2018 International Basketball Thread

[awhom111]

R.J. apparently had 16 points in 20 minutes in Canada's 97-62 exhibition win over China. I am hoping for a full boxscore before I go to sleep, but I am not holding my breath.

Edit: here they are:


Antonio did not dress for Croatia's exhibition as the bigger names have arrived in camp for them.

[DavidBenAkiva]

R.J. apparently had 16 points in 20 minutes in Canada's 97-62 exhibition win over China. I am hoping for a full boxscore before I go to sleep, but I am not holding my breath.

Edit: here they are:


Antonio did not dress for Croatia's exhibition as the bigger names have arrived in camp for them.

For some reason, it hadn't dawned on me that Barrett is playing - and starting - for the SENIOR MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM. There are NBA players on that team, including Dillon Brooks (Memphis), Dwight Powell (Mavericks), Kelly Olynyk (Heat), Chris Boucher (Golden State Warriors), Andrew Nicholson (formerly of the Orlando Magic), and former #1 overall pick Anthony Bennett. Barrett starts for a team - and is a leading scorer - that features dudes in their mid-20s. Amazing.


I am encouraged that Barrett shot 8 of 9 from the free throw line. He gets to the basket and shoots well from the charity stripe. That is a sign that he will be a good shooter in time. That time may not be in his year at Duke, but we shall see.

[awhom111]

10 national teams headed to Paramaribo, Suriname with 2 spots on the line for 2021 Americup qualifying.

Play started in Group B, where Haiti beat Barbados 78-62. A couple of players with collegiate experience led the way as Jeantal Cylla had 33 points and 8 rebounds and Marvin Dominique had 18 points while former collegian Andre Lockhart had 12 points in the loss. Antigua beat Bermuda 91-78 with former collegians chipping in as Lennox McCoy had 16 points and Ernest Scott had 12 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...i#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore

In Group A, Guyana beat Grenada 93-64. The hosts beat St. Lucia 80-61 to end the day as former collegian Sergio De Randamie had 11 points while former collegian Yandell Denis had 15 points and 6 rebounds in the loss.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore

For some reason, it hadn't dawned on me that Barrett is playing - and starting - for the SENIOR MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM. There are NBA players on that team, including Dillon Brooks (Memphis), Dwight Powell (Mavericks), Kelly Olynyk (Heat), Chris Boucher (Golden State Warriors), Andrew Nicholson (formerly of the Orlando Magic), and former #1 overall pick Anthony Bennett. Barrett starts for a team - and is a leading scorer - that features dudes in their mid-20s. Amazing.


I am encouraged that Barrett shot 8 of 9 from the free throw line. He gets to the basket and shoots well from the charity stripe. That is a sign that he will be a good shooter in time. That time may not be in his year at Duke, but we shall see.

This is not quite the full squad that will play in qualifiers, but yes R.J. will be playing big minutes alongside NBA players. On performance, it seems most likely that the starters from 1 to 3 for them in the real game on Friday will be Cory Joseph, Dillon Brooks, and R.J. given no Wiggins and no Stauskas (though R.J. is probably ahead of Nik right now) and it is a little unclear where Hanlan fits as Heslip will probably be the main guy off the bench.

In the second exhibition, he had 21 points in 23 minutes in a 108-72 win as the players currently at the end of the bench were given the chance to start and impress. The other youngster Andrew Nembhard had 18 points. Among the pros, Brady Heslip had 13 points, Dwight Powell had 12 points and 9 rebounds, and Dillon Brooks had 10 points.

[NSDukeFan]

10 national teams headed to Paramaribo, Suriname with 2 spots on the line for 2021 Americup qualifying.

Play started in Group B, where Haiti beat Barbados 78-62. A couple of players with collegiate experience led the way as Jeantal Cylla had 33 points and 8 rebounds and Marvin Dominique had 18 points while former collegian Andre Lockhart had 12 points in the loss. Antigua beat Bermuda 91-78 with former collegians chipping in as Lennox McCoy had 16 points and Ernest Scott had 12 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...i#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore
In Group A, Guyana beat Grenada 93-64. The hosts beat St. Lucia 80-61 to end the day as former collegian Sergio De Randamie had 11 points while former collegian Yandell Denis had 15 points and 6 rebounds in the loss.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore



This is not quite the full squad that will play in qualifiers, but yes R.J. will be playing big minutes alongside NBA players. On performance, it seems most likely that the starters from 1 to 3 for them in the real game on Friday will be Cory Joseph, Dillon Brooks, and R.J. given no Wiggins and no Stauskas (though R.J. is probably ahead of Nik right now) and it is a little unclear where Hanlan fits as Heslip will probably be the main guy off the bench.

In the second exhibition, he had 21 points in 23 minutes in a 108-72 win as the players currently at the end of the bench were given the chance to start and impress. The other youngster Andrew Nembhard had 18 points. Among the pros, Brady Heslip had 13 points, Dwight Powell had 12 points and 9 rebounds, and Dillon Brooks had 10 points.

It’s always good to get your Scrubbs (no Philip this game?) some playing time. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Going 15-18 from the free throw line and 4-7 from 3 over 2 games is encouraging.

[Furniture]

Former @DukeMBB star @AmileJefferson will represent his country this summer with @usabasketball

https://mobile.twitter.com/AdamRoweT...16096434507776

[awhom111]

As expected, Amile was named to the USA team for the upcoming qualifiers:
https://www.usab.com/news-events/new...mwcq-team.aspx

Montserrat was the last Group B team to start Caribbean pre-qualification as they lost to Antigua 87-66 on Monday. The winners have plenty of experience and some former collegians as Cohen Desouza had 15 points and Lennox McCoy had 10 points while Vivian Destin, who played semipro ball in the Triangle, had 12 points. Barbados beat Bermuda 87-78 as former collegian George Haynes had 11 points and 7 rebounds. Bermuda found themselves more shorthanded as they only brought ten players, but were down to six for this game, including former collegian Chris Crumpler, who had 33 points and current DII player Yusef Riley, who had 12 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore

St. Vincent and the Grenadines was the last Group A team to open play, but their fresh legs did not help them against Guyana as they fell 104-102 in double overtime because one of the rising stars of the region Stanton Rose had 41 points and 8 rebounds. Guyana also has some older players who are former collegians as Ray Victor had 15 points and 8 rebounds and Anthony Moe had 13 points and 8 rebounds. Former collegians were also active in the loss as Sean Baptiste had 26 points and 9 rebounds, Chris Telesford had 17 points and 15 rebounds, Phillip Lawrence-Ricks had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Alexus Foyle had 12 points. Grenada fell shorts against hosts Suriname 69-67 despite 21 points and 12 rebounds from Daniel Regis of Nicholls State.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...e#tab=boxscore

[awhom111]

Pre-qualifying for tournaments in 2021 is not just happening in the Americas. Two regions in Asia started their games on Tuesday.

Nonthaburi in Thailand is hosting 6 teams from Southeast Asia for a round-robin tournament that will send 4 teams to the next round. The day started with a close game as Indonesia beat Malaysia 66-64 as former collegian Arki Wisnu had 10 points. The hosts beat Brunei 120-37 as they were able to get 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists from former collegian Tyler Lamb as they are one of the countries who have not been able to field a full strength team due to the rules. Singapore beat Cambodia 129-47 to end the day although the losers are continuing to integrate players with American roots into their team as Dominic Dar had 19 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...#|tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...m#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...e#tab=boxscore

Meanwhile in Dhaka, Bangladesh is hosting a total of 5 South Asia teams competing for 2 spots after a round robin. None of the teams involved have anything approaching widely available basketball information so I am not going to attempt rosters. The hosts beat Bhutan 61-49 to start the day. The Maldives edged Nepal 63-60 to also start off on a winning note as Sri Lanka was the team with the first day bye.
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...n#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...l#tab=boxscore

Meanwhile in the Caribbean Group A, Grenada started the day with a 73-69 comeback win over St. Lucia. Players with collegiate experience helped in the win as Kevin Cox had 13 points and 7 rebounds and Daniel Regis had 11 points and 9 rebounds while others nearly got their side the win as Yandell Denis had 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists and John Paul had 11 points and 8 rebounds. There was extra basketball to end the day as a big game from Dancell Leter was not enough for hosts Suriname as they lost 88-86 to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Former collegians led the way in the win as Chris Telesford had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Phillip Lawrence-Ricks had 26 points and 8 rebounds, and Alexus Foyle had 14 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...s#tab=boxscore

The feelgood story of the tournament continues to be Haiti's return to competitive basketball as they beat Montserrat 110-50 as their squad is completely filled with players with NCAA experience. Former Crazies' favorite Farnold Degand had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Jeantal Cylla of UNC Wilmington had 19 points and 8 rebounds, Marvin Dominique had 16 points, Jeff Coby had 12 points and 7 rebounds, Hernst Laroche had 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Clide Geffrard had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Antigua beat Barbados 62-55 as players with time in the United States led the way as Vivian Destin had 15 points and 7 rebounds and Cohen Desouza had 10 points while former collegian Andre Lockhart had 18 points in the loss.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...t#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...s#tab=boxscore

