USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team shines in scrimmage ahead of AmeriCup in Buenos Aires
Tommy Lloyd glanced at the scoreboard with his eyes fixed not on his team’s lead, but on the foul count.
The 2024 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team held a 60-46 advantage during a scrimmage on Reid Court at Colorado College on Tuesday, but also outpaced their opponents in fouls.
“We’re up 5-0 on the foul count guys,” Lloyd said. “We gotta be a little more disciplined.”
That served as one of Lloyd’s rare complaints during the scrimmage ahead of the 2024 FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup, which begins Monday in Buenos Aires.
Shelton Henderson (51) of the USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team defends Hunter Maldonado (61) in the second half of a scrimmage at Reid Arena at Colorado College on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Parker Seibold, The Gazette)
“They’re talented players and high-character guys. I told them I’m going to coach them with high standards and we’re not going to run this thing like an all-star team,” Lloyd said. “I’m proud of how they let me coach them. … We have a motto, ‘talent makes talent better.’ I think they’re buying into that.”
Lloyd, who’s the men’s basketball coach at University of Arizona, will coach a talent-laden roster comprised of numerous players who rank inside the top 25 of ESPN’s and 247sports’ rankings.
Team USA coaches trimmed the roster from 28 players on Saturday to 12 on Tuesday.
Included in that 12 is Duke commit Patrick Ngongba, who, as of Tuesday, is ranked 19th in 247sports’ rankings and 25th in ESPN’s top 100 for the class of 2024.
Ngongba missed “virtually all” of his senior year in Virginia at Paul VI High School because of a right foot injury that required surgery.
But the 6-foot-10, 240-pound 4-star recruit illustrated why he made the cut.
Ngongba swatted a pair of shots to teammates, who finished with layups or dunks on the opposite end.
He also slid into position in the paint to force difficult layups or make players take circus shots around his lengthy arms.
Patrick Ngongba (62) of the USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team takes a shot over Dawson Carper (39) in the second half of a scrimmage at Reid Arena at Colorado College on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Parker Seibold, The Gazette)
When his teammates bolted down the court, Ngongba trailed and either cleaned up any misses or was the beneficiary of a dish from his teammates.
Derrion Reid, a 5-star recruit who’s headed to Alabama in the fall, passed out of a double team atop the key and found Ngongba alone in the paint where he elevated to dunk the ball.
“(My foot) felt good, no issues at all,” Ngongba said. “I didn’t get to play all season, so it felt good to get out here and get some reps. This is helping me get my feel of the game back and helping me build my confidence.”
Lloyd appreciated the hustle and players’ cohesion despite having little court time together.
“I thought our guys played with great effort and you can tell they’ve been paying attention in practice because of their great execution,” Lloyd said. “They looked great even though we’ve only been together for a week. It’s good to see us against some outside competition and I thought our guys played unselfish and with great effort.”
The U18 team will play in Group B during the AmeriCup, which features Belize, Brazil and host country Argentina.
Since 1990, when the AmeriCup began, the U18 team has earned 10 of 12 gold medals.
USA Basketball has won six consecutive gold medals in the AmeriCup, which takes place every two years, except 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lloyd is ready to make it seven consecutive tournament wins.
“I know we’re ready,” Lloyd said. “We’re going to start with (Wednesday) with film and learn from all the positive things we did. Once we establish that, we’ll see if there are some themes in the mistakes we’re making and we’ll address them.”
