Mikel Brown named to U19 FIBA World Cup All-Star Five after elite showing
Mikel Brown Jr. and Team USA struck gold in Switzerland this week at the U19 FIBA World Cup, headlined by a 109-76 victory over Germany in Sunday’s gold medal game.
BYU’s AJ Dybantsa won the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award, but it was Louisville’s Brown who put the college basketball world on notice over the course of the week.
In Team USA’s 7-0 run, the 6-foot-3 point guard led the red, white, and blue in efficiency (15.9), points (14.9), assists (6.1), and three-pointers made (2.9). Brown shot a scorching 47.6 percent from downtown on six attempts a game and shot it 46.7 percent from the floor. In the win over Germany, Brown played a team-high 25 minutes and scored 11 points en route to being named a member of the cup’s All-Star Five. The group includes Dybantsa, Germany’s Christian Anderson and Hannes Steinbach, as well as Slovenia’s Zack Smrekar.
Brown started a little slow, but eventually was able to take control of the game, as did the USA on the way to gold. He eclipsed the 20-point mark three times in seven games, opened the cup with a six-rebound game against Australia, and never dished out less than four assists in a contest. He showed an impressive ability to let the game come to him and dictate the pace. Brown handled everything opponents threw at him — unique ball-screen coverages, presses, and blitzes among them.
There were games where his shot wasn’t falling, like the opener against the Aussies when he went 3-for-14 from the floor, but he was careful setting up his teammates, dropping seven dimes and totaling just two turnovers. Not letting the poor shooting performance affect him, the next few days, Brown was a human flamethrower. He shot 17-of-23 (73.9 percent) in the next pair of games against France and Cameroon. This mature approach sets him apart from the rest of the guards in his class.
Class of 2025’s No. 1 point guard and the Louisville basketball program have been surrounded by lofty expectations ahead of the 2025-26 season. The Cardinals and head coach Pat Kelsey smashed it in the transfer portal, bringing in three of the top-20 transfers in the nation: Adrian Wooley, Isaac McKneely, and Ryan Conwell. But it’s Brown who could fly into stardom.
Many see him as a one-and-done in the red and black next season, and as a potential lottery pick, all eyes will be on the highly-touted prospect.