I tried my best to piece together rosters, although information for some small leagues is easier to find than others:

Grenada:
Lindon James, club unknown
Andy John, club unknown
Nigel Nimrod, club unknown
Neil Lewis, club unknown
Jonathan Williams, club unknown
Elmon Williams, club unknown
Greig St. John, club unknown
Anderson Charles, club unknown
Gary James, club unknown
Daniel Regis, Nicholls State
Kevin Cox, District of Columbia (DII)
Jehu La Feuillee, club unknown

Guyana:
Anthony Moe, club unknown, Millersville (DII)
Denzel Primus-Devonish, club unknown, Pace (DII)
Felix Hamilton, club unknown
Travis Belgrave, club unknown
Kevon Wiggins, club unknown
Shaine Webster, club unknown
Ray Victor, club unknown, Warner (NAIA)
Travis Burnett, club unknown
Harold Adams, club unknown
Timothy Thompson, club unknown
Stanton Rose, club unknown
Orlon Glasgow, club unknown

St. Lucia:
Yandell Denis, club unknown, Point Park (NAIA)
Kevin Lesporis, Gladiators (St. Lucia)
Rahim Auguste, Run'N Gun (St. Lucia)
Sharmoir JN Baptiste, Gladiators (St. Lucia)
Joel Junior Polius, Jacksonville (JC)
Linzel Alcee, Stars (St. Lucia)
Ron Dumurville, BFTF (St. Lucia)
Andre Louison, Jets (St. Lucia)
Keegan Preville, Jets (St. Lucia)
Larry Shepherd, Canaries (St. Lucia)
John Paul, Brandon University (U Sports), Tyler (JC)
Marcian Calderon, Warlords (St. Lucia)

St. Vincent and the Grenadines:
Reinaldo Millington, club unknown, Queensborough (JC)
Darreo Glasgow, club unknown
Kirsten Lampkin, club unknown
Phillip Lawrence-Ricks, Barreirense (Portugal), Marist
Sean Baptiste, club unknown, Fairleigh Dickinson
Akeme Smart, Izalco Brujos (El Salvador), McCook (JC)
Nicholas Lewis, club unknown
John Gardiner, Managua Leones (Nicaragua), Sam Houston State
Opong Bramble, NYIT (DII)
Chris Telesford, club unknown, Columbus State (DII)
Alexus Foyle, club unknown, BYU Hawaii (DII)
Dameon Ottley, club unknown

Suriname:
Safiero Fraser, Ruckers (Suriname)
Darryl Tolud, SCVU (Suriname)
Chayf Elburg, De Arend (Suriname)
Cheraldo Beverdijk, De Schakel (Suriname), Impact Academy (FL)
Gylan Watamaleo, SCVU (Suriname)
Dancell Leter, Yellow Birds (Suriname)
Sergio De Randamie, Leiden (Netherlands), Houston
Earvin De Randamie, SCVU (Suriname)
Emile La Rose, De Arend (Suriname)
Chaief Wielingen, Yellow Birds (Suriname)
Xaviro Vans Ams, Yellow Birds (Suriname)
Xavier Elburg, De Arend (Suriname)

Antigua:
Vivian Destin, club unknown, Bull City Legacy (TRBL)
Kareem Edwards, club unknown
Mario Davis, club unknown, Missouri Western (DII)
Lennox McCoy, club unknown, Central Oklahoma (DII)
Cohen Desouza, club unknown, Tyler (JC)
Selassie Braithwaite, club unknown
Adonis Humphreys, club unknown
Kareem Meade, club unknown
Kwame Braithwaite, club unknown
Clinton Joshua, club unknown, Campbellsville (NAIA)
Bryan Matthew, club unknown, Iona
Ernest Scott, club unknown, Valdosta State (DII)

Barbados:
George Haynes, club unknown, Mid-American Christian (NAIA)
Zahir Motara, Pinelands (Barbados)
Justin Pile, Warriors (Barbados)
Keefe Birkett, Lakers (Barbados)
Kelan Phillips, Bulls (Barbados)
Akeem Marsh, Gold Coast Rollers (Australia)
Andre Lockhart, London Lions (United Kingdom), Queen's (DII)
Saeed Norville, Cavaliers (Barbados)
Mark Bridgeman, Lakers (Barbados)
Junior Moore, Pinelands (Barbados)
Charles Vanderpool, Pinelands (Barbados), Bridgeport (DII)
Jeremy Gill, Pinelands (Barbados)

Bermuda:
Jaren Haley, Flyboys (Bermuda), Barton (DII)
Chris Crumpler, Thundercats (Bermuda), Flagler (DII)
Yusef Riley, Paine (DII)
Kevin Stephens, Chargers (Bermuda)
Steveland Brown-Darrell, Twisters (Bermuda)
Adam Correia, Flyboys (Bermuda), IMG Academy (FL)
Jason Lowe, Thundercats (Bermuda)
Kameron James, Rimrockers (Bermuda)
Seward Smith, Flyboys (Bermuda)
Vernon Lambe, Flyboys (Bermuda)

Haiti:
Hernst Laroche, Hispano Americano (Argentina), New Mexico State
David Jean-Baptiste, Chattanooga
Jeff Coby, Xuventude Cambados (Spain), Columbia
Jeantal Cylla, UNC Wilmington
Carrel Joseph, SUNY Cortland (DIII)
Frantz Massenat, Oldenburg (Germany), Drexel
Farnold Degand, club unknown, North Carolina State
Antoine Joseph, club unknown, Union (DII)
Clide Geffrard, Union de Santa Fe (Argentina), Stephen F. Austin
Marvin Dominique, Sorques (France), St. Peter's
Kervin Bristol, Prienai (Lithuania), Fordham

Montserrat:
Darren O'Garro, club unknown
Noel Weekes, club unknown
Emanuel Bradshaw, club unknown
Kenneth White, club unknown
Dairius Browne, club unknown
Dave Williams, club unknown
Shaquann Wade, club unknown
Jenzil Skerritt, club unknown, Illinois Tech (NAIA)
Kherel Silcott, club unknown, NJIT
Chad Kirnon, club unknown
Vachel Murrain, club unknown
Jamaul Wade, club unknown

[Truth&Justise]

awhom, you always do great work, but this is impressive. You're really sticking to it to bring us news from the farthest-flung corners of the basketball world.

[awhom111]

Thursday marks the return of World qualifiers, including Amile and the United States visiting Mexico at 9:30pm ET. Unfortunately, ESPN moved the games from ESPN3 to their new ESPN+ pay service, which they have not added enough quality events to yet to make me subscribe, although I will probably take the plunge soon.

The picture is now clear in the Caribbean after a decisive Wednesday that saw all the unbeatens in each group square off with seeding on the line. Group A started the day at the other end of the standings as the winless teams met and St. Vincent and the Grenadines beat St. Lucia 80-61. Players with collegiate experience contributed on each side as Chris Telesford had 19 points and 6 rebounds and Phillip Lawrence-Ricks had 12 points in the win while Yandell Denis had 11 points and Joel Junior Polius had 10 points in the loss. The day ended with the game between local rivals as Guyana got 28 points and 10 rebounds from Ray Victor and 12 points and 8 rebounds from Anthony Moe to beat the hosts 83-72, which got 20 points and 10 rebounds from their former collegian Sergio De Randamie. That means that Guyana and Suriname will advance in that order to the semifinals.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...e#tab=boxscore

The big Group B game saw Haiti past their test against Antigua 76-59 as their talent trumped experience. Marvin Dominque had 23 points and 7 rebounds, Hernst Laroche had 15 points and 6 assists, Jeantal Cylla had 11 points and 7 rebounds, and Jeff Coby had 10 points and 7 rebounds. Former collegians also helped the losing side as Cohen Desouza and Lennox McCoy had 13 points each. While those two advance regardless of final day results, the other teams were still scrapping as the two winless teams played and the six players of Bermuda prevailed 72-56 over Montserrat. Former collegian Kherel Silcott had 11 points and 15 rebounds in the loss while Chris Crumpler had 27 points and DII player Yusef Riley had 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 steals in the win.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...i#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...t#tab=boxscore

All parts of Asia were involved in pre-qualifying for the 2021 continental championship on Wednesday.

