By Mike Flynn
PUEBLA, MEX — My last trip to Mexico was watch the 2013 USA Basketball u16 team in the vacation resort of Cancun was one of comfort for accommodations, but not so much for competition, venue, crowds or play of the eventual gold medal winning USA team which was disjointed. The won the u17 FIBA World Championship but it was after half the team was turned over, a pre-event loss to France and close 2-point final win over Spain. It looked like the world was catching up.
Fast forward to 2015 and this year’s edition of USA Basketball’s u16s are better balanced, better coached and facing even better competition here and around the globe. The world is catching up if you look at the results of the FIBA 3×3 u18 Championships in Drebecen, Hungary where Team USA lost in the finals to a jubilant French team.
The teams here at this edition of the u16 FIBA Americas Championships in Puebla, Mexico are the best and most talented I’ve ever seen, especially south of the US border. This also turned out to be a great venue with great crowds, weather and teams than in 2013.
It is taken as a given that two teams each year will compete with the USA team, Brazil and Canada. After those two there was no competition. In 2013 host Mexico qualified for the u17 FIBA Worlds for the first time in over 25 years. That victory was the catalyst for Mexico to come into this year’s event with lots of unseen talent.
Team USA which opened its defense of their u16 crown with two slow starting impressive victories over a better and more talented Argentina 80-48 and a 86-41 win over a scrappy and hard playing Honduras.
Argentina, traditionally known for its Men’s program, brought a bigger and more talented team this year and started off the game holding a lead for 1:46 min. in the first period before the USA shook off first-game, first-time FIBA jitters and took a 6-3 lead by quarters end. The rest of the game gave Team USA a taste of FIBA play where physicality and fouls are different than USA High School or even Elite Travel Team summer play.
Even USA u16 team head coach Doro Oldaker noted the slow start of this eventual blowout and how well the team handled its first FIBA game.
The win over Argentina was a full team effort as everyone scored being led by starting guard duo 5-11 Andra Espinosa-Hunter and 5-6 Alexis Morris with 16 points each and 5-10 Honesty Scott-Grayson with 10. The bench depth and size wore down the Argentina team by halftime to enable Coach Oldaker to mix lineups and get all players into the fray.
DejaVu set in on Day 2 versus a smaller and hard playing Honduras when they started off the game a 7-0 lead over Team USA and it took the beginning minutes of the second quarter to gain a lead they never lost. It was an eventual 86-41 blowout where again everyone scored and everyone got double-digit minutes. Guard Honesty Scott-Grayson led the team with 18 points off steals and opportunity plays while 5-11 Jade Adams hit shots and 6-6 post Sedona Prince used her versatility to score in the paint and on transition got 10 points each. Again, USA team bench depth and size wore out another a very physical South American opponent.
As in the first day of competition, the physicality and way the game is called was noted by Coach Oldaker.
Day 2 also offered a full day of other physical competition between the six remaining teams and showed who will be the usual suspects of semi-final and finals competitiors. The four winners in Day 2 all qualified for the u17 Worlds in 2017 and Day 3 will offer two games of undefeated pool leaders, USA and Mexico in A and Brazil and Canada in B.
Mexico, as noted with its qualification in 2013, came to Puebla loaded with a bigger team compared to the past to its southern neighbors with at least 4-5 mid Division 1 talents and a strong bid to challenge for the bronze medal.
An exciting game between a very big and physically imposing Brazil with a smaller but very tenacious and extremely quick Cuba showed that Brazil could be the team to really test this year’s USA team if both make the expect finals.
Brazil might be the most imposing team at this age in the Western Hemisphere. While the USA and Team Canada squads have similar physical look, size and skills this edition of Brazil has at least 6-7 major Division 1 talents – enough to beat Canada in Day 3 game and the Americans in the Finals. Two players from Brazil are exceptional: 5-11 big point guard Izabela Nicoletti Leite, (am FSU Leticia Romero clone) and powerful 6-2 Geovana Lopes to go with 7 other players 5-11 and taller. This team represents the best Americas Zone challenge to USA dominance in years. How well the Canadians compete tonight vs. Brazil will tell everyone what to expect if both USA and Brazil face off in the finals. It should be an interesting watch for all fans and college coaches back North alike.
Canada again brings a team, while not producing talent on the level of the men’s side, has gathered a 12-player all capable of playing mid to high major Division 1 NCAA basketball. In the past the Canadians were lacking depth and strength, this time they have more depth but like the Americans, seem not mature and physical enough yet to crush a big Brazil team. This is a team of balance, size and still lacking a superstar player like a Kia Nurse (Connecticut) to take over a game at the end.
Since all four teams have qualified for the FIBA u17 World Championships (site TBA with draw on Jan. 1, 2016) next year this is about growth, development of women’s basketball outside of the United States. As noted, the USA can count on their competition overseas and now this year in their own backyard.
