FIBA U17 World Cup: Overall Top Performers
Istanbul, Turkey – The United States has dominated play throughout these FIBA U17 World Cup games. The group has scored over 100 points in each game with the 104-81 win over France their closest match leading to the Finals.
In total 16 countries qualified for this event, and outside of the United States’ games, there has been some really good basketball played. There are some unique talents throughout the world and it is always good to see them compete under one roof.
With NIL coming to the forefront of college basketball we are trending to see more non-domestic players opt to go the collegiate route. In years past, many times, players would choose to work their way up the professional ranks in their home, or surrounding, countries. And that will still happen, however, with the trend shifting, here is a look at the top players I saw in the FIBA U17 World Cup leading into Sunday’s finals.
It is worth noting that for this writing, I did not include any players from the United States roster. Currently, all 12 players on their roster are averaging between 10.7 and 20.3 minutes per game and they currently have six players averaging in double figures.
I do want to note that the USA’s Cam Boozer has been the most consistently dominant player in this 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup. The 6-foot-9 power forward is averaging 19.5 points (3rd overall), 9.3 rebounds (4th overall), 2.0 assists, and 2.8 steals (7th overall) per game while shooting 69.7 percent from the field. Due to the blowout nature of each game, he is only playing 19.2 of 40 minutes per game.
USA Basketball U17 Top Performers from Training Camp
FIBA U17 World Cup Top 10 Standouts
(*listed in alphabetical order)
C Arafan Diane (Guinea)
6-11 | Institut de Sport Dynastie (CAN) | November 2007
2024 World Cup Stats: 7 games. 19.1 points. 11.7 rebounds. 1.4 assists. 1.4 blocks. 54.8% FG. 73.8% FT.
Arafan Diane is a strong and hulking presence on the block. The 6-foot-11 center is currently On3’s No. 37 player in the 2026 rankings. Diane has good hands and he plays with good patience and footwork on the block. He has a throwback game, with a go-to over his left shoulder a counters to play off of that. He has big hands and once he has a hold of the ball, he protects it well to get to his shot. The question with Diane will be the footspeed. He does not move very fluidly, or quickly which will lead to some defensive questions. He is a very good area rebounder, high-pointing the ball and, again, once he gets his hands on the ball it is difficult to strip.
Diane knocked down a three in this event, but that is not part of his game right now. However, he is a good free-throw shooter with touch. Diane’s presence on the block is hard to ignore, and his polish with the ball around the basket is advanced for a player his age. Continuing to work on the conditioning will be interesting moving forward, loosening up his athleticism, and becoming a more fluid athlete.
PF Oscar Goodman (New Zealand)
6-8 | Centre of Excellence (Australia) | February 2007
2024 World Cup Stats: 6 games. 15.7 points. 6.0 rebounds. 3.2 assists. 1.7 steals. 0.5 blocks. 49.3% FG. 70.8% FT.
Instincts, that is what pops for Oscar Goodman. The 6-foot-8 forward always seems to be in a position to make a play. Goodman is comfortable on the ball, and able to dribble, shoot, or pass at the point of attack. He is an instinctive off-ball defender, gathering deflections and cutting angles. And he was a bursty athlete at the rim when he was able to get a head of steam.
While his instincts were notable, he is an average lateral athlete, which did cause some issues with self-creation and creating space to get his shot off. Goodman did not make jump shots in this setting, but the form looked good so some minor in-game tweaks will help. He was confident and not afraid of the moment. With his instincts of being in the right place, his ability to make a play out of multiple situations was intriguing as well. Goodman threw some impressive passes throughout the event, consistently putting his teammates in favorable positions. He seemed to elevate the play of those around him.
PF Tyler Kropp (Argentina)
6-8 | Olentangy Liberty High (Ohio) | March 2007
2024 World Cup Stats: 6 games. 20.3 points. 7.5 rebounds. 0.8 assists. 0.7 steals. 53.6% FG. 71.8% FT.
Tyler Kropp is an interesting scorer. He has an excellent feel from multiple levels on the floor. Love the balance he plays with, always ready to rise up the instant he feels his defender is off balance. Kropp is at his best in the mid-range. He carries an array of pull-ups, step-backs, and reverse pivots while in the teeth of the defense. He is most comfortable playing within two or three dribbles, going left or right.