Southeast Asia started the day with a 104-43 win by Malaysia over Cambodia despite 19 points from Dominic Dar, who has American ties. It took overtime, but Thailand showed the importance of being able to call on Tyler Lamb as he had 27 points and 8 rebounds in an 83-77 overtime win over Singapore. Indonesia got 18 points and 9 rebounds from naturalized player Jamarr Johnson as they beat Brunei 116-54.
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...d#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...#|tab=boxscore

Over in South Asia, Bhutan edged Nepal 68-65. Sri Lanka was the last team to start their tournament, beating hosts Bangladesh 65-34 as NAIA player Praneeth Udumalagala had 15 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...n#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...a#tab=boxscore

The Gulf actually began their games back in February, but I dropped the ball both because I did not know about them and because FIBA's website is surprisingly tricky to navigate after the reorganization. Four teams are playing for two places with these three games played in the UAE after Bahrain hosted the first half of the double round-robin. Oman is still winless after losing 76-60 to Saudi Arabia. Bahrain then beat the hosts 79-73 to also give themselves a good shot at advancing as they and Saudi Arabia are tied at 3-1, one game ahead of the UAE.
http://www.fiba.basketball/asia/2018...n#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asia/2018...n#tab=boxscore

Here are the Southeast Asia rosters to the best of my ability:

Brunei:
Termizi Hadhi, club unknown
Ching Poh Chong, club unknown
Chin Kai Khoo, club unknown
Ye Wei Tan, club unknown
Benjamin Sim, club unknown
Zainul Ashyraf, club unknown
Jen Hao Onn, club unknown
Kah Hou Chong, club unknown
Ming Kwong Han, club unknown
Gideon Fong, club unknown
Chee Choun Lim, club unknown
Kian Leong Soon, club unknown

Cambodia:
Chandaravy Rithy Sovan, club unknown
Dominic Dar, club unknown, North Essex (JC)
Chhorath Tep, club unknown
Chanchav Lon, club unknown
Sovannaroth Main, club unknown
Asean Sam Veasna, club unknown
Sophara Chin, club unknown
Dararithy Pheng, club unknown
Pichbournchour Hour, club unknown
Sorangsey Tith, club unknown
Pati Sitha, club unknown
Kidorn Hong, club unknown

Indonesia:
Kaleb Gemilang, CLS Knights Indonesia (ASEAN)
Abraham Grahita, Stapac (Indonesa)
Andakara Dhyaksa, Stapac (Indonesia)
Sandy Kurniawan, CLS Knights Indonesia (ASEAN)
Kevin Sitorus, Satria Muda (Indonesia)
Ponsianus Indrawan, Pelita Jaya (Indonesia)
Firman Nugroho, CLS Knights Indonesia (ASEAN)
Valentino Wuwungan, Pelita Jaya (Indonesia)
Xaverius Prawiro, Pelita Jaya (Indonesia)
Arki Wisnu, Satria Muda (Indonesia), Baruch (DIII)
Juan Kokodiputra, Satria Muda (Indonesia)
Jamarr Johnson, Satria Muda (Indonesia), Widener (DIII)

Malaysia:
Tian Yuan Kuek, Malaysia Dragons (ASEAN)
Yii Yan Yew, Matrix (Malaysia)
Kok Hou Teo, Malaysia Dragons (ASEAN)
Yee Tong Heng, Malaysia Dragons (ASEAN)
Liang Chuan Yek, club unknown
Yi Hou Wong, Malaysia Dragons (ASEAN)
Anthony Liew, Matrix (Malaysia)
Lok Seng Mak, club unknown
Chun Hong Ting, Malaysia Dragons (ASEAN)
Zhi Shin Chin, Malaysia Dragons (ASEAN)
Ivan Yeo, Malaysia Dragons (ASEAN)
Wei Yong Ong, club unknown

Singapore:
V Lavin Raj, club unknown
Wei Long Wong, Adroit (Thailand)
Kian Hao Ng, Adroit (Thailand)
Ding Loon Tay, Singapore Slingers (Singapore)
Leon Kwek, Singapore Slingers (Singapore)
Larry Liew, Singapore Slingers (Singapore)
Shengyu Lim, Singapore Slingers (Singapore)
Mitchell Folkoff, Singapore Slingers (Singapore)
Kelvin Lim, Singapore Slingers (Singapore)
Delvin Goh, Singapore Slingers (Singapore)
Qing Huang Toh, Adroit (Thailand)
Kenneth Low, club unknown

Thailand:
Tyler Lamb, Hong Kong (ASEAN)/Hi-Tech (Thailand), Long Beach State
Nakorn Jaisanuk, Hi-Tech (Thailand)
Bandit Lakhan, TGE (Thailand)
Tawatchai Suktub, Black Scorpions (Thailand)
Tobi Tai Sathitsumpan, club unknown
Chanatip Jakrawan, Hi-Tech (Thailand)
Chatpon Chungyampin, TGE (Thailand)
Sorot Sunthonsiri, Mono Vampires (ASEAN)/Mono Vampires (Thailand)
Patiphan Klahan, Hi-Tech (Thailand)
Nithipol Sawathavorn, SWU (Thailand)
Teerawat Chanthachon, Mono Vampires (ASEAN)/Mono Vampires (Thailand)
Darongpan Apiromvilaichai, Mono Vampires (ASEAN)/Black Scorpions (Thailand)

[awhom111]

awhom, you always do great work, but this is impressive. You're really sticking to it to bring us news from the farthest-flung corners of the basketball world.

Thanks. As basketball gets more organized and professional around the world, it is getting more interesting to follow. There has been some criticism of the particulars of the new system, but it has certainly increased the quality of competitive national team games and provided many benefits to all kinds of federations, especially some of the less wealthy ones, which should pay off for everyone down the line.

Also, putting the rosters in writing helps me remember who some of these players are in the future!

[awhom111]

Amile and the United States knew that they had their trickiest game of the round in Mexico. The hosts came out on fire and withstood a late charge to win 78-70. Amile had 4 points in 6 minutes. Mexico had a mostly full strength roster as ex-Wyoming player Francisco Cruz had 24 points and ex-Western Kentucky player Orlando Mendez-Valdez had 20 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...A#tab=boxscore

The other game in Group C was also filled with emotion as Puerto Rico finally got to play at home in San Juan and withstood an impressive effort from Cuba to win 84-80. J.J. Barea had 15 points and 6 rebounds as the big name player, but there were other familiar faces as David Huertas had 18 points, Angel Rodriguez had 15 points, and Ramon Clemente had 11 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: United States 4-1, Puerto Rico 3-2, Mexico 3-2, Cuba 0-5

In the southern section Group A, Argentina beat Panama 87-62 at home in San Juan. Old man Luis Scola had 14 points, but the new blood with American experience also chipped in as Patricio Garino had 20 points. Players with college experience also played well in the loss as Trevor Gaskins had 19 points, Javier Carter had 13 points and 9 rebounds, and Michael Hicks had 11 points. Uruguay went to Asuncion and was hardly convincing, but eliminated Paraguay 58-49
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...y#tab=boxscore
Standings: Argentina 4-1, Uruguay 4-1, Panama 2-3, Paraguay 0-5

There was also a lone game from Group D in the northern section as the US Virgin Islands still cannot host and thus moved their game to Puerto Rico, which was finally able to host again. The Bahamas were eliminated with an 84-74 loss even though they were able to bring in Buddy Hield, who had 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists as Michael Carey had 17 points and 6 rebounds and Tum Tum Nairn added 13 points. The hosts had a near full strength team with Walter Hodge providing 22 points, Georgio Milligan adding 18 points, and Cuthbert Victor chipping in with 17 points and 6 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...s#tab=boxscore

R.J. and Canada will host the Dominican Republic at 7:30pm ET on Friday and can be seen on ESPN+ in this country.

Neither team could advance out of Group A in the Caribbean, but both put in their best efforts to create an overtime game as Grenada composed themselves after a collapse to beat St. Vincent and the Grenadines 91-86. The two current collegians had solid games in the win as Kevin Cox had 22 points and 8 rebounds and Daniel Regis had 10 points and 9 rebounds while the older hands also led their team in the loss as Chris Telesford had 22 points and 13 rebounds and Phillip Lawrence-Ricks had 12 points and 6 rebounds. The group closed the day as Guyana did not need a win, but fought back to avoid embarrassment ahead of the key game on Friday as they beat St. Lucia 85-70. Current and former collegians were involved on both sides as Anthony Moe had 19 points and 8 rebounds and Ray Victor had 19 points and 6 steals in the win while Joel Junior Polius had 18 points and 15 rebounds and Yandell Denis had 14 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...s#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Guyana 4-0, Suriname 3-1, Grenada 2-2, St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1-3, St. Lucia 0-4

Group B started the day and Barbados kept Montserrat winless with a 109-47 win as former collegian Andre Lockhart had 17 points. Haiti kept warm for the important game with a 96-60 win over Bermuda. Jeff Coby had 22 points and 14 rebounds, David Jean-Baptiste had 12 points, Clide Geffrard and Jeantal Cylla had 11 points each, and Farnold Degand had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Bermuda still has only six players with those with DII experience leading the way again as Chris Crumpler had 27 points and 7 rebounds and Yusef Riley had 16 points and 9 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...s#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Haiti 4-0, Antigua 3-1, Barbados 2-2, Bermuda 1-3, Montserrat 0-4

Friday's games (semifinal winners qualify for next stage):

