By Jordan Divens

The 12-man roster has been announced for this year's U17 USA team, and they have some big shoes to fill.

The U17 squad has been undefeated with a 23-0 record since FIBA play opened for this age group in 2010. Since then, Team USA captured all three FIBA U17 titles (2010, 2012, 2014) and will look to remain unbeaten behind a loaded roster of elite 2017 and 2018 prospects.

This year's FIBA World Championships will be held in Spain from June 23 to July 3 and feature a diverse 16-team field.

The 12 young men who made the final cut battled hard to earn their spot on the final roster, and will look to continue U.S. dominance in this age group by leaving their mark with another title in 2016.

2016 FIBA U17 World Championship Roster:

Austin Wiley, Jordan Brown, Wendell Carter Jr., Jaren Jackson Jr., Carte’Are Gordon, Kevin Knox, Gary Trent Jr., Markus Howard, Troy Brown, Collin Sexton, Immanuel Quickley, and Javonte Smart will all make the trip.

12-man roster breakdown

Big Men

The U17 USA basketball team is in good hands down low—they're bringing five big men with them to Spain, including two with international experience. Carter Jr. and Brown, who won a title with the U16 team last summer, will team up again in the front court. Joining them will be Auburn commit Wiley, standout 2018 forward Carte’Are Gordon, and Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) standout Jaren Jackson Jr., whose stock exploded this summer. Look for Wendell Carter Jr. to be the catalyst down low for a talented front line—he averaged 13.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game last summer for the U16 squad.

Wing and Guards

USA basketball decided to bring just one traditional wing this summer: Kevin Knox, who enjoyed a strong summer with U16 last year. He will be joined by other key returners from the U16 gold medalists: Gary Trent Jr., Markus Howard, and Javonte Smart. Trent Jr. averaged 16.8 points per game last summer and led the team in scoring, while Howard finished second with an average of 15 points per contest. Alongside these guards will be Collin Sexton, who broke out this summer by resetting the EYBL record and averaging 31.7 points per game in regular-season play. Mix in young 2018 guards Immanuel Quickley and Javonte Smart, who are looking to stand out and move up the rankings in their class, and you have a very talented team from top to bottom.

Recap

Overall, this U.S. team has never lost in U17 FIBA World Championship, and you shouldn't expect that to change this summer. This year’s roster features six players from last summer’s gold medal-winning U16 team; the remaining players from last year’s team were cut in favor of fresh faces. Look for the top four scorers from last year’s U16 USA team (Trent, Howard, Knox, and Carter) to carry the load offensively, as well as prolific scorer Collin Sexton. This is going to be a high-scoring team that will do damage in Spain.

Roster

2017 6’ 10” C Austin Wiley: Spain Park (AL) (Auburn commit)
2018 6’ 10” PF Jordan Brown: Woodcreek (CA)
2017 6’ 10” PF Wendell Carter Jr: Pace Academy (GA)
2017 6’ 10” PF Jaren Jackson Jr: Park Tudor (IN)
2018 6’ 8” PF Carte’Are Gordon: Webster Groves (MO)
2017 6’ 8” SF Kevin Knox: Tampa Catholic (FL)
2017 6’ 6” SG Gary Trent Jr: Apple Valley (MN)
2016 5’ 11” PG Markus Howard: Findlay Prep (NV) (Marquette commit)
2017 6’ 6” PG Troy Brown: Centennial (NV)
2017 6’ 2” PG Collin Sexton: Pebblebrook (GA)
2018 6’ 4” PG Immanuel Quickley: John Carroll (MD)
2018 6’ 3” PG Javonte Smart: Scotlandville (LA)

Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Don Showalter (USA Basketball Director for Coach Development)Assistant Coach: Mike Jones (Dematha Catholic Coach)
Assistant Coach: Miles Simon (California Supreme Coach)

Last Six Players Left Off Roster

These players scratched and clawed until the last day of the 2016 U17 trials. They made the first cut and were honored among the 18 finalists, but narrowly missed the cut for the 12-man roster:2018 6’ 9” PF Jalen Smith: Mount St. Joseph’s (MD)
2017 6’ 6” SF D’Shawn Schwartz: Sand Creek (CO)
2017 6’ 5” SG Nojel Eastern: Evanston Township (IL)
2018 6’ 7” SG Cameron Reddish: Westtown (PA)
2018 6’ 5” SG Robert Woodard II: Columbus (MS)
2017 6’ 3” SG Daejon Davis: Garfield (WA)

Invitees That Didn’t Make the First Cut

These players were invited to training camp for the U17 team, but didn’t make the cut as one of the 18 finalists:Michael Barber, Marquis Brown, Taeshon Cherry, Darius Garland, Justyn Hamilton, Elijah Hardy, Brandon Johns, Tre Jones, Romeo Langford, Jaedon LeDee, Gerald Liddell Jr, Montez Mathis, Miles Norris, Jaylen Nowell, Charles O’Bannon Jr, Alexander Reese, Nazreon Reid, David Sloan, Jarred Vanderbilt, Connor Vanover, Kaleb Wesson

Groups

Group A: Egypt, Taiwan, Turkey, USA
Group B: Argentina, Lithuania, Spain, Mali
Group C: Australia, Canada, China, Finland
Group D: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Dominican Republic, France, South Korea

17U Event History

2010: 8-0 MVP Brad Beal (Andre Drummond, Michael Gilchrist, James Mcadoo, Tony Wroten)
2012: 8-0 MVP Jahlil Okafor (Stanley Johnson, Jabari Parker, Justise Winslow, Julius Randle)
2014: 7-0 MVP Malik Monk (Jayson Tatum, Josh Jackson, Harry Giles, Henry Ellenson)

Related: USA Basketball U18 Trials Preview