St. Louis shooting guard Bradley Beal earned most valuable players honors in Germany.
Photo by Steven Maikoski/USA Basketball
In the end, the outcome of the
FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Germany was never in doubt.
The United States dominated Poland in the event's final on Sunday, 111-80, to earn the gold medal. The Americans finished 8-0 in Hamburg and won by an average of 34.9 points per game.
The USA's most consistent performers delivered once more against Poland. James McAdoo of Norfolk Christian (Norfolk, Va.) scored 20 points and grabbed seven boards while Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) rising senior Bradley Beal drilled five 3-pointers en route to 19 points.
Michael Gilchrist (16 points, four rebounds) and Tony Wroten Jr. (13 points, four assists) also reached double figures in the scoring column. Quinn Cook and Marquis Teague combined for 19 assists.
Tomasz Gielo led Poland with 21 points. The United States held 6-foot-11 Przemyslaw Marcin Karnowski – one of the tournament's most productive big men – to just three points and six rebounds.
Beal was named the tournament's most valuable player, averaging 18.3 points per game and connecting on 31 shots from beyond the arc (47.7 percent). McAdoo joined the St. Louis shooter on the All-Tournament Five. Poland's Karnowski and Mateusz Ponitka were also selected, along with Canada point guard Kevin Pangos.
The victory over Poland caps a dominating two-year run for the United States in U17/U16 play. Nine of the 12 Americans in Germany also represented the Red, White and Blue last summer in Argentina, where they went 5-0 and averaged 113 points per game in winning the FIBA Americas Championship.
