American basketball continues to rack up successes in youth categories. On Sunday night, AJ Dybantsa was named TISSOT Most Valuable Player of the FIBA U19 World Cup after leading his team to its ninth title in history, an all-time record in the competition. The young talent shone throughout the tournament with a complete and spectacular performance, playing a key role in the United States’ victory over Germany in the final, which ended with a resounding 109-76 score.

Dybantsa scored 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists in the decisive game, and finished the championship with averages of 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. His performance earned him a repeat appearance in the ideal five, after also being included in the All-Star Five of the FIBA U17 World Cup in 2024. Without a doubt, he is a promising player who will be talked about in the future of world basketball.

The ideal five, with European prominence

Alongside Dybantsa, the SwissBorg All-Star Five featured his teammate Mikel Brown Jr, Germans Christian Anderson Jr and Hannes Steinbach, and Slovenian Zak Smrekar. Brown Jr, point guard for the United States, contributed 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists in the final, and stood out during the tournament with averages of 14.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists.

For Germany, Christian Anderson Jr. was one of the standouts in the final, scoring 18 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals against the US team. The German point guard averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.6 steals in the championship, establishing himself as one of the big names of the tournament.

Hannes Steinbach and Zak Smrekar, standouts

Hannes Steinbach, also from Germany, had a remarkable performance in the final with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. The center has been a pillar for his team, averaging 17.4 points, 13 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game, showing great consistency on both sides of the court.

Slovenia’s Zak Smrekar completed the ideal five after his great performance in the third-place game, where he scored 20 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists in Slovenia’s 91-87 victory over New Zealand. Smrekar finished the tournament with averages of 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.

USA extends its dominance

With this new title, the United States reinforces its hegemony in world youth basketball. The team has once again demonstrated the depth of its bench and the quality of its young prospects, who have managed to prevail over high-level opponents throughout the competition.