Semifinals:
Guyana vs Antigua
Suriname vs Haiti

5th Place:
Grenada vs Bermuda
St. Vincent and the Grenadines vs Barbados

9th Place:
St. Lucia vs Montserrat

The day was also busy with world qualifiers in Europe. There was only one Group H game played on Thursday due to religious reasons as Greece went to Tel Aviv and remained undefeated with a 96-78 win over Israel. Players who went to college in North Carolina led both teams as Konstantinos Mitoglou had 21 points in the win while Jake Cohen had 21 points in the loss and emerging talent Tamir Blatt had 12 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...e#tab=boxscore

In Group A, Slovenia got 17 points from former draft pick Vlatko Cancar, but fell in Ljubljana to Spain 83-72. The visitors had a young team as former collegian Sebas Saiz had 10 points and 11 rebounds and their lone NBA player Juan Hernangomez had 10 points. In Niksic, Montenegro beat Belarus 80-69 as naturalized player Derek Needham had 12 points. Former collegiate players were also active in the loss as Artsiom Parakhouski had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Mikita Meshcharakou had 11 points, and naturalized player Devon Saddler had 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...n#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...s#tab=boxscore
Standings: Spain 5-0, Slovenia 2-3, Montenegro 2-3, Belarus 1-4

In Group B, the advancing teams are now known after Latvia went to Stockholm and beat Sweden 82-72 as they got one NBA player back with 22 points from Davis Bertans while former collegian Chris Czerapowicz had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. Sweden's elimination was confirmed when Turkey beat Ukraine 80-66 in Ankara. The hosts benefited from returning NBA players as Furkan Korkmaz had 21 points and Cedi Osman had 20 points while newly naturalized Scottie Wilbekin had 13 points. Former draft pick Sergii Gladyr had 17 points, ex-NBA player Slava Kravtsov had 13 points, and Denys Lukashov, a played on an infamous Lithuanian team, had 10 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...e#tab=boxscore
Standings: Turkey 3-2, Ukraine 3-2, Latvia 3-2, Sweden 1-4

In Group C, Lithuania did not take it easy on Poland, going to Gdansk and winning 79-61 with their NBA players returning as Domantas Sabonis had 17 points and 7 rebounds and Jonas Valanciunas had 11 points and 7 rebounds with former draft pick Arturas Gudaitis adding 11 points. Hungary's 81-65 win over Kosovo in Pristina kept them in second place as naturalized player Darrin Govens had 13 points and former collegian Rosco Allen had 10 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...y#tab=boxscore
Standings: Lithuania 5-0, Hungary 3-2, Poland 2-3, Kosovo 0-5

In Group D, the Netherlands beat Romania 77-52 at home in Groningen as former collegian Thomas van der Mars had 15 points and 6 rebounds while naturalized player Giordan Watson had 11 points and 6 rebounds in the loss. Croatia had a new coach and three NBA players, which helped them go to Trieste and hand Italy their first loss. Bojan Bogdanovic had 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists and Ivica Zubac had 12 points to provide immediate relief as naturalized player Christian Burns had 14 points and 6 rebounds in the loss.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Italy 4-1, Netherlands 2-3, Romania 2-3, Croatia 2-3

Also in Europe, Eurobasket 2021 pre-qualifying continued as Denmark sealed the top spot in Group B with a 90-64 win over Armenia in Copenhagen as former collegian Kevin Larsen had 19 points and 13 rebounds. The visitors relied on players with American roots again as A.J. Hess had 20 points and 6 rebounds, Andrew Chrabascz had 15 points and 7 rebounds, and Luke Fischer had 12 points and 6 rebounds. In Group A, Switzerland's 85-79 win over Macedonia at home in Fribourg gave both teams the chance to advance as newly naturalized player Shayne Whittington had 11 points and 6 rebounds in the loss. In Group C, Portugal won 80-58 in Luxembourg and will now need to wait for the final math to determine whether they progress.
http://www.fiba.basketball/eurobaske...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/eurobaske...D#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/eurobaske...l#tab=boxscore

The day in qualifying across in the world started in East Asia Group A, where New Zealand pounded Hong Kong 124-65 at home in Rotirua. The hosts called upon a number of players with collegiate experience as Rob Loe and Tom Abercrombie had 18 points each, Isaac Fotu had 17 points and 7 rebounds, Finn Delany had 15 points and 6 rebounds, Jordan Ngatai had 14 points, and Dion Prewster had 11 points. In Shenzhen, South Korea's 82-74 win over China officially eliminated Hong Kong and helped the visitors leave with a result that could be critical in the next stage as naturalized player Ricardo Ratliffe had 25 points and 11 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...g#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: New Zealand 4-1, China 3-2, South Korea 3-2, Hong Kong 0-5

In West Asia Group C, Syria hosted India in Zouk Mikael in Lebanon, eliminating the visitors 81-76, although former draftee Satnam Singh had 18 points and 8 rebounds. In the same arena, Lebanon hosted Jordan to close the day, handing the visitors their first loss 77-76. In the battle of naturalized players, Sam Young won with 17 points and 6 rebounds while Dar Tucker had 11 points and 7 rebounds. Former collegian Bassel Bawji added 15 points and 7 rebounds in the win
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...n#tab=boxscore
Standings: Jordan 4-1, Lebanon 4-1, Syria 2-3, India 0-5

While the more successful teams were chasing the immediate prizes in Asia, pre-qualifying continued in Southeast Asia, where Singapore beat Brunei 96-40. Tyler Lamb had 19 points for hosts Thailand as they beat Malaysia in the day's lone matchup between teams expected to advance. Indonesia got 13 points and 11 rebounds from naturalized player Jamarr Johnson as they beat Cambodia 137-36 with Dominic Dar leading his team with 15 points and 7 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...m#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...a#tab=boxscore

In South Asia, the Maldives beat Bhutan 74-66 to start the day. Sri Lanka eliminated Nepal from contention with a 70-57 win.
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...s#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...l#tab=boxscore

[Billy Dat]

Amile and the United States knew that they had their trickiest game of the round in Mexico. The hosts came out on fire and withstood a late charge to win 78-70. Amile had 4 points in 6 minutes. Mexico had a mostly full strength roster as ex-Wyoming player Francisco Cruz had 24 points and ex-Western Kentucky player Orlando Mendez-Valdez had 20 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...A#tab=boxscore

The US fell into an 18-0 hole to start the game. Amile was a starter and only played 6 minutes. I am guessing Coach Van Gundy thought he had a little something to do with that poor start. Former Texas big Jonathan Holmes had a similar experience. Yikes.

[Truth&Justise]

Amile and the United States knew that they had their trickiest game of the round in Mexico. The hosts came out on fire and withstood a late charge to win 78-70. Amile had 4 points in 6 minutes. Mexico had a mostly full strength roster as ex-Wyoming player Francisco Cruz had 24 points and ex-Western Kentucky player Orlando Mendez-Valdez had 20 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...A#tab=boxscore

If I'm not mistaken, isn't this team USA's first loss since 2006? Obviously context matters, but interesting to note. Pretty fortunate the streak lasted this long -- particularly in the FIBA Americup last year, when a similarly...let's say "understaffed"...Team USA was underdogs in the final but upset host Argentina.

[awhom111]

R.J. Barrett started for Canada, providing 14 points and 6 rebounds in 26 minutes in their 97-61 win over the Dominican Republic in Toronto. The NBA contingent was active as Kelly Olynyk had 14 points and 9 rebounds, Dillon Brooks had 14 points, Dwight Powell had 11 points and 7 rebounds, and Cory Joseph had 11 points and 8 assists as ex-Iowa State player Melvin Ejim added 14 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...c#tab=boxscore
Standings: Canada 4-1, Dominican Republic 4-1, US Virgin Islands 2-3, Bahamas 0-5

In southern section Group B, Venezuela took the lead by beating Brazil 72-56 at home in Caracas with former NAIA player Nestor Colmenares contributing 14 points and 11 rebounds. Old man Anderson Varejao led the visitors with 16 points and former collegian Scott Machado had 12 points. Colombia went to Valdivia and beat Chile 71-67 for their first win with their share of college experience as Hansel Atencia had 21 points and 8 assists and Hanner Mosquera-Perea had 13 points and 10 rebounds while former collegian Sebastian Suarez led the hosts with 20 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...l#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Venezuela 4-1, Brazil 4-1, Chile 1-4, Colombia 1-4

In terms of recruiting, the U17 World Championship will be worth watching as YouTube will carry games. The first USA game is on Saturday at 7pm ET against China and can be seen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PShtBDyfYQ0

Eric Boateng was in the squad, but did not play as Great Britain welcomed Estonia to Glasgow in Group H play, winning 74-65 with a strong second half as ex-Iowa player Gabe Olaseni had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Greece 5-0, Israel 2-3, Estonia 2-3, Great Britain 1-4

In Group E, France brought a near full strength team with them to Tuzla, blasting Bosnia and Herzegovina 102-52. Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 6 rebounds, Nando De Colo had 15 points, and Evan Fournier had 10 points. Russia secured their advancement and eliminated Belgium 84-66 with several players with NBA experience leading the way as Timofey Mozgov had 14 points and 6 rebounds and Sergey Karasev had 10 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...e#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: France 5-0, Russia 3-2, Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-3, Belgium 0-5

