FIBA U17 USA-Turkey Game Notes

Collin Sexton (Photo: USA Basketball)

The FIBA U17 World Championships are being played in Spain right now. Here are some thoughts from the USA-Turkey game that was played on Friday. I’ve seen most of the USA players many times, so these are just notes from the Turkey game.

Collin Sexton – ultra fast (John Wall speed) in the open court. Creative finishes while moving the ball to avoid shot blockers. Smooth left-hand finish in traffic. I didn’t know he had these physical tools to go with his natural scoring ability.

Wendell Carter – Good performance against Turkey. He dominated the paint. He played some 1 on 3 breaks well defensively where he was jabbing at the ball-handler without committing.

Troy Brown – looks the part physically. Active on the offensive glass early against Turkey. His length is an excellent asset when he is slashing and finishing around the basket. His shot has always been a question mark.

Markus Howard – lightning quick crossover move -> mid-range shot but the defender still contested it. Best as a long distance shooter. Size is a major drawback going forward in his career.

Carte’Are Gordon – dropped head after foul. Then was late reacting to play followed by watching the ball instead of moving into help rotation. Struggled catching and handling the ball in the first half.

Jaren Jackson Jr. – has to play lower. His size and length are great around the basket, but he has to play with a lower center of gravity on the perimeter in order to defend better. It will help him on the offensive end as well.

Kevin Knox – lost defensively, didn’t change direction defensively well on the perimeter.

Austin Wiley – Great size, good rotation on his free throws, power player in the post. Looks like it is painful for him to run at times.

Gary Trent Jr. – knows how to score with power. Haven’t seen much creativity to his scoring in the paint. He was born to score, though.

Jordan Brown – has really quick feet for a player his size. Offensively it looks like he is raw. He has a soft touch from the block, though. Needs to add muscle to his long frame as well. He’s a 2018 player and only 16 years old.

I didn’t get any notes on Javonte Smart or Immanuel Quickley during the USA-Turkey game.

Turkey

#14 – Ahmet Can Duran - Post with excellent footwork, passes well,  very thick legs, 6’9” ish, decent looking mid-range shot, not much lift when trying to block shots or rebound. He had trouble finishing around the USA bigs.

#13 – Muhaymin Mustafa – 6’5” looks long, decent athlete, good mid-range shot, long range shot looks inconsistent right now.

#10 – Onuralp Bitim – Played this past high school year at Huntington Prep in America. He looks all of 6’6” and displayed a floater game off the dribble. Decent feet overall. Handles the ball pretty well.