REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - This past weekend was supposed to be so special in youth basketball. FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2020 was supposed to climax on Sunday, July 12, giving us a sixth champion of the biennial showcase.

And that was supposed to come a day after the 10th anniversary after the United States won the first U17 crown on July 11, 2010. And then came the COVID-19 pandemic and everything changed.

With the 2020 edition indefinitely postponed, we decided to put together an all-time lineup. Three important criteria were considered when making this list: only one player would be allowed per country; the list had to result in a balanced team position-wise; and selection for the list came from a combination of performance at the tournament and later stardom.

Oumar Ballo, Mali (2018)

Ballo will forever hold a place in international youth basketball history after he carried Mali to second place at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019 - the greatest result for an African team on the global stage. He averaged 17.6 points and led the tournament with 11.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocks to garner a spot in the All-Star Five. But he makes the all-time team for the U17 World Cup as well. The big man was named to the All-Star Five in 2018 as he was second in scoring at 20.6 points and first in rebounds at 16.9 while also picking up 1.6 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals - all at 16 years of age. That came after he had helped Mali win the FIBA U16 African Championship 2017 and he also carried the country to the title at the FIBA U18 African Championship 2018. Ballo is now looking to star in the United States for Gonzaga University.

RJ Barrett, Canada (2016)

Picking just one Canadian was a very tough choice to make. Andrew Wiggins helped Canada to third place in 2010 and has had a solid NBA career and Jamal Murray starred in 2014 and has become a rock for the Denver Nuggets. But the honors will go to Barrett from the 2016 edition in Spain. There were actually questions if Barrett would even play in Zaragoza as he was with the Canadian senior national team preparing for the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Barrett ended up joining the team just before the U17 World Cup started and collected 18.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists despite being a year younger than the rest of the competition. Barrett went on to star in high school in the United States at Montverde Academy and was a superstar at Duke before starring with the New York Knicks as a rookie in 2019-20.

Bradley Beal, United States (2010)

This was clearly the toughest choice as the United States have won all five U17 crowns - all of them in undefeated fashion. And so many of the USA players have gone onto big things in the NBA. But Beal is the choice here with the closest competitor probably beating Jayson Tatum from the 2014 team and his excellent career with the Boston Celtics. Beal was MVP of the 2010 edition, averaging 18.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 47.7 percent from three-point range. In the NBA, he earned two All-Star team selections with the Washington Wizards after being the No. 3 pick in the 2012 draft.

Gabriel Deck, Argentina (2012)

Deck was the leading scorer in the 2012 edition in Lithuania, where Argentina picked up their best showing in the competition with sixth place, losing to finalists Australia in the Quarter-Finals. Deck collected 21.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in the tournament. He later starred at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2013 and debuted with Argentina's senior national team in 2015. He has won two silver medals at the FIBA AmeriCup (2015 and 2017) and averaged 13.9 points in helping Argentina finish second at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China. He also carried San Lorenzo to the FIBA Americas League crown in 2018, winning the league MVP crown before making his way to Europe to play for Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Bruno Fernando, Angola (2014)

Fernando was a beast at the 2014 edition in Dubai, averaging 9.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. He debuted with the Angola senior national team in 2016 at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and also that summer carried Angola to the title at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016. Fernando attended high school and college in the United States - Montverde Academy and Maryland University, respectively - and was a second round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He played solidly for the Atlanta Hawks in 2019-20 with 4.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12 minutes a game.

Guo Ailun, China (2010)

Guo led the 2010 edition in scoring at 22.4 points and was third in assists at 5.5 per game while also chipping in 4.9 rebounds. His numbers would have been even better but he was shut down by the United States with just 3 points though he had 6 assists and 4 rebounds. Guo went on to win the title at the FIBA U18 Asian Championship later in 2010 and played at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2011 before becoming one of the leaders of the Chinese senior national team, debuting at the 2012 London Olympics. He averaged 8.4 points and 4.0 assists at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in his home country.

