By Jordan Divens

​The final 12-man roster has been announced for the U18 USA team, and they will look to continue international dominance at this age group, boasting a 48-2 all-time record in FIBA U18 play. The 7x gold medal winning U18 side will look to capture another gold medal on the back of the U17 USA teams success last month. FIBA play will begin in Valdivia, Chile on July 19th against Puerto Rico in their opening matchup.  There will be 8 total countries participating in the event, with Chile, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and the Dominican Republic joining the United States for a week in Chile, from July 19th to July 23rd.

The 12-man roster was announced as Mohamed Bamba, Jarrett Allen, James Banks, PJ Washington, Michael Porter Jr, Kevin Huerter, MJ Walker, Hamidou Diallo, Markell Fultz, Matt Coleman, Trae Young, and Quade Green made the cut. The roster features four freshmen in the upcoming college season, (Jarrett Allen, James Banks, Kevin Huerter, Markelle Fultz) and 8 elite 2017 prospects. Look for the dominance to continue with another stacked group of prospects for U18 Team USA.

Roster Breakdown:

Big Men:
Mohamed Bamba provides a rim protector for the United States in the paint with his length and gifted shot blocking abilities. He will join Jarrett Allen, James Banks, and PJ Washington down low to battle on the boards. Allen and Banks will team up to provide Longhorn fans and coach Shaka Smart a look at next years Texas frontcourt, while PJ Washington will round out the talented frontcourt with his all-around skillset as an undersized big man.

Wings:
Michael Porter Jr will lead a talented group of wings for team USA, joined by Kevin Huerter, MJ Walker, and Hamidou Diallo. All these talented perimeter players will play a different role for the team. Expect Michael Porter Jr to take a leadership role on this team as the best scorer and most dominant player on the perimeter. His length and ability to score makes him impossible to stop and along with quick athletic wings like MJ Walker and Hamidou Diallo, expect scoring to come at a very high level in Chile. Kevin Huerter will give Maryland fans and coach Turgeon to see how Huerter will play alongside high-major division one talents.

Guards:
Markelle Fultz will take the lead role in the backcourt beside a very talented backcourt of Quade Green, Trae Young, and Matt Coleman. Quade Green was the leading assist man in the EYBL regular season and at the Peach Jam, establishing himself as one of the top point guards in the class. Trae Young is coming off an 8-0 run at the Peach Jam, which he played stellar basketball and dominated elite guards with consistency. Young’s shooting ability from deep will open up the game for team USA and force the defense to stretch to cover him. Fultz has seen his stock steadily rise over his team at Dematha Catholic, establishing himself as a dominant slasher and finisher around the basket with elite playmaking abilities.

Final 6 Cuts:
2017 7’ 0” C Brandon McCoy: Cathedral Catholic (CA)
2017 6’ 8” SF Kris Wilkes: North Central (IN)
2017 6’ 6” SG John Petty: J.O. Johnson (AL)
2017 6’ 5” SG Lonnie Walker: Reading (PA)
2016 6’ 3” PG Cassius Winston: University of Detroit Jesuit (MI) (Michigan State)
2016 6’ 7” SF Miles Bridges: Huntington Prep (WV) (Michigan State) (Withdrew due to family reasons)

Roster:
2017 7’ 0” C Mohamed Bamba: Westtown (PA)
2016 6’ 10” PF Jarrett Allen: St. Stephen’s Episcopal (TX) (Texas)
2016 6’ 10” PF James Banks: La Lumiere (IN) (Texas)
2017 6’ 8” PF PJ Washington: Findlay Prep (NV)
2017 6’ 9” SF Michael Porter Jr: Nathan Hale (WA)
2016 6’ 6” SF Kevin Huerter: Shenendehowa (NY) (Maryland)
2017 6’ 5” SG MJ Walker: Jonesboro (GA)
2017 6’ 5” SG Hamidou Diallo: Putnam Science Academy (CT)
2016 6’ 4” SG Markelle Fultz: Dematha Catholic (MD) (Washington)
2017 6’ 2” PG Matt Coleman: Oak Hill Academy (VA)
2017 6’ 2” PG Trae Young: Norman North (OK)
2017 6’ 0” PG Quade Green: Neumann Goretti (PA)

Head Coach: Shaka Smart (Texas Head Coach)
Assistant Coach: Kevin Ollie (Connecticut Head Coach)
Assistant Coach: Mark Turgeon (Maryland Head Coach)