Defensively will be the question mark with Kropp. He has a projectable frame, one that promises to add good weight as he continues forward. He does not shy away from the physicality of the game, but there are questions surrounding his verticality and lateral abilities. Kropp has a nose for the ball, he is a solid area rebounder. Offensively, he is somewhat one-dimensional as a scorer, and he does so a lot in isolation-type situations. While he did not shoot the ball from three consistently here, he is the second-leading scorer of the entire event, and he is doing so at over a 50 percent clip.
SG Kaan Onat (Turkey)
6-5 | Istanbul Anka Spor (Turkey) | April 2007
2024 World Cup Stats: 6 games. 19.3 points. 4.5 rebounds. 4.8 assists. 1.5 steals. 51.4% FG. 42.9% 3P. 72.9% FG.
Kaan Onat helped lead Turkey to a Final Four appearance in this FIBA U17 World Cup event. It was his all-around play that consistently had him around the ball that propelled his team forward. While Turkey did not play fast, they played physically, collapsing their defense in the paint and looking for contact. On offense, the ball was often in Onat’s hands and he was calling for a high pick-and-roll where he would go to work in the half-court. Onat rebounded his position well and never shied away from physical contact.
The lefty has a crafty feel with the ball in his hands. He does well keeping his dribble alive and plays with good balance as he probes the defense getting into the paint. He seemingly would rather attack the rim than just the jump shot, but when the help defender sagged off the screen, Onat would pull up and knock down the shot. While his release was a little low, the shot went in here. His foot speed is the question that showed on both ends. He is a high-usage guard who struggled to get past his man without a screen. Onat was comfortable playing in the half-court and he wanted the ball in his hands, where he often made good decisions with the ball.
PF Maikcol Perez (Italy)
6-8 | Orange 1 Basket Bassano (Italy) | November 2007
2024 World Cup Stats: 6 games. 14.0 points. 8.7 rebounds. 3.7 assists. 1.2 steals. 56.5% FG.
The most interesting piece of Maikcol Perez’s game is his quick processing. Italy has lined the 6-foot-8 forward up in multiple positions and played through Perez throughout this FIBA U17 World Cup. He is an excellent passer with deft touch and floor vision. His reads off short rolls to the rim have led to numerous easy baskets for his team. He is also an instinctive player both on the glass and the defensive end of the floor.
Perez still needs to add strength, which will help his overall output, but his ability to get into the passing lanes and cut down angles off the ball is productive. He can also switch onto and slide his feet with perimeter-based forwards. The shooting is the next step in his game, becoming a threat to knock down shots will open things up more for him. College basketball has seen players of a similar mold find success over the past couple of seasons with how Princeton used Tosan Evbuomwan and Marquette with Oso Ighodaro. Perez is a quick processor and elevates the play of those around him as a connector, on ball creation and shooting are some next steps to his already productive game.
SG Felipe Quiones (Puerto Rico)
6-6 | IMG Academy (Florida) | January 2008
2024 World Cup Stats: 6 games. 13.0 points. 1.6 rebounds. 3.9 assists. 1.4 steals. 33.7% FG. 87.1% FT.
Felipe Quinones’ 42-point performance against France is one that most will remember from this event. On3’s No. 34 ranked player in the 2026 On3 150 showcased how lethal of an offensive weapon he can be. In total, it was an up-and-down FIBA U17 World Cup. Quinones is a lengthy wing listed at 6-foot-6. He played a lot on the ball for Puerto Rico here and he showed some interesting manipulation of ball screens and natural feel in creating advantage.
