AJ Dybantsa Powers US U19 Basketball Team to FIBA World Cup Crown

USA Champions Once Again

Mission accomplished for the USA Basketball Men’s U19 National Team. In a powerful statement, the Americans rolled over Germany 109-76 in Lausanne, Switzerland, to secure the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup gold medal and reassert their place at the summit of junior international basketball.

Second-Half Surge Breaks It Open

The red, white, and blue were locked in early, heading into halftime with a 56-47 lead thanks to blistering 62% shooting from the floor. After the break, Team USA exploded on an 11-3 run to open the third quarter, pushing the lead to double figures for good. Germany never threatened again, managing just 29 second-half points while the USA poured in 53 more to cap a lopsided win.

Golden Standard: Ninth Title

With this dominant performance, the USA now owns nine FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup gold medals — more than any other nation in the tournament’s history. Past titles came in 2021, 2019, 2015, 2013, 2009, 1991, 1983, and 1979. Except for the 1983 squad, every championship USA team has finished undefeated.

In total, the Americans have medaled 13 times, adding three silvers and one bronze. No other country has cracked double digits in total medals — France trails far behind with four.

Coaching Legacy Grows

Tommy Lloyd etched his name deeper into USA Basketball lore by becoming the second University of Arizona head coach to win U19 World Cup gold, joining Sean Miller (2015). Lloyd, who also guided the USA to FIBA U18 AmeriCup gold in 2024, joins Billy Donovan as the only coaches to claim back-to-back U18 and U19 titles.

Koa Peat’s Historic Quadruple

No player has made a bigger mark on USA junior hoops than Koa Peat. The standout forward snagged his fourth gold medal with the national team, stretching back to the 2022 U17 World Cup and continuing through the 2023 U16 AmeriCup, the 2024 U17 World Cup, and now the 2025 U19 triumph. Peat stands alone as the only men’s player with three junior World Cup golds.

Dybantsa Named MVP

AJ Dybantsa’s stellar play throughout the tournament earned him MVP honors. In the gold medal clash, he added 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a steal in under 20 minutes. For the event, he averaged 14.3 points and four boards per contest. Dybantsa and Mikel Brown Jr. both landed spots on the All-Star Five — the second time Dybantsa has made the squad after his 2024 U17 run.

Brown Jr. delivered team-highs of 14.9 points and 6.1 assists per game while drilling 20 triples across seven matchups.

Historic Scoring Barrage

Team USA didn’t just win — they rewrote the record books. The squad became the first in tournament history to top 100 points in six straight games, finishing with an eye-popping 114.6 points per contest. That mark shattered the previous record held by Yugoslavia (1987) and surpassed the American record of 104.7 set in 1979.

Eyes on the Future

After another dominant showing on the international stage, this next generation of USA basketball talent will return home with gold — and their sights firmly set on building even more history.

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