Before the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2019 tipped off in Bangkok recently, FIBA produced a list of NCAA talent – both current and future.

Photo – FIBA.com Now the tournament is in the books, how did that talent perform in the Thai capital? Here is the breakdown:

Australia (2nd – 5-2)

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Isabelle Bourne – University of Nebraska (commit)
It was a rock solid outing from Bourne who showed her strength to good effect. Nothing too flashy in her game, she worked hard for the team to deliver success. She posted 23 minutes per game and came out with 8.4 points and 5.1 boards. Her work off the bench in the paint was important. A nice showing.

Alexandra Fowler – Portland State University (commit)
It was a delight to see Fowler earn All-Star Five status. She is an ‘old-skool’ no frills but very effective baller and I thought she was terrific. She almost claimed a tournament double-double with 9 points and 10 boards per outing, leading the silver medalists in scoring, rebounding and efficiency. Has grown up playing against older women in the courts down under and so is hard nosed, no-nonsense and uses her physicality well.

Miela Goodchild – Duke University
Even if Goodchild didn’t get the opportunity to shine as much as expected with an arguably surprising 12-13 minutes per game, she did come up with one of the most important and outstanding displays. She was the game-changer in a tricky Semi-Final with Spain and was the difference-maker off the bench as Australia looked liked struggling. She didn’t shoot or finish that well overall which probably impacted her minutes but you could see her quality shine through intermittently.

Ula Motuga – Washington State University
It was tough to assess Motuga, who only played a handful of minutes in a couple of games for the runners-up.

Jaz Shelley – University of Oregon (commit)
It was a little bit of a roller-coaster ride for the Oregon recruit who showed her massive upsides and also her vulnerabilities at certain times too. She threw a few too many loose passes in the competition, but then redeemed herself with some big lines and showed her capacity to contribute in multiple facets of the game. She certainly didn’t shoot well throughout the competition and even went a combined 0 of 12 across the games with Colombia and Mali. But she showed some impressive resilience to recover mentally and do other things, leading the team as you would expect in assists with 3.7 per game, doing a nice job on the glass with 5.3 boards and topping her team’s steals chart with 1.7 per game. She was influential in the Semi-Final and amazing Final (where she scored 18 points) and opinion was divided over how much court time she will get at Oregon, with estimates ranging from 10-15 per game to nothing at all. Fascinating.

Samantha Simons – Saint Mary’s College of California
She played 11 minutes per game and it was very much a role for her team with no big performances, numbers or memorable contributions. However, Australia were the ultimate team at the event and it is no co-incidence that she was involved in making another global Final – as she did at U17 when winning gold 3 years ago. Just disappointing she did no feature in the Semi-Final or Final (unless injured and I was not aware).

Canada (6th – 4-3)

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Niyah Becker – University of Utah
She played more than 16 minutes per game, but struggled to impose herself physically in most games and didn’t really find any rhythm or purpose to her play. That was perhaps symptomatic of Canada themselves who flattered to deceive with their top 6 finish. She rebounded adequately, worked hard to the ball, but there was little direct impact on offense and had some tough assignments on defense.

Faith Dut – University of Florida (commit)
It was impossible to assess Dut, who only featured for a handful of minutes in a handful of games.

Yvonne Ejim – Gonzaga (commit)
It was impossible to assess Ejim, who only featured for a handful of minutes in a handful of games.

Taya Hanson – Arizona State University
It was a mixed bag in truth. Very mixed. She started off with 29 points across the opening couple of games and then finished well with 15 points in the last game against China, but in between she was 9 of 48 which was dire. Also 3 steals in an entire tournament considering she averaged 25 minutes per game is very poor at any level. She showed glimpses of smartness and brought some passion which was not that evident in this Canada team – pus some useful work on the boards. Overall, probably should have done much better.

Justine King – Long Beach State University
She did a sound job running the team on the floor and actually threatened in glimpses from downtown too. Only her jump shots and finishing at the hoop fell short of expectations. Handed out 3 assists per game, defense was okay and in general can be satisfied with her showing.

Roxane Makolo – Purdue University
Makolo got to the bucket well, did a nice job on the boards which showed her appetite, athleticism and reading of the game. However she didn’t trust her outside shooting enough, only attempting 3 triples in the tournament. Was not any kind of major offensive threat in limited minutes of 16 minutes per game and overall did nothing too much wrong but also did not manage to catch the eye too much either. A vanilla display.

Brynn Masikewich – UCLA (commit)
The tournament was a roller-coaster for Canada and I thought the UCLA commit kind of epitomized the journey of her team. Sometimes she looked great and other times poor. It was very inconsistent. She did great work on the boards, but never blocked a single shot in 118 minutes on the court and against some weaker opponents. Shooting wise she was pretty decent and showed her range with knocking down quite a few triples. It was just defensively, Canada needed her to play a bit tougher.

