Kentucky targets headline 2024 USA Basketball Men's U17 National Team

Photo of Cameron (left) and Cayden Boozer by Mark J. Rebilas | USA TODAY Sports — Mark J. Rebilas | USA TODAY Sports

Following five days of training camp in Colorado Springs, USA Basketball has its 12-man roster for the 2024 FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup scheduled for June 29-July 7 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Of the dozen (cut down from an initial group of 34) talented high school athletes headed overseas in search of another gold medal, eight of them are being actively recruited by Kentucky or have at least heard from the Wildcats’ coaching staff in recent weeks. They include Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer, Chris Cenac Jr., AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Holt, JJ Mandaquit, Brandon McCoy Jr., and Tyran Stokes.

In total, seven of the 12 players are considered five-star recruits by the On3 Industry Ranking while 10 of them are ranked as Top 20 prospects in their respective classes. Eight have previous USA Basketball experience.

Since this event was established in 2010, Team USA has won gold all six times, most recently taking down Spain in the championship in 2022. Former Kentucky guard DJ Wagner, who transferred to Arkansas this offseason, was a member of that squad. The Americans have never lost a game in the FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup (44-0).

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Team USA will open the seventh edition of this event later this month. A member of Group B, the Americans will face France (June 29; 10:30 a.m. EST), Guinea (June 30; 8:00 a.m. EST), and China (July 2; 5:30 a.m. EST) in hopes of securing a spot in the tournament. All games will be streamed live on FIBA’s YouTube channel.

According to the NCAA Bylaws, college coaches will be allowed to attend and scout at this event. Expect a Kentucky coach or two to make the trip to Istanbul to watch some of their top high school targets.