In Group F, Bulgaria hosted Iceland in Botevgrad, winning 88-86 to tighten up the standings as former draft pick Sasha Vezenkov had 19 points and 7 rebounds. The visitors have a number of former collegians as Haukur Palsson had 14 points and 6 rebounds, Martin Hermannsson had 14 points, and Kris Acox had 12 points. The Czech Republic qualified with a 77-73 home win over Finland in Pardubice. There were no Murphy brothers for the visitors, but they did have Lauri Markkanen, who had 13 points and 7 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...d#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...d#tab=boxscore
Standings: Czech Republic 4-1, Bulgaria 2-3, Finland 2-3, Iceland 2-3

In Group G, Serbia got one NBA player back as Boban Marjanovic had 13 points and 6 rebounds and former draft pick Vasilije Micic had 11 points and 7 rebounds as they went to Tbilisi and beat Georgia 87-50. The hosts got 18 points from naturalized player Thad McFadden and 13 points and 8 rebounds from ex-NBA player Tornike Shengalia, but will now have to focus on their last game as they look to advance. Germany got Dennis Schroder back and he had 25 minutes while former collegian Niels Giffey had 15 points as they welcomed Austria to Braunschweig and remained undefeated after an 85-63 win. The visitors did get to field Jakob Poeltl and he had 11 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Germany 5-0, Serbia 4-1, Georgia 1-4, Austria 0-5

All groups were in action in Africa as the travel-reducing format of split qualifiers continued with the second half of this stage taking place this weekend.

Group A play finished a long day as games were played in Rades. Cameroon had a surprisingly tough time with Chad, winning 73-72 with 19 points from former collegian Robert Songolo Ngijol. Hosts Tunisia continued to lead the group after a 94-54 win over Guinea.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...d#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Tunisia 4-0, Cameroon 3-1, Chad 1-3, Guinea 0-4

Group B is being finished in Lagos, starting with Rwanda's 82-72 win over Mali. Players with ties to the United States were key in the win as Kenny Gasana had 23 points and 9 rebounds, Dan Manzi had 17 points, and Darrius Garrett had 15 points and 10 rebounds while former collegian Ibrahim Djambo had 16 points and 13 rebounds in the loss. As usual, hosts Nigeria leaned heavily on players from the United States in their 109-66 win over Uganda. Ike Diogu had 24 points and 7 rebounds, Obi Emegano had 15 points, Jordan Nwora of Louisville had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Tosin Mehinti had 12 points and 9 rebounds, Brandon Obgueze had 11 points, and Ben Uzoh and Talib Zanna had 10 points. There were also college ties for the visitors as naturalized player Jordin Mayes had 18 points, Deng John Geu of North Dakota State had 13 points and 12 rebounds and Robinson Odoch-Opong had 11 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Nigeria 4-0, Rwanda 2-2, Mali 1-3, Uganda 1-3

Group C play moved to Cairo for this half and it started with a surprise after a very strong Angola side was handed their first loss 61-47 by Morocco. Hosts Egypt also fell victim to an upset as the Democratic Republic of Congo won 77-63 as Mathieu Kamba had 13 points suiting up after his college career while Egypt's former collegian Omar Oraby had 19 points and 12 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...#|tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...o#tab=boxscore
Standings: Angola 3-1, Egypt 2-2, Morocco 2-2, Democratic Republic of Congo 1-3

Dakar is hosting this half of qualifiers in Group D, starting with Ivory Coast beating Mozambique 62-45. Former collegians led the way in the win as Charles Abouo had 16 points and Willy Kouassi had 12 points while current DI player Kendal Manuel had 14 points in the loss. Hosts Senegal are now all alone in first place after beating the Central African Republic 91-82 as they were able to field their NBA player Gorgui Dieng, who had 23 points and 8 rebounds, alongside a number of former collegians as Youssoupha Ndoye had 17 points, Maleye Ndoye had 15 points, and Mouhammad Faye had 13 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...e#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...l#tab=boxscore
Standings: Senegal 3-1, Ivory Coast 2-2, Mozambique 2-2, Central African Republic 1-3

Qualifiers continued across Asia. The day started with a shocker in East Asia Group B as Australia reinforced their squad with two NBA player, but lost to Japan in front of a raucous crowd in Chiba. Thon Maker did have 13 points and 12 rebounds and former collegians chipped in as Nick Kay had 12 points and 9 rebounds and Daniel Kickert had 10 points and 6 rebounds. The hosts got 25 points and 12 rebounds from naturalized player Nick Fazekas while Rui Hachimura of Gonzaga had 24 points and 7 rebounds. The Philippines avoided similar struggles as naturalized player Andray Blatche had 13 points and 12 rebounds in their 93-71 win in Taipei. Taiwan got 17 points and 7 rebounds from naturalized player Quincy Davis and 11 points from another former collegian in Ray Chen, but they must now turn their attention to Monday's game against Japan as the winner will take the last spot from this group while the other two teams will be looking to pick up one more result to carry to the next round.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...s#tab=boxscore
Standings: Australia 4-1, Phillipines 4-1, Taiwan 1-4, Japan 1-4

In West Asia Group D, it was a doubleheader in Doha as Iraq could not host. Qatar nearly used the advantage, but Iran used a strong second half to win 77-75 as their former NBA players led the way as Hamed Haddadi had 23 points and 14 rebounds and Arsalan Kazemi had 12 points and 14 rebounds. Naturalized player Trey Johnson had 21 points in the loss. Naturalized player DeMario Mayfield had 21 points and 10 rebounds to help Iraq past Kazakhstan 64-50.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...n#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...n#tab=boxscore
Standings: Iran 4-1, Kazakhstan 3-2, Iraq 2-3, Qatar 1-4

Asian pre-qualifying also continued, starting with Southeast Asia play in Thailand. Singapore beat Malaysia 80-51 to start the day. Naturalized player Jamarr Johnson had 23 points and 9 rebounds to lead Indonesia past Thailand 75-74 while Tyler Lamb had 28 points for the hosts. Those results meant that the final game was important as 15 points from Dominic Dar was not enough for Cambodia in a 69-58 loss to Brunei. Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore have advanced with only one important game on Saturday when the winner of Brunei-Malaysia joins them.
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...e#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...d#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...m#tab=boxscore

Over in South Asia, the two remaining undefeated teams met as Sri Lanka beat the Maldives 82-57 to clinch a spot in the next round thanks to 21 points and 9 rebounds from NAIA player Praneeth Udumalagala. Bangladesh beat Nepal 79-66, meaning that one game will be important on Saturday when the hosts face the Maldives.
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...s#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...l#tab=boxscore

After a day off, Gulf teams continued play in Dubai. It took overtime, but Bahrain advanced with a 93-91 win over Saudi Arabia. The hosts avoided embarrassment by beating winless Oman 76-73. That means the winner of Saturday's game between the UAE and Saudi Arabia will take the last spot.
http://www.fiba.basketball/asia/2018...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asia/2018...E#tab=boxscore

A long day around the world ended with more games in the Caribbean as all ten teams were in action for the first time. It started in very controversial fashion as news filtered out that Haiti was being forced to forfeit all their wins due to ineligible players. More information on this will surely come out later, so I will refrain from my usual criticism of the current set of nationality rules in play. Dropped down to the 9th place game, they went ahead and finished their tournament by beating St Lucia 100-62. Jeantal Cylla heads back to UNC Wilmington after a great tournament as he had 20 points, Jeff Coby had 15 points and 14 rebounds, Marvin Dominique had 15 points, David Jean-Baptiste of Chattanooga had 11 points and 7 rebounds, and Clide Geffrard had 11 points. The two players with JC experience had good games for St. Lucia as Joel Junior Polius had 14 points and 6 rebounds and John Paul 10 points. The forfeits gave Montserrat a boost to the 5th place playoffs, but they lost to Grenada 88-57. The two current collegians were strong for the winners as Daniel Regis had 17 points and 15 rebounds and Kevin Cox had 13 points and 6 rebounds. Bermuda's lack of depth hurt them against St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a 76-62 loss as both teams relied on the same former collegians. Phillip Lawrence-Ricks had 17 points and 6 rebounds and Chris Telesford had 15 points and 8 rebounds in the win while Chris Crumpler had 28 points and 7 rebounds and Yusef Riley had 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 blocks in the loss. All those games were preparation for the main event, which was the semifinals with winners also advancing to the next round of qualifying and both ended up being great games. Former collegians led the for Guyana as Ray Victor had 25 points and 6 rebounds and Anthony Moe had 17 points and 6 rebounds, helping them win 76-71. Barbados got 24 points from former collegian Andre Lockhart, but they were not able to take advantage of beating given a second chance. Antigua did benefit as they moved up into the group winners position. Hosts Suriname had a better start, but a balanced effort from a number of players with American ties led to a 76-73 win as Cohen Desouza had 14 points and 8 rebounds, Bryan Matthew had 12 points, Ernest Scott had 11 points and 6 rebounds, Mario Davis had 11 points, and Vivian Destin had 10 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...t#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...s#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...i#tab=boxscore

Final Day Schedule:
1st: Guyana vs Antigua
3rd: Barbados vs Suriname
5th: Grenada vs St Vincent and the Grenadines
7th: Monteserrat vs Bermuda

[awhom111]

Amile and the United States will be looking for redemption in Cuba on Sunday at 4pm ET and can be seen on ESPN+ again as we can only hope that games from the second stage of qualifying will return to television.