In group play, Quinones averaged 4.3 points while shooting 16.0 percent from the field. In tournament play, Quinones averaged 19.5 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 41.4 percent from the field. During the tournament play, the ball was in Quinones’ hands more and he was given more freedom to go make a play. With a January 2008 birthday he is one of the younger players in most games he played. He did not shy away from the physicality and he showed some upside on the ball, making reads. Quinones gets to the free-throw line at an alarming rate, putting consistent pressure on the defense. As he continues to tighten his game up, there is some intriguing upside in play here.
PG Miles Sadler (Canada)
5-10 | Dream City Christian (Arizona) | July 2007
2024 World Cup Stats: 7 games. 13.9 points. 2.0 rebounds. 4.0 assists. 2.7 steals. 43.2% FG. 35.7% 3P.
Miles Sadler had a good high school season with Glendale (AZ) Canyon International on Nike’s EYBL Scholastic Circuit, but his play went to an entirely different level with Canada in the FIBA U17 World Cup. The smaller lead guard put relentless pressure on the defense at the point of attack using his sturdy frame, crafty handle, and quick first step to get wherever on the court he wanted. He played with great balance, absorbed contact, and kept his head up enabling him to be a threat to score or distribute from each level.
Sadler is quick at the point of attack, but he is also aggressive. He does not dance with the ball, he decisively gets to his area. The size will continue to be the question with him as he continues to tighten up his overall game and footwork. Sadler has been in On3’s 2026 rankings for the last couple of updates and he currently sits at No. 78. He was one of the top-performing point guards in this event.
SF Abdou Toure (Guinea)
6-5 | Notre Dame High (Connecticut) | August 2007
2024 World Cup Stats: 7 games. 23.0 points. 3.6 rebounds. 2.0 assists. 1.1 blocks. 57.4% FG. 31.6% 3P. 70.8% FT.
When it came to players wired to score in this event, Abdou Toure had few peers. The 6-foot-5 wing had his eyes fixated on the basket from the opening tip, and he found a variety of ways to put the ball in the cup. Toure is a good athlete with excellent length and twitchy explosion. He is aggressive to his spots and had excellent body control, while maintaining his pace, to find a clean look.
The shooting touch, from three, was inconsistent for Toure. He is more comfortable shooting off the bounce, off the catch his release is a little slower with almost a two-part shot load. However, he was able to find spacing off two or three dribbles to knock down mid-range shots consistently. He displayed footwork and counters, which, a lot of the time, took his momentum away from the basket. While his skill set still needs tightening, he carries a natural feel for scoring the basketball. He had a tournament-high 50 points against China and led the event in scoring at 23.0 per game.
PF Hugo Yimga (France)
6-8 | Pole France (France) | July 2008
2024 World Cup Stats: 6 games. 16.3 points. 6.7 rebounds. 2.0 assists. 1.0 steals. 0.8 blocks. 52.8% FG.
Hugo Yimga’s activity level made things interesting. He had a nose for the ball and his length and athleticism allowed him to win a lot of 50-50-type opportunities. Yimga has excellent length and he is a twitchy, and explosive athlete. He slid and changed direction well, he also was able to highpoint the ball in traffic to secure rebounds.
Offensively, a lot of his chances came off the ball or in transition. He was very fast in changing ends of the court which led to a lot of lead dunks. He also purposefully cut in the half-court. Yimga will need to develop his all-around offensive creativity. Currently, the shot is inconsistent and he is not much in the way of creation off the bounce. In the long term, he moves like a wing and should have no issue adapting to guarding multiple forward positions. Offensively, he needs others to create both spacing and opportunity. With a July 2008 birthday, he was the youngest player on most courts he stepped on in this event. Even at that age, the production speaks for itself, as does his ability to simply go get the ball.
PF Boyuan Zhang (China)
6-8 | Shanxi Fenjiu Basketball Club (China) | January 2007
2024 World Cup Stats: 7 games. 17.1 points. 4.6 rebounds. 1.1 assists. 0.6 steals. 44.1% FG. 40.7% 3P. 84.2% FT.
While the China team did not fare well in the FIBA U17 World Cup, Boyuan Zhang opened quite a few eyes with his scoring prowess. The 6-foot-8 forward seemed to gain more confidence as the week continued. The intrigue with Zhang stems from his ability to make shots. He averaged 7.7 threes attempted through he seven games and knocked down 40.7 percent of them. He played well off his threat as a shooter as well, attacking closeouts in straight lines and getting above the rim at times in traffic.