Rui Hachimura, Japan (2014)

Hachimura helped Japan reach the U17 World Cup for the first time in 2013 and then he was one of the stars of the tournament in Dubai in 2014. He led the tournament in scoring with 22.4 points to go with 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Japan ended up 14th in the tournament, beating only hosts United Arab Emirates but Hachimura showed his NBA potential. Playing on a court with a number of future NBA players from the United States, Hachimura scored 25 points in a 122-38 loss. He then totalled 35 points in an 83-56 loss against Italy. Hachimura ended up attending Gonzaga University in the United States, becoming a consensus All-American in 2019 and then having a strong rookie season in the NBA with the Washington Wizards.

Killian Hayes, France (2018)

Hayes was part of a magical trio for France in 2018 as they captured their first medal, losing only to the United States in the Final. Hayes was selected for the All-Star Five after collecting 16.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.4 blocks while playing alongside Theo Maledon and Malcolm Cazalon. Hayes is expected to be a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft after playing the 2019-20 season as the main point guard for German club ratiopharm ulm - going the entire campaign as an 18-year-old. Maledon was an option for the France spot as was Jaylen Hoard from the 2014 team.

Mario Hezonja, Croatia (2012)

A summer after winning the FIBA U16 European Championship 2011, Hezonja carried Croatia to their only medal at the U17 World Cup, finishing third in 2012 in Lithuania. Hezonja was second in scoring with 20.8 points a game while also picking up 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals for the Europeans. He ended up moving from Croatia to Barcelona and then was selected fifth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft and has slowly put together a solid, respectable NBA career. He has also played for Croatia's senior national team, helping the country go through the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2016 to reach the Rio Olympics.

Ahmed Khalaf, Egypt (2014 and 2016)

Khalaf must be considered one of the greatest youth players in African basketball history. He became the first player to play at two U17 World Cups, averaging 8.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and a tournament-best 4.9 blocks in 2014 as a 15-year-old. The next summer he was the top shotblocker at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2015 and carried Egypt to the title at the FIBA U16 African Championship 2015. At the 2016 edition of the U17 World Cup, Khalaf averaged 13.0 points and also led the tournament in rebounds (14.0rpg) and blocks (4.4bpg). In 2017 he appeared at another U19 World Cup, finishing second in rebounds and first in blocks. Khalaf moved to Spain in 2015 and played in the country's third division LEB Silver in 2017-18. Khalaf also has advanced to the Egyptian senior national team.

Dzanan Musa, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2016)

Musa may be only 21 years old but he is already a national hero as he guided Bosnia and Herzegovina to the title at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2015 - winning the MVP trophy in getting the country to their first World Cup at any level. And Musa was masterful in Zaragoza. He bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to Australia in the Round of 16 by breaking the U17 World Cup single-game scoring record with 50 points against Chinese Taipei and helped Bosnia and Herzegovina to a ninth-place finish. For the tournament, Musa averaged 34.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists - garnering him a spot on the All-Star Five despite the team finishing outside the top eight. After not playing much in the NBA for the Brooklyn Nets in 2018-19, Musa started to make inroads with the team this past season. And he has already become one of the absolute leaders of the Bosnia and Herzegovina senior national team.

Ben Simmons, Australia (2012)

Naturally selecting just one player from the two-time runners-up Australia was difficult and this pick is based a little more on future success oriented than performance at the U17 World Cup. Simmons was a year younger in 2012 in Lithuania where it was actually Dante Exum who carried the Aussies to their second-placed finish with 17.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Simmons ended up averaging 9.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists but he showed flashes of the brilliance which would make him an NBA star as he collected 26 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals versus Czech Republic; 13 points and 14 rebounds against Egypt and 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks in just 17 minutes against Argentina. Exum's injuries in the NBA kept him from taking Australia's spot on this list. Actually another consideration for Australia was Isaac Humphries, who was one of the top big men at the 2014 tourney in Dubai, including the monster double-double of a then-record 41 points and 19 rebounds against Canada.

David Hein
FIBA

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