The USA U17 Boys' team finally started their competitive games in Argentina with a 115-37 win over China. They will next face Mali at 4:45pm ET on Sunday and can be seen on FIBA's YouTube channel.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...A#tab=boxscore

The other Group B game saw Serbia beat Mali 89-77.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...a#tab=boxscore

In Group A, Australia faced a massive deficit, but rallied to win 73-71. A couple of American-based high schoolers had solid games in the loss as Isaiah Rivera had 13 points and David Jones had 11 points and 6 rebounds. Puerto Rico beat Turkey 76-68 in a mild surprise. Most of their players are in high schools in the states part of the United States as Andre Curbelo had 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, Harry Sosa had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Victor Rosa had 17 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...c#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...y#tab=boxscore

In Group C, Egypt beat New Zealand 64-50. Canada beat Montenegro 92-67 as prepster Josh Hemmings had 11 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...t#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...o#tab=boxscore

In Group D, Croatia beat the Philippines 97-75. France is considered the second best team in the tournament and they ended the day with an 82-50 win over the hosts.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...s#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...a#tab=boxscore

There are players on other teams with ties to the United States (not counting Puerto Rican players currently residing in Puerto Rico):

Dominican Republic:
Jhamyl Fricas, Worcester Academy (MA)
David Jones, Teays Valley Christian (WV)
Lorenzo Baldera, Miami Christian (FL)
Isaiah Rivera, Geneseo (IL)

Puerto Rico:
Phillip Wheeler, Rumson-Fair Haven (NJ)
Tory San Antonio, Rancho Verde (CA)
Luis Rolon, Central Pointe Christian (FL)
Andre Curbelo, Long Island Lutheran (NY)
Diego Gonzalez, Midway (TX)
Diego Romero, The Villages Charter (FL)
Christian Cruz, Central Pointe Christian (FL)
Victor Rosa, Central Pointe Christian (FL)
Harry Sosa, Central Pointe Christian (FL)

Turkey:
Kerem Ozturk, New Hampton (NH)

Serbia:
David Petrusev, Montverde Academy (FL)

Canada:
Keon Ambrose-Hilton, Hamilton Heights Christian (TN)
Josh Hemmings, Oak Hill Academy (VA)
Cashius McNeilly, Huntington Prep (WV)

The only world qualifying games were in Africa as the teams all play three games in three days. In Group A, the games in Rades ended the day again as Cameroon beat Guinea 65-48 as former collegian Roberto Songolo Ngijol had 11 points. Hosts Tunisia then beat Chad 85-46.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...n#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Tunisia 5-0, Cameroon 4-1, Chad 1-4, Guinea 0-5

Group B play in Lagos started with Mali using a strong second half to beat Uganda 95-80 as former collegian Ibrahim Djambo had 14 points and 7 rebounds. In the loss, Robinson Opoch Odong and naturalized player Jordin Mayes had 18 points each and Deng John Geu had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Hosts Nigeria ended the day with a 111-70 win over Rwanda. As usual, they relied on a number of American players as Obi Emegano had 24 points, Jordan Nwora had 17 points and 9 rebounds, and Ben Uzoh and Bryant Mbamalu had 14 points each. Players with collegiate experience also factored in the loss as Kevin Ndahiro and Kenny Gasana had 10 points each.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...i#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Nigeria 5-0, Rwanda 2-3, Mali 2-3, Uganda 1-4

In Group C, there was extra basketball in Cairo before Morocco beat the Democratic Republic of Congo 61-58, although former NBA player Christian Eyenga did have 19 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Angola bounced back with a 65-58 win over hosts Egypt. Former collegian Yanick Moreira had 14 points and naturalized player Reggie Moore had 11 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...o#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...t#tab=boxscore
Standings: Angola 4-1, Morocco 3-2, Egypt 2-3, Democratic Republic of Congo 1-4

In Group D, the Central African Republic started the day in Dakar with a 72-63 win over Mozambique. The winners got 11 points and 11 rebounds from naturalized player Johndre Jefferson, but they have many former collegians on their roster as Evans Ganapamo had 14 points, William Kossangue had 13 points, and Destin Damachoua had 10 points while current collegian Kendal Manuel had 19 points in the loss. Hosts Senegal fended off the Ivory Coast 66-61 despite getting 14 points and 15 rebounds from Gorgui Dieng while former collegian Salim Gloyd had 10 points in the loss.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...F#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...e#tab=boxscore
Standings: Senegal 4-1, Mozambique 2-3, Central African Republic 2-3, Ivory Coast 2-3

Asian pre-qualifiers finished, starting with Southeast Asia. Indonesia was led by its two former collegians as naturalized player Jamarr Johnson had 22 points and 6 rebounds and Arki Wisnu had 14 points in their 85-70 win over Singapore, which confirmed them as undefeated champions. Hosts Thailand finished behind them as they beat Cambodia 113-27, although Dominic Dar did have 13 points as he played every minute for the team at the bottom of the standings. That set up the big game of the day for the last spot in the next round. Malaysia was expected to beat Brunei and they took care of business with an 86-50 win.
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...#|tab=boxscore
Standings: Indonesia 5-0, Thailand 4-1, Singapore 3-2, Malaysia 2-3, Brunei 1-4, Cambodia 0-5

In South Asia, Sri Lanka finished their undefeated run with a 71-60 win over Bhutan as collegian Praneeth Udumalagala finished a strong tournament with 19 points and 7 rebounds. The important game was the second one as hosts Bangladesh took the last qualification spot with a 74-57 win over the Maldives.
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...n#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2...s#tab=boxscore
Standings: Sri Lanka 4-0, Bangladesh 3-1, Maldives 2-2, Bhutan 1-3, Nepal 0-4

Gulf teams finished the day as Bahrain won the double round-robin by beating Oman 78-66. The important game was the last one as hosts UAE had a chance, but fell to Saudi Arabia 88-85.
http://www.fiba.basketball/asia/2018...n#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/asia/2018...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Bahrain 5-1, Saudi Arabia 4-2, UAE 3-3, Oman 0-5

Play in the Caribbean finished as none of the games had any implications on the future. For 7th place, Montserrat was able to end the tournament on a winning note by beating Bermuda 57-47 as one of their former collegians Kherel Silcott had 19 points and 17 rebounds. Bermuda finally ran out of gas and played their starters for the entire game as Yusef Riley finished a strong tournament with 16 points and 16 rebounds. St. Vincent and the Grenadines withstood 36 points and rebounds from DII player Kevin Cox for Grenada to win 82-68. Former collegians led the way in the way as Chris Telesford had 24 points and 13 rebounds and Phillip Lawrence-Ricks had 22 points and 6 rebounds. Suriname could not send the fans home happy as they fell to Barbados 81-75 in the 3rd place game. The championship went to Guyana as they beat Antigua 83-70 with former collegians leading the way as Ray Victor had 13 points and 6 rebounds and Anthony Moe had 12 points and 7 rebounds. The losing side also had players with American ties as Ernest Scott had 19 points, Bryan Matthew had 13 points and 6 rebounds, Vivian Destin had 12 points, and Cohen Desouza had 10 points and 7 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...s#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...e#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/americup/...e#tab=boxscore
Final Standings: Guyana, Antigua, Barbados, Suriname, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Montserrat, Bermuda, Haiti, St. Lucia

[awhom111]

Amile and United States had another sluggish start in Havana, but eventually rolled past Cuba 93-62. Amile had 6 points in 14 minutes as he got the start again.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...A#tab=boxscore

In the other Group C game, Puerto Rico won again in San Juan, beating Mexico 84-79. David Huertas and Gian Clavell had 17 points each, J.J. Barea had 12 points and 11 assists, and Ramon Clemente had 12 points for the hosts. The visitors could not continue their momentum, getting 22 points from Francisco Cruz and 17 points from Orlando Mendez-Valdez among their former collegians and 13 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists from former NBA player Gustavo Ayon.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...o#tab=boxscore
Standings: United States 5-1, Puerto Rico 4-2, Mexico 3-3, Cuba 0-6

R.J. and Canada host the US Virgin Islands at 1:30pm ET on Monday and can be seen on ESPN+.

Uruguay could have won southern section Group A in Montevideo, but Argentina made sure that they did not get any ideas, blasting their neighbors 102-58. Luis Scola refuses to be considered too old as he had 29 points and 11 rebounds and some other players who have spent time in the United States chipped in as Nicolas Brussino had 14 points, Nicolas Laprovittola had 12 points, and Patricio Garino had 10 points. Former collegian Hatila Passos had 12 points and 9 rebounds for the hosts. A long day ended in Asuncion, where hosts Paraguay were already eliminated, but still trying to put on a show for the home fans as they faced Panama, but the visitors knew that they needed to be at their best carrying on towards the next round as they won . The visitors have a number of players with American ties as Michael Hicks had 13 points, Trevor Gaskins had 12 points, Javier Carter had 10 points and 8 rebounds, and Akil Mitchell had 10 points and 6 rebounds. Former collegian Bruno Zanotti had 11 points in the loss.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...y#tab=boxscore
Standings: Argentina 5-1, Uruguay 4-2, Panama 3-3, Paraguay 0-6

The USA U17 Boys' team eased to another win, beating Mali 97-40.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...i#tab=boxscore

The other Group B game went to Serbia 73-61 over China.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...a#tab=boxscore

In Group A, Puerto Rico beat the Dominican Republic 84-69. Of course all the Puerto Rican players are also American, but both teams have plenty of players with ties to the states part of United States as Victor Manuel had 22 points and Luis Rolon had 13 points in the win. In the loss, David Jones had 20 points and 9 rebounds and Isaiah Rivera had 10 points and 7 rebounds. Australia struggled again, letting Turkey surge late to win 81-79.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...o#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...a#tab=boxscore

In Group C, Canada beat Egypt 93-53 as prepster Cashius McNeilly had 16 points. Montenegro's fast start got them past New Zealand 80-56.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...d#tab=boxscore

In Group D, France broke the game open in the second half to beat the Philippines 95-54. The home crowd did not help Argentina as they fell to Croatia 74-55
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...e#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...a#tab=boxscore

A busy day of qualifiers around the world started in East Asia Group A, where New Zealand hosted China in Auckland, winning 67-57 with their usual cast of former collegians as Isaac Fotu had 15 points, Tom Abercrombie had 14 points, and Rob Loe had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Naturalized player Ricardo Ratliffe helped South Korea take care of business in Hong Kong with a 104-91 win.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: New Zealand 5-1, South Korea 4-2, China 3-3, Hong Kong 0-6

West Asia Group C play started with Jordan taking the top spot after a 114-70 win over India at home in Amman, although former draft pick Satnam Singh did have 14 points and 8 rebounds. Lebanon matched them record-wise, which will make the race for the next stage quite interesting as naturalized player Sam Young had 14 points and 10 rebounds in their 87-50 win over Syria at home in Zouk Mikael.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Jordan 5-1, Lebanon 5-1, Syria 2-4, India 0-6

All groups concluded this stage on Sunday. In Group A, play in Rades started and ended the day. Chad clinched their spot with an 80-49 win over Guinea, although former collegian Daye Kaba did have 12 points in the loss. Cameroon nearly pulled off a result against hosts Tunisia that would have put them in great position for the next round, but fell short 56-53.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...n#tab=boxscore
Standings: Tunisia 6-0, Cameroon 4-2, Chad 2-4, Guinea 0-6

In Group B, Rwanda won 92-79 to advance, eliminating Uganda in the process with both teams featuring a number of former collegians. In the win, Kenny Gasana had 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, Dan Manzi had 17 points and 6 rebounds, and naturalized player Darrius Garrett had 13 points and 15 rebounds while Robinson Odoch Opong had 18 points, naturalized player Jordin Mayes had 16 points, and Deng John Geu had 14 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. Nigeria wrapped up a successful home run in Lagos with a 93-53 win over Mali behind their rotating cast of American players as Jordan Nwora heads back to Louisville after a 36 point effort, Ike Diogu had 21 points, and Tosin Mehinti had 14 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...i#tab=boxscore
Standings: Nigeria 6-0, Rwanda 3-3, Mali 2-4, Uganda 1-5

In Group C, Angola lost to the Democratic Republic of Congo 66-56 to end a very weird time in Cairo as they got 20 points and 10 rebounds from former collegian Yanick Moreira while former NBA player Christian Eyenga had 17 points and 6 rebounds in the win. Former collegian Omar Oraby helped Egypt pull into second place with a solid 59-53 home win over Morocco as he had 17 points and 9 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...o#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...o#tab=boxscore
Standings: Angola 4-2, Egypt 3-3, Morocco 3-3, Democratic Republic of Congo 2-4

In Group D, the Central African Republic clinched their spot with a 69-60 win led by former collegians as Destin Damachoua had 18 points and 6 assists and Evans Ganapamo had 13 points while former collegian Guy Landry Edi had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Ivory Coast. Mozambique could have advanced with a win, but facing Senegal in Dakar was too tough and they fell short 78-63. Former collegians helped the hosts as Youssoupha Ndoye had 17 points and 8 rebounds and Mouhammad Faye had 12 points while Kendal Manuel heads back to college after a 32 point, 7 rebound effort as he prepares to sit out a year for his transfer.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...e#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...l#tab=boxscore
Standings: Senegal 5-1, Central African Republic 3-3, Ivory Coast 2-4, Mozambique 2-4

In Europe Group A, Slovenia is in a bad position now after losing at home in Ljubljana 87-74 to Montenegro despite 15 points and 8 rebounds from former draft pick Vlatko Cancar as former collegian Nemanja Djurisic had 23 points in the win. Spain welcomed Belarus to Malaga and won 80-60 with 11 points and 8 rebounds from their lone NBA player Juan Hernangomez. Naturalized player Devon Saddler had 18 points and 6 assists in the loss and former collegian Artsiom Parakhouski had 10 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...s#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...o#tab=boxscore
Standings: Spain, 6-0, Montenegro 3-3, Slovenia 2-4, Belarus 1-5

In Group B, Latvia got help from their NBA player Davis Bertans with 13 points as they beat Ukraine 93-71 to hold an advantage in the standings when the next stage starts. In the loss, ex-NBA player Slava Kravtsov had 15 points and 8 rebounds and naturalized player Pooh Jeter had 11 points. The NBA players led Turkey in Ankara as Furkan Korkmaz had 23 points and Cedi Osman had 20 points and 11 rebounds as they beat Sweden 77-52. Former collegian and favorite name of ESPN announcers everywhere Chris Czerapowicz had 21 points in the loss.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...n#tab=overview
Standings: Turkey 4-2, Latvia 4-2, Ukraine 3-3, Sweden 1-5

In Group C, Lithuania is in great position after going to Budapest and beating Hungary 73-50. They got contributions from their NBA players as Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and Domantas Sabonis had 12 points and 8 rebounds and former draft pick Arturas Gudaitis had 12 points and 13 rebounds. Poland went to Pristina and won 103-70 to keep Kosovo winless. In the win, former NBA player Maciej Lampe had 17 points and 10 rebounds and former collegians also had big games as Karol Gruszecki had 21 points and Tomasz Gielo had 12 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...d#tab=boxscore
Standings: Lithuania 6-0, Poland 3-3, Hungary 3-3, Kosovo 0-6

In Group D, Croatia's NBA players helped them avoid complete embarrassment as they finished a sweep with a 90-63 win in Cluj as Dario Saric had 22 points and 12 rebounds and Ivica Zubac had 20 points and 9 rebounds. For Romania, naturalized player Giordan Watson had 20 points and 8 assists and Alex Olah, who played for Chris Collins at Northwestern, had 10 points. Italy brought an experimental squad with them to Groningen, handing a debut to young Nico Mannion as naturalized player Christian Burns had 10 points in an 81-66 loss. Former collegians led the way for the Netherlands as Charlon Kloof had 21 points and Shane Hammink had 16 points and 8 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...y#tab=boxscore
Standings: Italy 4-2, Netherlands 3-3, Croatia 3-3, Romania 2-4

European pre-qualifying finished. Switzerland was still looking at a chance to advance when they went to Bratislava, but Slovakia got their first win, 88-83 to eliminate them. Naturalized player Andre Jones led the hosts with 22 points and 7 assists and former collegian Pavol Losonsky had 17 points and 8 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.basketball/eurobaske...d#tab=boxscore
Standings: Macedonia 3-1, Switzerland 2-2, Slovakia 1-3

In Group B, Denmark beat Albania 86-78 to finish as the lone unbeaten team. Former collegians had solid games for the visitors in Tirana as Jonathan Gilling had 16 points and Kevin Larsen had 12 points. Armenia was idle and needed to wait for the results of the games in other groups to see if they had a chance to take the last spot in the next round.
http://www.fiba.basketball/eurobaske...k#tab=boxscore
Standings: Denmark 4-0, Armenia 2-2, Albania 0-4

In Group C, Cyprus simply needed to beat winless Luxembourg at home in Nicosia to advance, but an 89-76 loss not only dropped them into a tie with the other runners up, but also caused them to have their tiebreaker fall behind Armenia. In the loss, former collegian Nikolaos Stylianou had 18 points and naturalized player Tyrell Biggs had 12 points and 7 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.basketball/eurobaske...g#tab=boxscore
Standing: Portugal 3-1, Cyprus 2-2, Luxembourg 1-3

