Tommy Lloyd’s Team USA squad was pushed to the max in its quarterfinals win over Canada Friday at the FIBA U19 World Cup. Saturday’s semifinals matchup vs. New Zealand went a bit easier.
The Americans crushed New Zealand 120-64 to advance to the championship game where they’ll take on Germany in Lausanne, Switzerland Sunday. Arizona freshman Koa Peat played 14 minutes against New Zealand, scoring seven points on 2 of 6 shooting. Peat also had six rebounds in a steal in USA’s dominant victory.
Peat’s production has gone down over the last few games. He scored double figures in the Americans’ first four games but only had seven points vs. Canada.
Rising high school senior Caleb Holt led USA in scoring Saturday with 20 points, while Kentucky freshman Jasper Johnson added 14.
Lloyd allowed Peat to rest for most of the second half, giving the same treatment to other starters AJ Dybantsa (BYU) and Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville).
Lloyd and the USA coaching staff will want those players as rested as possible for the championship matchup against Germany.
The Germans, like the Americans, are undefeated in the tournament. Germany is led by guard Christian Anderson, a rising sophomore at Texas Tech.
Lloyd and his coaching staff are well-acquainted with Anderson, who plays for USA assistant and Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland.
The championship game will be played at 11 a.m. PST Sunday and will be streamed on FIBA’s YouTube channel.