Christina Morra – Wake Forest
While Morra did not repeat the form  that saw her being named in the All-Star Five last summer at the U18 Americas, I thought she was probably, on balance, one of the best performers for Canada. She finished reasonably well, didn’t get caught up in trying to pull moves out of her reach and was an asset. I think she could have grabbed more on the glass and been more aggressive at both ends of the court with her opponents, but I was left thinking she can improve and be a very decent player.

Merissah Russell – University of Louisville (commit)
She came up with a few very sweet plays for the highlights reel early with one massive block in the opener and a lovely behind the back lay-up move against Mozambique. But ultimately, just never shot the ball well enough. Made only 1 triple in the whole competition and had almost twice as many turnovers as assists. When you play 23 minutes per game, you need to be scoring and creating – or at least one of those. But Russell never harvested even a double digit score. She did hustle well and in addition to some sweet flashes and moments of talent, worked hard.

Colombia (11th – 3-4)

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Mayra Caicedo – Northern New Mexico College
I have to confess that when it comes to Caicedo, I think it is a case of maybe stats can lie sometimes. It’s not that she has terrible numbers, in fact she was the leading scorer with 13 points per game. However she did shoot sub 30% and had more turnovers than assists which means on the face of it, you might think that the playmaker didn’t do that well. However, leadership and smarts don’t always show in the numbers. The way she controlled the game to take Colombia to their historical first ever win over 2018 European u18 champions Germany was terrific. She also played a big role in the first-timers collecting 3 wins on their debut. When it comes to the turnovers, you also have to accept that she was the strong focus of every opposing defence which is not an excuse, just a reason. Plus, she had an amazing 3.4 steals per game – the second best of the entire tournament.

Maria Camila Alvarez – University of South Florida
It was bitter sweet for Alvarez who had a horrible time shooting-wise at just 25% from the field during the tournament and yet all power to her for doing absolutely everything else for the team. That can be evidenced by the fact that despite this shocking shooting form, she still managed to finish second in efficiency for Colombia. That was due to her excellent creative ability and she finished with an eye-catching 3.1 assists per outing, plus a creditable 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.

Natalia Pineda – Eastern Michigan University
Another player who suffered in terms of scoring after barely managing 31% from the floor, Pineda was a colossus on the glass for her team and her boxing out at key times gave Colombia some much needed protection. She saved her best work for the last game and the South American derby against Argentina, with her 11 points and 8 boards critical in a close and exciting victory. She was basically solid throughout the competition.

Germany (13th – 2-5)

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Emily Bessoir – UCLA (commit)
I am a big fan of Bessoir because of her versatility and quality – the kind of which has seen her on radar central at youth level. However, I thought she looked lacking in energy and this was undoubtedly the inevitable consequence of hopping straight from the U18 in Sarajevo to Bangkok. Perhaps something like 14 games in 28 days was just too much to handle – as it would be for anyone. Germany had a miserable first outing at the event. Without last year’s U18 MVP Nyara Sabally, the likes of Bessoir needed to have huge tournaments and it just didn’t happen. Bessoir was super on the glass with more than 9 boards per game, but only managed 7.7 points per game. That was largely due to her making just 5 of 27 from long-range and missed more free-throws than she made. She struggled to make the required impact – as was the case with her team in general.

Elea Gaba – University of Buffalo (commit)
It was an unfortunate and painful end t the tournament for Gaba who had just put up her biggest and best performance with 19 points and 10 boards against Thailand when she was stretchered off in the dying seconds of the contest with what looked to be a serious injury. Our best wishes go to her. Overall her minutes were limited with less than 15 minutes per game and she was either very good or terrible in terms of shooting. There were no half-measures, with the likes of 1 of 8 and 0 of 6 games along those nice ones such as the Thailand game.

Marie Reichert – Old Dominion University (commit)
It was a straightforward tournament from Reichert as she played only 12 minutes per game and did her job coming off the bench. The forward worked hard off the ball, grabbed some boards and made a few shots. Didn’t shine but didn’t suck either.

Jessika Schiffer – University of Buffalo (commit)
I have really liked Schiffer at times having watched her for a few years at youth tournaments, but this was one to forget in a big way. The guard suffered in just about every facet of the game. She only shot 24% from the floor which was not a surprise after some horror shows such as 1 of 10, 1 of 8 and 1 of 7 for example. She also had more turnovers than assists and for me, she is a better player than she showed in Bangkok.

