Kentucky targets headline 2024 USA Basketball Men's U17 National Team
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).
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Brady Cook injury
Mizzou QB doubtful to play vs. Alabama
- 2Hot
AJ McCarron slams Bama
'Everyone's worried about f-----g TikTok'
- 3
Coach Prime
Deion Sanders, Colorado are for real
- 4
Not alright, alright
McConaughey admonishes Texas fans
- 5
Travis Hunter
Deion Sanders shares Buffs star will play Saturday vs. Cincinnati
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.
2024 USA Basketball Men’s U17 National Team roster
*All player rankings courtesy of the On3 Industry Ranking*
- Cameron Boozer (’25 F) 5-star: No. 2 overall
- Cayden Boozer (’25 G) 4-star: No. 18 overall
- Chris Cenac Jr. (’25 C) 4-star: No. 17 overall
- AJ Dybantsa (’25 F/G) 5-star: No. 1 overall
- Jalen Haralson (’25 G) 5-star: No. 11 overall
- Caleb Holt (’26 G) 5-star: No. 4 overall
- JJ Mandaquit (’25 G) 4-star: No. 56 overall
- Brandon McCoy Jr. (’26 G) 5-star: No. 1 overall
- Koa Peat (’25 F) 5-star: No. 5 overall
- Jordan Smith Jr. (’26 G) 4-star: No. 7 overall
- Tyran Stokes (’26 F) 5-star: No. 2 overall
- Jaden Toombs (’25 C) 4-star: No. 47 overall
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard