ISTANBUL (Türkiye) The Digital Award winners of the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026 have been confirmed, marking the second edition that these awards have been handed out.
The All-Second Team
Darius Karutasu (Türkiye) was a force throughout the tournament as Türkiye's second leader behind Omer Kutluay. But the tall wing impressed in his own right with his big shot making as well as his defensive prowess.
He was the team's second leading scorer with 23.3 points while leading the team in rebounds with 9.7 boards and ranking second in assists with 2.1 dimes to go with team-high 2.3 steals.
DJ Gaines (Puerto Rico) caused headaches for opponents at both ends as the Puerto Rico guard could either blow by you to the basket, unconsciously take a three-pointer in your face or deliver a pass with precision to his teammate.
On top of that he was an absolute menace defensively, anticipating passing lanes and hounding opposing guards. He finished the tournament with 25.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 4.9 steals.
Nathan Soliman (France) showed why he is one of the top prospects in the 2009-born generation with a great all-around tournament. Playing in his second FIBA U17 World Cup - one of only three players to do that along with Ahmed Khalaf of Egypt and USA's Koa Peat - Soliman had a solid scoring tournament (17.6 ppg) with strong outside shooting (42.3%) while exceling at rebounding (7.0 rpg) and playmaking (2.9 apg).
He also use athletic and long frame on defense with a combined 3.2 steals and blocks.
Matija Lukic (Serbia) played a massive role in getting Serbia to the Final after stepping it most when his country needed it most. After averaging 12.5 points and 10.8 efficiency in the first four games, the guard had 27 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and an efficiency of 34 in the Quarter-Finals against Lithuania and added 20 points and an 18 efficiency in the Semi-Finals.
For the tournament Lukic scored 16.1 points per game and shined as a great shooter, hitting 41.8 percent on three-pointers. He also played great defense with 2.4 combined steals and blocks.
CJ Rosser (USA) impressed all tournament with his tantalizing mix of length and athleticism playing on the wing. He poured in 16.4 points - including 23 points in the Final - while hitting 36.7 percent on three-pointers.
Rosser also contributed 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Defensively, his numbers of 0.4 steals and 1.0 blocks - did not fully express his impact on that end of the floor.
Best Defensive Player: Nikola Kusturica - Serbia
The Best Defensive Player award went to Nikola Kusturica of Serbia. The shooting guard not only was a force offensively all tournament - averaging 24.6 points per game - but he was also the anchor to head coach Stevan Mijovic's defense.
The 202 cm / 6'7" wing collected 2.3 steals as well as 1.7 blocks as he took advantage of his excellent athleticism, great defensive instincts and tremendous length to be a menace on opposing offenses.
Best Coach: Stevan Mijovic - Serbia
The Best Coach award was presented to Stevan Mijovic for leading Serbia to their best performance in history by reaching the Final. Mijovic's troops lost the opening game to Australia but worked their way to the Final.
Serbia pulled away from Lithuania in the Quarter-Finals in a revenge game for the Lithuanians, and then Serbia withstood the pressure of the home Türkiye fans to win in the Semi-Finals.
FIBA