Japan (8th – 3-4)

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Norika Konno – Louisville (commit)
Maybe there was a bit too much hype around Konno (guilty) heading into the tournament and I had expected a little more. She was a victim of a Japan side who finished 8th and struggled at times in comparison to some of the past teams I had seen. Konno really struggled with confidence from downtown – only making 2 of 12. I felt she missed all three attempts in the opening game and stopped shooting. That was matched by her taking 3 steals in the opener and unfathomably only snapping up a solitary steal in the next 6 games! For such a quick and talented player, it was below par against expectations. She handled the ball well, slashed nicely and did still show big promise in general.

Latvia (14th – 4-3)

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Mara Mote – University of Arizona (commit)
I like Mote a lot. She is always looking to penetrate, be a danger and positively influence games she plays in. She is composed, has a good physical frame and contributes in multiple facets of the game. She was the next best performer after the outstanding Laura Meldere. Mote was second best for her team in points, rebounds, assists, efficiency and led the way in steals. That tells you just how impactful she is in games. Rarely a standout All-Star Five level daily display but always in the mix and contributing.

Nikola Ozola – Florida Atlantic University (commit)
The guard is a much better player than she showed in the Thai capital when she struggled hugely to put anything on the board points-production wise. 9 of 42 across the competition summed things up. Shooting the ball badly, she seemed to have her confidence knocked a little after scoring a nice 12 points in the opening game and fine win against Canada. In fact, if you take the first and last games away, she was 3 of 28 from the field. So those middle 5 games were tough on her. I have seen her play better in tournaments. At least she led her country in assists with 2.9 per game.

Spain (3rd – 6-1)

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Carla Balague – Grand Canyon University
She didn’t play a lot of minutes with only 10 minutes per game for the bronze medal winners. Although interestingly, she did give a glimpse of her potential level with a sweet cameo in the Semi-Final against Australia when she went 3 of 4 from the field and showed that she can compete with some of the best around. She probably had more to give but was limited by the likes of Pendande, Wone and Hermosa in front of her in the queue.

Esther Castedo – Robert Morris University
This tournament was probably a bit back to front for Castedo who started very nicely with 13 points and some great work in other areas against Colombia in the opener. But as he competition evolved, she faded into the background in terms of her production and influence and the Semi-Final with Australia was the worst possible time to go 0 and 7. Very much a mixed bag.

Carla Flores – University of Western Illinois
With less than 7 minutes per game to her name, it was impossible to give any kind of assessment for Flores.

Nerea Hermosa – Georgia Tech (commit)
You can slate Hermosa into this tournament as one of the top unsung heroes and for sure, Spain’s unsung hero – at least outside of the locker room as her teammates and the coaching staff will acutely appreciate her value. Her shot selection was superb and she never forced anything. Each game she would take 3-4 nice looks and drop most of them down. She actually finished with 60% from the floor and even if 5.3 points is modest, they were achieved just so efficiently. She also rebounded the ball well and played good defense so a big tick in the box.

Lola Pendande – University of Utah (commit)
A deserved All-Star Five spot was given to Pendande who like last year at the U18 in Udine, was the main player for Spain. She is strong, focused and tough to shut down. While not massively prolific, she is deadly around the bucket and finished as Spain’s top scorer with 11.9 points per game and second best shooting percentage. In fact, she also led the way in rebounding and efficiency too. A tough customer, she was very impressive throughout and still shone despite much defensive attention directed at her. Take out her 3 of 12 start against Colombia and her numbers are superb.

Laura Piera – Grand Canyon University
For those who checked out the FIBA live blog, you will know that I am a huge fan of Piera as I have seen few other, if any other players with quite the same levels of energy, defensive intensity, quick feet and lateral movement. I love her defense and when she turned her ankle midway through the competition, I was gutted. It perhaps says a lot that I was convinced she would not return, but she did. And, helped Spain get that last podium step. I would have her on my roster every day of the week – even if she did have a 6 of 25 shooting nightmare.

Helena Pueyo – University of Arizona (commit)
A class act and coming from the U18, I don’t think Pueyo had as much as usual in her tank which is completely understandable. Rather than a big force, she was classy and showed glimpses of brilliance as she dropped some momentum-shifters in some key games. She couldn’t get her downtown game going and 6 of 24 from long-range highlights her struggles. But, she did make those handful of shots at critical moments and contributed in so many other areas – claiming almost 7 boards and 3 assists per game. She also played really well in the bronze medal clash with Belgium.

Alba Sanchez-Ramos – University of Wyoming
With just 12 minutes per game in the tournament, she had to make do with role player status and generally fulfilled it reasonably well. Nothing spectacularly good or bad to report. Some good defensive work but will be disappointed she barely featured in the Semi-Final with Australia and medal game with Belgium.