A lot of Zhang’s handle was attacking hard with his left hand. He will need to continue adding strength, which will help absorb some of the contact. It would also be interesting to see him develop some counters as he attacks in straight lines. Zhang played at a good pace and was not rushed to make things happen. While he was a volume shot taker, he allowed the play to come to him. The defensive side will be interesting as he continues to progress as he does have some lateral questions and average length. Even with the question marks, in an event that saw a healthy number of missed shots, Zhang’s nose for the basket was tough to ignore at his size.
Other Top Performers from the FIBA U17 World Cup
PG Dash Daniels (Australia) – Daniels plays a steady floor game, the type of point guard you can trust with the ball in his hands. While he is not super dynamic off the bounce at this point, he is strong and makes good decisions. Daniels has upside as a point-of-attack defender and he is a strong athlete. He needs to be strong with the ball around the basket and iron out some inconsistencies with his in-game shooting, but the quick processing and on-ball defense are hard to ignore at this point. Daniels is the younger brother of Dyson Daniels. He averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds. 4.1 assists, and 3.6 steals per game.
SF Felipe Minzer (Argentina) – Minzer has good size on the ball, but what really stood out is the confidence he plays with. While Minzer lacks blow-by speed, he has an excellent change of pace with an array of hesitation dribbles and footwork in the paint. Minzer moved the ball well and processed quickly when he was in the paint, especially in the pick and roll. He is also an intriguing defender, able to guard on the ball and get in the passing lanes off the ball. Minzer put his fingerprints on the game across the board averaging 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 3.0 steals.
SF Justin Roman (Puerto Rico) – The motor stuck out for Roman throughout this event. The 6-foot-6 forward showed flashes of being able to shoot, defend, and rebound. He displayed good strength, able to toggle between both forward positions. Offensively, he attacked the rim in straight lines, and his effort was consistent on defense. Roman was a nice connector and found his way around making plays.
PF Declan Duru (Germany) – Duru plays a physical style. His strength and his explosive burst catch your eye immediately. He is an active area rebounder with good instincts. Duru has great length with a strong frame. Defensively, he makes plays all over the floor, guarding the ball, getting in the passing lanes, and playing as a weakside shot blocker. While he is raw with the ball in his hands, Duru moved the ball well. He averaged 10.8 points. 8.6 rebounds. 2.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks.
SF Hayden Jones (New Zealand) – He consistently made plays, with the ball in his hands. The 6-foot-7 wing was able to get to the rim in the half-court and he facilitated well on the move. Jones has nice length and he played with a lot of confidence averaging 11.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and shot 37.5 percent from three.
C Omar Essam (Egypt) – You notice Essam immediately as he carries a lengthy frame that is pushing 7-foot-0 tall. When he moves, you can tell he is still young, but he has touch and he has feel. How athletic will he get, that will be the question that we will need to let play out. But he walls up well around the basket, can rebound his area, and will confidently step into a pick-and-pop jump shot. He averaged 11.3 points, 6.9 rebounds. and 1.7 blocks for the event.
G Dovydas Buika (Lithuania) – Standing at 6-foot-6, Buika was comfortable with the ball in his hands. He was a quick processor while being able to create opportunities for himself and others. Buika will not wow you with his athleticism, but he was solid, he was also an aggressive defender and purposeful area rebounder. While the shot did not fall from three, he scored in the mid-range and made his free throws at a high clip.
SF Gildas Giminez (Spain) – The thing with Giminez is the upside. His production is inconsistent at this point, but you can see the athletic gifts and the nose that he has for the ball. I like his defensive upside, he has length, anticipation, and twitchy athleticism. Offensively, Giminez is still raw, he needs to develop off the bounce and shooting off movement, but he has natural instincts turning defense into offense and as an off-ball cutter. He averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds.