LAUSANNE (Switzerland) - The basketball community had a certain understanding of the stars who were coming to FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025. But a number of players blossomed in their opportunity to shine on the big stage.
We looked back over the tournament and came up with nine players who broke out in Lausanne and made names for themselves looking ahead the future - with performances not everyone was expecting.
Gedeon Basson - Cameroon
Basson was not part of the Cameroon team that last summer finished second at FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2024 to reach their first FIBA U19 World Cup. The USA-based guard shined for the African country with 18.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
Basson showcased his versatile game with a strong compact frame and excellent explosion as well as good outside shooting at 41% on three-pointers.
Mikel Brown Jr. - USA
Brown was a major part of the USA team at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup 2024 but it was unclear what his role would be in Lausanne with a major core of the team being from the 2007-born generation. But Brown was spectacular all tournament, making the SwissBorg All-Star Five.
He averaged 14.9 points with 48% three-point shooting, 2.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists, including 20 points and 8 assists in the tough Quarter-Finals win over Canada and 12 points and 4 assists in the Final against Germany.
No one would have questioned it if he had been named U19 World Cup TISSOT MVP.
Jordan Charles - Canada
Charles starred for Canada at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024, but he shined as a player one year younger in Lausanne as well. He averaged 13.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.7 steals.
The quick dynamic point guard played a major role in Canada giving USA a fight in the Quarter-Finals with 19 points and 5 assists.
Tama Isaac - New Zealand
Isaac was named to the All-Star Five of the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2024 and he did a great job gelling with the players from the 2007 generation who had helped New Zealand reach the Semi-Finals at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024.
The point guard, who has a strong frame and great understanding of the game, tallied 13.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.4 steals. He poured in 20 points in the Third Place Game, but they were not enough.
Omer Mayer - Israel
Mayer was called upon to lead the Israeli team as Ben Saraf - the MVP from the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024 - was not playing because he was selected in the 2025 NBA Draft. Mayer ended up playing only four games due to a finger injury, but the dominant as he poured in 20.0 points on 38% three-point shooting to go with 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals.
The strong guard with excellent shooting ability and good playmaking skills collected 33 points and 7 assists in Israel's big Round of 16 win over Cameroon.
Dayan Nessah - Switzerland
Nessah came into the tournament having hardly played in the 2024-25 season in college in the United States. The former Barcelona farmhand was the leader of Switzerland's inspirational team, collecting 17.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
Nessah scored 22 points with 15 rebounds in Switzerland's fairytale win over France in the Round of 16 to reach the top eight in the world.
Zak Smrekar - Slovenia
Smrekar did not have the same billing as some of Slovenia's other names, but the guard really shined for the Balkan side. He used his strong all-around game to average 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists, and he was joint leading scorer with 20 points in Slovenia's win over New Zealand in the Third Place Game.
And he ended up being named to the SwissBorg All-Star Five.
Hannes Steinbach - Germany
Steinbach was already considered a solid prospect before the tournament but the German big man absolutely dominated the tournament. He used his excellent game intelligence, superb rebounding and strong defense to average 17.3 points, 13.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, earning him a spot on the SwissBorg All-Star Five.
Steinbach registered four games of 16+ rebounds, including picking up 14 points and 16 boards in the Semi-Finals.
Thiago Sucatzky - Argentina
Sucatzky was not as highly regarded compared to the team's 2007-born duo of Tyler Kropp and Felipe Minzer. But the USA-based point guard had an excellent performance with his great passing and playmaking skills. He averaged 7.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and a tournament best 6.9 assists. He dished out 15 assists in the win over Cameroon in the Classification 9-16.
FIBA