FIBA U19 winners and losers: College basketball takeaways on AJ Dybantsa, Mikel Brown Jr. and Olivier Rioux

The United States earned redemption in the FIBA U19 World Cup on Sunday with a 109-76 title-game win over Germany that returned the Americans to glory after they finished a disappointing fourth place in 2023. The Team USA trio of Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville), AJ Dybantsa (BYU), and Koa Peat (Arizona) led the way for the Americans, who boasted a roster stocked full of potential future lottery picks and incoming college basketball stars.

However, there was plenty of college talent to go around in the 16-team event. Nearly every team in the field had at least one member who will be on a 2025-26 Division I roster, and there were several future high-major players representing teams from around the globe.

Future Northwestern forward Tyler Kropp (Argentina) and future Washington big man Hannes Steinbach (Germany) were among the event's top stars. Rising sophomore point guard Christian Anderson of Texas Tech also shined bright for the Germans, who hung tough with the U.S. for the first half on Sunday.

Oh, and has Purdue found this year's version of Kasparas Jakucionis by landing Israeli point guard Omer Mayer? That's a lofty comparison, but it holds some merit. Each team at the FIBA U19 World Cup logged seven games, which provided a nice sample size against enough quality competition to make some assessments.

Here are college basketball-oriented winners and losers from the event.

Winner: Purdue found a fascinating prospect

Purdue's April addition of Israeli point guard Omer Mayer flew under the radar amid the mayhem of portal season. But the FIBA U19 World Cup brought more attention to one of the most interesting international freshmen in the 2025 class. Mayer averaged 20 points and 4.3 assists on 38.2% 3-point shooting while guiding Israel to a spot in the quarterfinals with his playmaking prowess. At 6-foot-4, Mayer also brings good size to the point guard position and profiles similarly to one of last year's international stars.

Player A: 19.4 points, 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 4.4 turnovers, 31.9% 3-pointPlayer B: 18.3 points, 4.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 2.0 turnovers, 44.4% 3-point

Player A was Kasparas Jakucionis in the 2024 U18 Euro Championship before he joined Illinois, earned all-Big Ten honors and became the No. 20 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Player B was Mayer in the exact same tournament. Mayer gained additional seasoning with Maccabi Tel Aviv's senior team over the past year before again putting his talent on international display while representing Israel in the FIBA U19 World Cup.

The same concerns over athleticism and turnover woes that follow Jakucionis will follow Mayer, who is a couple of inches shorter. Mayer doesn't get to the rim nearly as often as Jakucionis, but he is trending toward being a better 3-point shooter. The two aren't exactly the same, but they have similarities in their career arcs and in their styles as crafty international guards who operate heavily out of the pick-and-roll. Even if Mayer isn't a one-and-done star like Jakucionis, there's a chance he'll be Purdue's successor to Braden Smith at point guard.

Loser: AJ Dybantsa is far from a lock for the No. 1 pick in 2026

It's definitely a reach to call the FIBA U19 World Cup MVP a "loser," but bear with me here. Barring something totally unforeseen, AJ Dybantsa will comfortably land as one of the top few picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. But the FIBA competition underscored that it's not a foregone conclusion who will be the No. 1 overall pick.

Dybantsa put his supreme athleticism and elite physical tools on display while averaging 14.3 points and 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists. But he struggled from 3-point range – just 2 for 18 for the tournament – and did most of his damage in transition and at the rim against overmatched opposition. His athletic upside and two-way potential remain second-to-none, but his offensive skill set and identity are still being refined entering his freshman season at BYU. With solid competition from a strong class of other likely one-and-done college stars, Dybantsa has a battle on his hands if he craves the honor of going No. 1 overall.

Winner: Northwestern's Tyler Kropp can hoop

Northwestern signee Tyler Kropp looked ready to help the Wildcats, perhaps even as a true freshman. Rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports, Kropp starred for Argentina and finished as the tournament's top scorer at 21.7 points per game. He outshined a handful of other high-major college players in head-to-head matchups. First, he finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds while outperforming Michigan signee Oscar Goodman and Wisconsin signee Hayden Jones in a 77-72 loss to New Zealand. Later, he tallied 23 points and 9 rebounds and was again the best player on the floor in a win over a Serbian team featuring Creighton signee Aleksa Dimitrijevic and Kansas State signee Andrej Kostic.

The 6-foot-9 stretch four has some old-school power forward in his game on the block, where he can deftly outmaneuver larger and less nimble bigs. But smaller players are also ill-equipped to handle Kropp, who needs just a sliver of daylight to get up shots that come with deft touch from short and mid-range spots. While there didn't seem to be much playmaking or facilitating in Kropp's bag during the tournament, he showed plenty of comfort as an outside shooter. Northwestern coach Chris Collins should be feeling optimistic about what Kropp will bring to the table.

Loser: Louisville's opponents better buckle down

Among the top stars of the FIBA U19 show was Louisville freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr., who landed at No. 4 in Kyle Boone's latest 2026 NBA mock draft. The 6-2 offensive dynamo shot a scorching 47.6% from beyond the arc, showed an array of playmaking potential (6.1 assists per game) and was often the best player on the floor for the Americans. Brown finished No. 6 overall in the 247Sports player rankings for the Class of 2025 and is joining a Louisville roster that features oodles of offensive potential. Highly touted transfers Ryan Conwell (Xavier), Isaac McKneely (Virginia) and Adrian Wooley (Kennesaw State) each shot 41% or better from 3-point range on high volume last season. Not only is Brown the perfect setup man for them, but he can stroke it from the outside as well. If what we saw from Brown in FIBA play was any sign, the Cardinals are going to be a nightmare to defend this season.

