NCAA Basketball: Takeaways from Team USA in 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup

After a year off, the FIBA U19 World Cup returned last week. The United States, led by Chet Holmgren and Jaden Ivey, took home the gold medal.

This event has become one of my favorites to scout, given the variety of prospects playing, and the different roles we get to see players in. The United States and Canadian teams featured a blend of incoming college freshmen and rising sophomores. Two years ago, it was the first sign that a breakout season was coming for Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton, as he thrived at the event.

This year’s World Cup felt even more important after the pandemic limited the opportunities to see high school seniors. For me, this was my first look at most of those players. Here are my takeaways and evaluations from the event.

Chet Holmgren – Freshman – Gonzaga – 7’0, 190 lbs – May 2002

Holmgren entered the event as the top-ranked American prospect and walked away with MVP honors. Holmgren’s calling card is his defense and he was an absolute menace on that end, blocking 2.7 shots per game. He’s got plus length, but his quick feet and instincts make him really hard to score on. He lacks strength, which can allow opponents to dislodge him, but his length is so overwhelming that he still finds ways to alter shots even when pushed off his spot.

Holmgren was not USA’s go-to scorer, but he filled a role nicely as a lob threat and spot-up shooter.  His jumper was money, hitting seven of his 13 attempts from deep. When smaller defenders switch onto him, he’s got the height to simply shoot over them.

Teams will run Holmgren off the line, but he’s got a pretty advanced handle for someone of that size and uses his stride length to attack the rim. Still, he needs to add strength to finish more consistently when he gets there.

The skill that surprised me the most with Holmgren was his passing. He tallied 3.3 assists per game, leveraging his shooting gravity. Holmgren’s height allows him to see cutters pretty easily over his defender, and he has good timing and accuracy. Holmgren operated very well out of the high-post, hitting Kenny Lofton multiple times on his seals.

This is an area of his game that will thrive next season at Gonzaga. Holmgren will be paired with Drew Timme, arguably the best big man in college basketball next season. This will allow Holmgren to play on the perimeter where he can feed Timme on high-lows, or hit cutters. When he grabs rebounds, Gonzaga’s fast-paced offense will allow him to push the ball in transition. The Timme-Holmgren pairing is a fascinating experiment, but both players can hide each other’s weaknesses and enhance their strengths.

Holmgren was mitigated in the gold medal game against France star Victor Wembanyama, but he did enough throughout the tourney to warrant MVP and show why he’s a consensus top-five prospect heading into next season.