[awhom111]

R.J. and Canada finished the first stage of qualifying with a 99-69 win over the US Virgin Islands in Ottawa. R.J. had 13 points in 19 minutes. The NBA crew was also active as Kelly Olynyk had 14 points, Dillon Brooks had 12 points, and Cory Joseph had 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. In the loss, ex-TCU player Craig Williams had 12 points and ex-Murray State player Ivan Aska had 10 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...s#tab=boxscore

In the other Group D game, the Dominican Republic made it tougher for themselves, losing at home in Santo Domingo to the already eliminated Bahamas 83-82. Buddy Hield had 19 points and 8 rebounds leading a group with plenty of college experience as Travis Munnings had 19 points and 8 rebounds, Michael Carey had 15 points and 7 assists, Shaq Cleare had 11 points and 6 rebounds, and Kadeem Coleby had 10 points. The hosts got 12 points from their ex-NBA player Luis Montero.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...#|tab=boxscore
Standings: Canada 5-1, Dominican Republic 4-2, US Virgin Islands 2-4, Bahamas 1-5

In the South America Group B, Brazil went to Medellin and beat Colombia 98-71 as Marcelo Huertas from their ex-NBA contingent had 19 points and former collegian Scott Machado had 10 points and 7 rebounds. In the loss, a number of former collegians were active as Stalin Ortiz had 14 points, Hansel Atencia had 12 points, and Hanner Mosquera-Perea had 10 points. Venezuela finished on top of the group by going to Valdivia and winning 70-51, but Chile still advanced on the tiebreaker as they were led by young collegian Felipe Haase. The visitors were led by former board recruiting favorite Greg Echenique, who had 19 points and 7 rebounds and another former college player Nestor Colmenares had 11 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...l#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...#|tab=boxscore
Standings: Venezuela 5-1, Brazil 5-1, Chile 1-5, Colombia 1-5

The USA U17 Boys' team finished the group stage on Tuesday against Serbia at 7pm ET and can be seen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K-age4pwx0

Eric Boateng and Great Britain lost to Israel 67-59 in Glasgow to be officially eliminated. Eric had a scoreless 9 minutes. Ex-West Virginia player Tarik Phillip had 11 points. In the win, ex-Wichita State player Gal Mekel had 20 points, ex-Davidson player Jake Cohen had 14 points, and ex-North Carolina State player Richard Howell, who is naturalized by marriage, had 10 points and 9 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...l#tab=boxscore

In the other Group H game, Greece went to Tallinn and finished an undefeated first stage with a 78-56 win over Estonia. A couple of familiar names to American fans led the way as Konstantinos Mitoglou had 18 points and 7 rebounds and Thanasis Antetokounmpo had 18 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...e#tab=boxscore
Standings: Greece 6-0, Israel 3-3, Estonia 2-4, Great Britain 1-5

In Group E, Russia brought France out to Krasnodar to try and get a result, but the visitors left with an 84-78 win and a perfect record. Plenty of current and former NBA players were involved as Evan Fournier and Nando De Colo had 15 points each and Nicolas Batum had 13 points. Bosnia and Herzegovina is in much worse shape to advance after a 79-77 loss to Belgium in Antwerp.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...e#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: France 6-0, Russia 3-3, Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-4, Belgium 1-5

In Group F, Finland eliminated Iceland with a 91-77 win in Helsinki as Lauri Markkanen had 28 points and 7 rebounds and former draft pick Petteri Koponen had 19 points. Former college players led the visitors as Haukur Palsson had 16 points, Martin Hermannsson had 13 points, and Elvar Fridriksson had 10 points. The Czech Republic is in solid shape after beating Bulgaria 81-75 at home in Pardubice as naturalized player Blake Schilb had 20 points. Former draft pick Sasha Vezenkov had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...d#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Czech Republic 5-1, Finland 3-3, Bulgaria 2-4, Iceland 2-4

In Group G, Georgia hosted Austria in Kiev, Ukraine, winning 98-73 to advance as former NBA player Tornike Shengalia had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists, former collegian Duda Sanadze had 15 points, and naturalized player Thad McFadden had 14 points. Serbia looked to be evening up the standings, but Germany came back to win 88-81 and left Novi Sad with a perfect record behind their NBA players as Dennis Schroder had 21 points and 6 assists and Maxi Kleber had 16 points and 7 rebounds. As the only NBA player for the hosts, Boban Marjanovic had 22 points and 11 rebounds and former draft pick Nikola Milutinov had 16 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...y#tab=boxscore
Standings: Germany 6-0, Serbia 4-2, Georgia 2-4, Austria 0-6

The day of qualifying started in East Asia Group B, where Japan took the last spot by going to Taipei and winning 108-68. Their naturalized player Nick Fazekas led the way with 32 points and 11 rebounds, rising star Rui Hachimura had 13 points, and Yuki Togashi, who has also spent time in the United States, had 12 points while naturalized player Quincy Davis had 10 points and 8 rebounds in the loss. The other game was supposed to a be a fight for the top spot, but as has been widely reported, just ended up being a fight in Bulacan, where the Final in 2023 is supposed to be held. The game ended when the Philippines fouled out enough remaining players with an 89-53 Australia win. Daniel Kickert had 12 points before his incident while naturalized player Andray Blatche had 12 points and 10 rebounds before his own ejection.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...n#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: Australia 5-1, Philippines 4-2, Japan 2-4, Taiwan 1-5

In West Asia Group D, Iran secured the top spot with an 88-56 home win over Kazakhstan in Tehran. It took overtime in Doha to determine the last place as Qatar's 84-79 win over Iraq was enough to move on despite 27 points from naturalized player DeMario Mayfield for the visitors. Naturalized player Trey Johnson had 15 points and 7 rebounds in the win.
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...n#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/basketbal...q#tab=boxscore
Standings: Iran 5-1, Kazakhstan 3-3, Qatar 2-4, Iraq 2-4

[awhom111]

The USA U17 Boys' team finished the group stage on Tuesday after a day off with a 93-61 win over Serbia. Their next game will be on Wednesday at 4:45pm ET and can be seen on FIBA's YouTube channel even though the links are not available yet.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...a#tab=boxscore

In the other Group B game, Mali beat China 83-71.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...a#tab=boxscore
Standings: United States 3-0, Serbia 2-1, Mali 1-2, China 0-3

In Group A, Australia had a solid effort with a 68-66 comeback win over Puerto Rico although Florida high schooler Victor Rosa had 17 points. Turkey created the threeway tie with a 95-62 win over the Dominican Republic, but they were still stuck at the bottom of the tiebreakers. The same players with American high school experience had good games as David Jones had 12 points and 8 rebounds and Isaiah Rivera had 11 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...o#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...c#tab=boxscore
Standings: Puerto Rico 2-1, Australia 2-1, Turkey 2-1, Dominican Republic 0-3

In Group C, Canada stayed undefeated by beating winless New Zealand 97-61. It took overtime for Montenegro to complete and dramatic comeback and beat Egypt 77-67.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...d#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...o#tab=boxscore
Standings: Canada 3-0, Montenegro 2-1, Egypt 1-2, New Zealand 0-3

In Group D, France eventually pulled away from Croatia to win 79-51 and take the top spot in the group. Hosts Argentina continued their struggles but escaped the Philippines 74-71.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...e#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...s#tab=boxscore
Standings: France 3-0, Croatia 2-1, Argentina 1-2, Philippines 0-3

Bracket:
Puerto Rico vs China
Montenegro vs Argentina
Turkey vs Serbia
New Zealand vs France
Australia vs Mali
Canada vs Philippines
Dominican Republic vs United States
Egypt vs Croatia

[awhom111]

The USA U17 Boys' team started the knockout stages of the tournament with a 103-60 win over the Dominican Republic even though it was tight after the first quarter. In the loss, Illinois high schooler Isaiah Rivera had 10 points.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...A#tab=boxscore

All the other teams were also in action in this round, starting with Australia's less than convincing 74-65 win over Mali. France eased past New Zealand 88-48. Serbia had the better start, but Turkey dominated the rest of the game as they won 87-68. Canada crushed the Philippines 102-62. Croatia eventually pulled away from Egypt to win 68-55. Puerto Rico's fast start was challenged by China, but they still won 81-64, led by some of the same players as Andre Curbelo had 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 12 assists, Victor Rosa had 18 points, and Harry Sosa had 15 points and 16 rebounds. Hosts Argentina were eliminated in disappointing fashion as Montenegro dominated the final period to win 73-60.
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...i#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...e#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...s#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...a#tab=boxscore
http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u17...a#tab=boxscore

Brackets:

Quarterfinals:
Puerto Rico vs Montenegro
Turkey vs France
Australia vs Canada
United States vs Croatia

9th Place Playoffs:
China vs Argentina
Serbia vs New Zealand
Mali vs Philippines
Dominican Republic vs Egypt