Winner: Jacob Furphy will help UConn

No, Jacob Furphy is not related to fellow Australian Johnny Furphy, who played at Kansas and is now with the Indiana Pacers. Jacob Furphy is a lefty like Johnny, but he's got a more sturdy build and a crafty handle that helped him produce an impressive 24-point showing in a loss to the United States. While Furphy could face an uphill climb to carving out a significant role in UConn's Big East rotation as a freshman, he clearly looks capable of helping the Huskies over the long haul. He averaged 16.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals in the FIBA U19 World Cup. A rough final two games left Furphy shooting just 31.4% from 3-point range for the tournament, but there were numerous flashes of Furphy's elite marksmanship over Australia's first five games. He's exactly the type of skilled offensive player who will be maximized by a schematic guru like Dan Hurley.

Loser: Fans yearning to see Olivier Rioux this season

Florida's 7-foot-9 center Olivier Rioux is making strides, but the FIBA U19 World Cup showed that he isn't ready to hold down a significant role in the SEC just yet. The towering redshirt freshman caught the nation's attention with his hulking frame while participating in practices and pregame warmups with the Gators during their national title run last season. But Rioux's lack of lateral quickness relegated him to a bit role with the Canadian team. In a group stage showdown with Germany, he started but didn't win the opening tap (yikes!) and was quickly exploited defensively by UConn signee Eric Reibe on the first possession. Reibe, who is a 7-footer himself, isn't exactly a speedster. But he had no problem taking Rioux off the dribble and getting to the rim for a comfortable layup.

Rioux did look a little better in a tightly contested quarterfinal loss to the United States, which was encouraging. However, it would be a surprise if he's on the court regularly for a Florida Gators team that returns its top four frontcourt players entering the 2025-26 season. Rioux is a fascinating player to watch, and his feel for the game is clearly improving. But he remains a long-term project.

Winner: Washington is trending up

Even before the FIBA U19 World Cup, it was easy to see improvement on the horizon for Washington in Year 2 under Danny Sprinkle, as the Huskies landed the nation's No. 13 transfer class and a freshman haul featuring three top-100 players. But impressive FIBA U19 showings from freshman point guard JJ Mandaquit (USA) and late Class of 2025 addition Hannes Steinbach (Germany) only solidified that UW will be trending up following a 13-18 campaign.

Steinbach was virtually unstoppable for the Germans, averaging 17.4 points, 13 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 65.7% for the second-place finishers. At 6-9, he crashed the glass relentlessly while also running the floor impressively well and showing some floor-spacing potential.

With forwards Bryson Tucker and Lathan Somerville transferring in from elsewhere in the Big Ten, Franck Kepnang returning and Lipscomb transfer Jacob Ognacevic on the way, the Huskies have plenty of options in the frontcourt for 2025-26. But Steinbach showed long-term upside and enough physicality and skill to compete for an early role. It might be tough to keep him off the floor. Mandaquit was among the least-heralded players on the American roster (ranked No. 73 in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports) but regularly made plays off the bench and averaged 5.4 assists in just 16.9 minutes per game. Washington fans should feel encouraged after what both signees showed while shining for the top teams in the FIBA U19 bracket.

Loser: South Florida's AAC peers may be in trouble

The only team to truly push the United States deep into the second half of a game was Canada, which fell 108-102 to the Americans in the quarterfinals. A trio of South Florida signees contributed 39 points to the Canadian effort, led by 16 from wing Tristan Beckford. Combo guard Adriel Nyorha added 15 points, six assists and six rebounds, while big man Onyx Nnani came off the bench with eight points, two rebounds and two assists. None of the three were top-100 prospects in the Class of 2025, but they rose to the challenge against a bevy of highly touted American players. If the three future USF Bulls looked that comfortable on the floor against a team of future NBA Draft picks, they'll be just fine in the AAC. First-year South Florida coach Bryan Hodgson has a strong squad, and the FIBA U19 World Cup suggested his freshman class is going to make it even stronger.

Winner: Syracuse addressed a need

Syracuse ranked No. 315 nationally in made 3-pointers per game at 6.4 and 246th in 3-point percentage at 32.8%. Luke Fennell from Australia might be able to help with that. The lanky wing comes with a quick trigger, and he connected on 48.5% of his 33 tries from beyond the arc in the FIBA U19 World Cup. His showcase opportunity against the United States in group play went poorly (1 for 4 from the field with three turnovers in 12 minutes). But Fennell was lights out over Australia's final five games. If Fennell can fill out physically and prove himself defensively, his long-range shooting stroke could earn him some early minutes for the Orange.

Winner: Tommy Lloyd and Grant McCasland

American head coach Tommy Lloyd (Arizona) and assistant Grant McCasland (Texas Tech) helped guide the United States to a title, and they got to spend some extra time around anchors of their 2025-26 rosters. Five-star Arizona signee Koa Peat averaged 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds and looked ready to bring some gritty toughness and downhill driving to the floor for the Wildcats as a true freshman. Meanwhile, McCasland had to be quietly enjoying the play of rising Texas Tech sophomore Christian Anderson. The German point guard finished with 18 points, nine assists and four steals in a title-game loss to the Americans. Anderson was electric throughout the whole tournament and is going to be a force in 2025-26 after earning Big 12 All-Freshman honors last season.