Aixa Wone – Ohio State (commit)
I had never been a huge fan of Wone previously in terms of comparisons with the other generations before and after her. That was solidified when she went 1 of 7 in the first game against Colombia. But. she kind of won me over in this tournament and I saw a spark in her during a couple of games that I had not seen much before – especially in the Quarter-Final against China when she was instrumental in the victory. The forward shot ok, did a nice job on the rebounds was also important in the bronze medal game. It will be interesting to see how she does at Ohio State.

USA (1st – 7-0)

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Fran Belibi – Stanford University (commit)
Brought off the bench, Belibi made a statement in the opening game with one of the plays of the tournament as she produced a monster rejection on one of the Opals. She was super throughout and did a great job in a limited 16 minutes or so. She shot almost 70% from the floor which was outstanding – even if from a low volume at 2 of 32. She had the amazing 8 of 8 against Korea, rebounded very well and showed why people are so excited by her talent.

Aliyah Boston – University of South Carolina (commit)
Having made the All-Star Five in Minsk at the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup last year, I thought she was probably 1 more game away from making another run for an individual accolade. That is because after a mediocre start in the first half of the competition, Boston turned up the dial in the Semi-Final and Final with two very good showings. I liked her work a lot again and the double-double in the gold medal game showed what a real nice player she is going to be at the top level.

Cameron Brink – Stanford University (commit)
With just 8 minutes per game it was tough to  give any kind of assessment, although I do remember some excellent blocks (including 3 in 11 minutes against Hungary) and she smashed the boards whenever she stepped onto the floor. Will maybe be a little disappointed with her finishing though after going 4 of 13.

Paige Bueckers – UConn (commit)
What can you say about the MVP? Well she has not just quality and star potential at the elite level, but she has got big balls to have thrown that pass to Van Lith so brilliantly at the end of regulation in the Final. Even if Coach Walz drew it up, you still have to execute and that was a tricky one to pull off. I caught up with her for FIBA in a special long read and was impressed. So smooth, she looked the class act throughout. She led the tournament in assists with 5.4 per game – as well as dropping a nice 44% from the floor.

Queen Egbo – Baylor University
I thought she was an absolute rock in this competition and even if that was mainly through the Group phase and middle phase, she did a nice all-around job for the team. Averaging almost 8 points per game from an excellent near 60% from the field, she showed her strength and collected a couple of double-doubles. Her only regret might be that she wasn’t able to shine in the two clutch games down the tournament stretch and continue her good work from the first 4-5 games.

Naz Hillmon-Baker – University of Michigan
For me, the player that NOBODY talked about but was my unsung hero for the champions. She really did such a strong job with a string of cameos and I think she deserves much recognition. She kind of hid in plain sight from much of the media and the fans. But 25 minutes per game and a consistency that I don’t think anyone else matched. She averaged 7 points and 7 boards per game and that was achieved with almost 50% shooting. She was like a well-oiled machine who just rolled up her sleeves and got it done. I was very impressed.

Rhyne Howard – University of Kentucky
Nothing else matters when you are a clutch player with quality. Forget whether the numbers stack up enough to make the All-Star Five or not (as some people questioned), because in the two biggest and tightest games that USA played, the Freshman of the Year scored two of the most decisive buckets. A big shot in the clutch from the wing against Belgium in the Semi-Finals when USA were in serious danger of losing, then that jump shot off the dribble in overtime against the Opals to effectively seal the deal. Led the team in scoring with 13.1 points per game in the competition and seeing her up close, you could see the quality. I mention the question about the numbers because she was actually suffering against Australia in that Final having went a very poor 2 of 12. But to have the confidence to hit more or less the game winner like she did tells you everything about her state of mind and ability to climb the ladder in the future.

Ashley Joens – Iowa State
A late call-up, Joens was unable to make a big impression with just 9 minutes per outing at the event and struggled to make an impact off the bench offensively by going 0 of 9 in the last 4 games. Was tough assignment, but got called up and went home with gold and some good experiences.

Diamond Miller – Maryland (commit)
Miller only played 7 minutes per game and it was more or less impossible to evaluate her contribution as one of the players who was stuck on the bench for the most part.

Celeste Taylor – University of Texas (commit)
I think it was a roller-coaster ride for Taylor from an individual standpoint because she just couldn’t get anything to go from downtown and her 1 of 10 from behind the three-point line was disappointing. That said, she made some nice jumpers and got to the the hoop for other looks and she can be hugely proud of 6 precious rebounds in 18 minutes during the gold medal game!

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