Scouting the FIBA U17 World Cup
With the FIBA U17 World Cup continuing in full swing, here are some names to monitor in the next two years. As always, the selections get explained by going in-depth.
Plenty of potential Division I prospects are currently playing in the FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul, Türkiye. Team USA and France have the biggest names while both competing for the title.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that every country has brought a quality team to the tournament in the hopes of defending their nation’s honor where they can, at the same time, display their respected skill sets to college coaches and decision-makers.
Here are names to keep an eye on in the next two years.
Arafan Diane — Guinea (November, 2007, 6’11”) — #3
From the class of 2026, Diane already has an offer from Oregon. The Canada-based sophomore will enter his junior year in high school and is thus expected to commit to a school between now and the end of next season.
The seven-footer averages a double-double after two games—21 points and 12 rebounds. He got to the free-throw line ten times, converting 80% of his tries. His mobility, touch at the rim, and toughness stood out. His footwork is still developing, but that’s not the most important thing for his age.
He was physically in way better shape than his Chinese peers, opening the tournament with a win. However, fouling out against Team USA after 24 minutes of play, Diane shows that he needs to improve his physicality against the same caliber athletes, which will be the emphasis of his improvement in his junior year.
Omar Essam — Egypt (October, 2007, 6’11”) — #35
Floor-stretching centers with the foot speed to keep up with perimeter players are the new hot commodity. Essam will use this tournament to put him on the radars of Division I decision-makers. He’s a decent screener who is a viable option in pick-and-roll schemes, as both a roller for rim finishes or shooting threes off the catch while popping to the perimeter.
He’s still growing into his body, as the frame will fill itself once he gets older. Essam is a good athlete who uses his elevation well to block shots at the rim—five blocks in two games so far. He tends to gamble for steals on defense, which is okay for his age, but he will likely asked to do that less once he becomes a pro.
He’s playing for Al-Ahly (Egypt), who won the Basketball Africa League in 2023—the highest-ranked international league in Africa. Essam looks like a multi-year college player who will use this tournament to garner offers from low-major to mid-major schools.
Maikcol Perez — Italy (December, 2007, 6’8”) — #1
Playing for a highly-ranked Orange Bassano development squad, Perez is one of the more enticing prospects among the non-American or French players. Perez is a smooth interior scorer with decent handles. At 6’8”, it’s likely that he will continue to grow and fill his frame. He’s thriving on exploiting physical mismatches while he’s able to power himself to the rim against players of his position.
Good touch at the rim. Despite having only two assists in two games, Perez is a very good passer. He’s able to execute basic reads and make good and quick decisions as a ball-mover. He will likely focus on playing more as a point forward in the next two years, where Division I teams will likely be all over him once it’s time to recruit him.
A legitimate NBA prospect who will get more attention in the next few years.
Declan Duru — Germany (January, 2007, 6’7”) — #10
Already a known commodity among international scouts, as Duru is one of the top prospects in Real Madrid’s youth development team. With a strong build, Duru will primarily play the four if he makes the step to college basketball. He’s playing freely in this tournament, testing his three-point shot, and is still developing, to where he went 1-for-8 in two games so far.
The numbers aren’t relevant yet, as Duru was more known as a slasher and play-finisher inside the arc outside of his interior scoring duties. He’s an excellent rebounder who knows how to leverage his strength advantage well to win battles on both the defensive and offensive glass.
Duru needs to tighten his handles in the next few years and improve his decision-making. A nuance here is that he’s playing freely, but will likely struggle on a team where it’s less about him. Despite this, Duru is yet again one of the better players in the tournament, comparable to two years ago when I first saw him play.
Tyler Kropp — Argentina (March, 2007, 6’8”) — #1
After a fantastic outing at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup last month, where he made the All-Tournament Team, Kropp is yet again one of the best players in this tournament. He’s a smooth interior face-up scorer with a great touch at the rim.
The Ohio-based forward is one of the candidates to receive high-major offers between now and the next six months. He’s already gotten several mid-major offers, including ones from Illinois State and Indiana State.
He’s strongly built with broad shoulders. While his frame will fill itself more in the next few years, Kropp has the makings of a highly productive college forward who makes the difference with his strength advantage while being fundamentally sound.
He’s scored a total of 54 points in two games while shooting 20-for-34 from the interior and putting up fifteen free-throw attempts (71.4%). Kropp can turn into a three-level scorer if he maintains his smooth shooting release. He’s at 2-for-6 shooting after two games now, while he put up a mind-boggling 60% on 1.7 attempts per game at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup.