PUEBLA, MEX – The final score said it all: Brazil 72, USA 63. It was not a shock.
Coming into this year’s FIBA Americas u16 Championships it was usually considered the playground and warmup spot for the real competition next year in the u17 FIBA Worlds. After three gold medals, nothing else was considered – until now.
The USA will face the local host, Mexico again, in the Bronze medal game tonight before a packed, loud and bosterious crowd. Brazil will face Canada which beat Mexico in the other semi 70-42 to set up a rematch of their earlier game here which Canada won.
The road to this loss was painted at the start of this tournament as Team USA fell behind each game failing to make shots and string together runs. The Brazil game was no different as USA fell behind again 13-4 after the first quarter, missing their first nine shots from their guard line. The lack of making shots combined with amazing Brazilian shooting put the Americans down 45-23 in the second quarter. USA came back from being down 21 in the third quarter to cut the Brazil lead to 5 point with less than four minutes left. Opportunities to grab the lead failed when possessions failed to produce points and Brazil was able to hold onto the lead for a history-making score, Brazil 72-USA 63.
USA Women’s u16 Head Coach Dori Oldaker talked about the slow start throughout the tournament hurt the USA effort here.
Against Argentina in the first game the USA was up 6-3 after the first five minutes of the first quarter but won easily. In the second game against a tougher Honduras, Team USA fell behind 13-12 after the first quarter but led at half by 18 to win easily. Game three against host Mexico started slow but led at the first quarter 16-10 and won easily. The same thing with Brazil, falling behind again but this time failed to make up the deficit. The slow starts were also equaled by the lack of outside three-point shooting with percentages of 14%, 24%, 36% and 23%.
Brazil also equaled USA on the boards with 50 but forced the Americans into 18 turnovers and had 38 points in the paint to the USA’s 32 points. The statistics show the high level of play exhibited by Brazil in this year’s event.
Brazil celebrates their 72-63 FIBA Americas u16 semifinal win over the USA.
As soon as the score was finalized the post-game analysis here and back north was talking place with many people shocked by the result, as always, expecting a gold. But it wasn’t to be had with the change in the quality of teams that the USA is not facing the younger age groups. In case anyone forget, we just lost the FIBA u18 3X3 in Hungary last month to France after repeated gold medals.
There are lots of questions to be discussed and answered this summer as Team USA competes in the U19 FIBA Worlds in Moscow this summer along with the PanAm Games in Toronto later this month, the World University Games in Korea. After watching the FIBA Americas the next viewpoint will be the u16 FIBA Europe Division A’s in Porto, Portugal in August.
Regardless of the Brazil score the USA did its job and qualified for the 2016 u17 FIBA Worlds along with Canada, Brazil and Mexico. In the past this was just a one-horse show. Now, in 2015, the quality of play and talent displayed by Brazil, Canada, Mexico and even some of the bottom four must be respected. If the measurement is in Division 1 quality talent, the USA does not have it all anymore. The world is catching up.
The u17 FIBA Worlds are a year away. The members of Team USA return hopefully with the Bronze, collecting a medal, but with a urgency to get better and play harder as they enter the NCAA summer recruiting competition calendar with their travel teams.
Coach Dori Oldaker discusses the future learning leassons from this historic game.
