REGENSBURG (David Hein’s Eye on the Future) - French and Japanese fans will be closely watching the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017 as two players with bright futures playing far from home will take the next step in their development.

Killian Tillie and Rui Hachimura helped Gonzaga University reach the final of the 2017 NCAA Tournament with the Frenchman Tillie knocking down two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to secure the win in the Semi-Finals.

[VIDÉO 🏀👊] - Le 🇫🇷 @KillianTillie a joué au héros improbable en envoyant Gonzaga en finale de la #MarchMadness ➡️ https://t.co/ou45MSi0j8 pic.twitter.com/ho5LF8GRpa

— SFR Sport (@SFR_Sport) April 2, 2017

Hachimura did not play in either of the Final Four games but the experience gained from a major university will also help him lead the Japanese at the U19 spectacle this July.

And both young players are expected to grow in leadership in Cairo benefitting their national team programs in the long run as well as Gonzaga starting next season.

The biggest positive about Tillie in his freshman campaign with Gonzaga is that he managed to stay healthy through the entire 2016-17 season after missing the past two seasons with injuries.

Every time he has played for France, the Cagnes-sur-Mer native has been one of the main leaders on the team. He was named the MVP of the FIBA U16 European Championship 2014 for the title-winning French, averaging 14.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Tillie then teamed up with three of his teammates from that group - Jules Rambaut, Bathiste Tchouaffe and Timothe Vergiat - and guided France to third place at the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup 2015 - getting named to the Team of the Tournament.

But he missed nearly all of the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons with a series of injuries before heading to the United States to follow in the footsteps of his collegiate sports-playing brothers - Kim Tillie playing basketball at the University of Utah and Kevin Tillie hitting volleyballs at the University of California at Irvine.

Because of the postponement of the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016 from the summer to December, Killian Tillie missed a chance to team up with his running mates from the 2014 U16 continental title since he was at Gonzaga in the States.

Tillie will be extra motivated to play for France in Cairo as he suffered another injury during the FIBA U18 European Championship 2015 - playing in just three of the games before sitting on the bench frustrated in Volos.

Adding Tillie’s versatility to the French team will make them a dangerous squad in Cairo. French coach Herve Coudray will surely come up with plenty of ways for Tillie to grow and develop. While there are questions if France’s star point guard Frank Ntilikina will play in Cairo - as he is expected to be a lottery pick in June’s NBA Draft - the European U18 champions are still expected to be one of the major title contenders as they return to the U19 global stage for the first time in eight years.

Tillie will be well served as well as he plays a leadership role after averaging 12.3 minutes in his first season at Gonzaga, collecting 4.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 steals in that time.

The Zags will need Tillie to step up next season as well as Gonzaga are losing a number of key players from the team that reached the NCAA title game. Przemek Karnowski, Jordan Matthews, Nigel Williams-Goss and Zach Collins all will be leaving Spokane - either through graduation or early entry into the NBA Draft.

八村塁選手のNCAAトーナメント初得点#RuiHachimura #GoZags #FinalFour pic.twitter.com/V1eg4VHFOu

— J BBALL 167 (@Japanbball167) March 26, 2017

While the Gonzaga fans know more or less what they can expect from Tillie, Hachimura is almost an unknown commodity after playing very little in his freshman season - just 4.6 minutes in 28 of the 39 games, averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds.

But the Gonzaga coaching staff love the Sendai native and believe Hachimura will take off next season - especially since he has become comfortable speaking English after struggling to understand his teammates and coaches during his first year in Washington.

The FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup will be huge for Hachimura, who essentially was a practice player all season - playing more than eight minutes just twice all season and not once during the 2017 calendar year.

Japanese basketball leaders are hoping Hachimura can make the jump to a senior player in time to play at the 2020 Olympics - if not earlier. Because of his good size, Hachimura has always played more of a power forward or center for Japanese national teams or his high school. But expect him to play more small forward in Cairo - which is closer to the long-term position for him with the senior team. That is also how Gonzaga have been and play on playing him when he returns.

Gonzaga fans will also be watching the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup anxious to see what their two Zags players do - knowing they will need big contributions from them next season to come close to the success of this past season.

But Zags fans have had Tillie and Hachimura around them all season. After being away from their homelands for a full season, now it’s time for the French and Japanese basketball communities to enjoy their young hopefuls again - not to mention the world basketball fans.

David Hein

FIBA

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