unique ways to incorporate both of them into the Texas offense before the season tips off.
Will USA's Main Contributors Be Future Washington Huskies?
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Two of the most highly-touted players on the American team are future Washington Huskies, as incoming freshman Markelle Fultz and Class of 2017 commit Michael Porter Jr. are both on the U18 roster.
Since both Fultz and Porter are consensus top-5 prospects in their respective classes, and both can score, the American team could look to them as the go-to guys when it comes to tight-game scenarios.
With Fultz currently projected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, according to Draft Express, it's looking likely he could be a one-and-done prospect. So this might also be the only time that Washington fans get to see two of their key pieces run together in a competitive setting.
It will also be intriguing to follow Porter has he continues his pursuit of being the No. 1 player in his class. A big international event for both Fultz and Porter could put them at No. 1 in NBA mock drafts and national class rankings.
Which Class of 2017 Point Guard Will Fare the Best?
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Having ball handling and shooting is a major requirement of any international competition, and the USA U18 team made sure to have plenty of both by taking three talented Class of 2017 lead guards on the roster.
While Markelle Fultz could also spend some time on the ball as a point guard, a lot of the ball handling responsibilities will fall on the trio of Matt Coleman, Quade Green and Trae Young. Each Class of 2017 guard brings different aspects to the table as Coleman and Green are better at setting up teammates, while Young is better at shooting and hunting his own offense.
Coming off of a red-hot Peach Jam performance, it'll be interesting to see if Young carries that over in Chile. It's also worth noting that Green and Young both have grassroots teammates playing with them on this team, as Green has PSA Cardinals teammate Mohamed Bamba and Young has MoKan Elite teammate Michael Porter Jr.
Lineups featuring two point guards could also be very common during this event and it's worth monitoring who plays well in those situations.
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How Does Mohamed Bamba Fare in His First International Competition?
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As the No. 3 overall prospect in the Class of 2017, watching Mohamed Bamba play in his first major international competition will be fascinating.
Not only is the 6'11" Bamba still fighting for the No. 1 spot in his class, he's still figuring out how to be most effective as a basketball player since he is more prospect at this stage in his career.
Will the USA team count on Bamba to be a major contributor in Chile, or are they going to be patient with him as he finds himself on the offensive end of the floor? There might not be anybody on the team with a higher basketball ceiling than Bamba, but he'll have to earn minutes over two players that will be playing for Shaka Smart this season.
Will Smart opt to go with the older big men who will play for him this season, or let Bamba get equal minutes as well?
How Will Playing for College Coaches Change Recruiting?
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Since the USA Basketball U18 team is coached by Shaka Smart, Kevin Ollie and Mark Turgeon, it provides a unique opportunity for some uncommitted Class of 2017 recruits to play for college head coaches they might end up playing for at the next level.
As the head coach of Texas, Smart has been recruiting Matt Coleman, P.J. Washington and Trae Young. At UConn, Ollie has been recruiting Hamidou Diallo, Mohamed Bamba and Quade Green. With Maryland, Turgeon has been active with M.J. Walker.
Now that these prominent head coaches get to work directly with some of these recruits, could it lead to better (or worse) relationships at the end of the event? This is a unique opportunity for a college recruit to actually see first-hand what it might be like to play for a coach they're considering for the future.
Some of these recruits might realize that they love playing for a certain coach, while others learn that it won't be a good fit.
How Many Other College Coaches Will Travel to Chile to Recruit?
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Recruiting has become more and more of an international game the last few years as we've seen several prominent overseas prospects forego professional options in order to play college basketball.
There has also been an increased focus for college coaches to "babysit" American high school recruiting targets overseas by making sure that those targets are getting the proper attention that they seek. Since many American basketball prospects want to be made a priority by college coaching staffs, that also means traveling around the world to see them play if they're in an international competition.
A large number of college coaches traveled to Spain for the recent FIBA U17 World Championships and there should be plenty of coaches who do the same for the FIBA U18 Americas in Chile. The major question will be if head coaches decide to go and for how long?
Who Has the Best Chance at Beating the United States?
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Canada has a couple of high-caliber college basketball prospects on its roster and there is also a lot of international experience among the group.
Point guard Lindell Wigginton plays at Oak Hill Academy and is considered a 4-star prospect in American basketball rankings, while the Canadian team also features two players in Jordan Henry and Abu Kigab who played in the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championships.
Earlier this summer, Jaden Bediako and Grant Shephard also played for Canada Basketball in the FIBA U17 World Championships. That means one third of Canada's roster has played in big international tournaments before and they shouldn't be fazed when facing the kind of competition they're about to see.
The Americans will still be heavily favored against any team they play in the FIBA U18 Americas this year, but Canada could be their biggest test.
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