College hoops' upcoming stars

Good morning! Did you spend the weekend watching FIBA games? If not you missed out.

But don’t worry. Here’s what mattered.

1. Five standouts at FIBA U19 World Cup

Craving an early look at the 2025-26 season? Watch the FIBA U19 World Cup.

There are 48 current or incoming freshmen who played in Switzerland over the weekend, with more games coming up this week. Team USA and Canada both feature eight of those players, while Germany has six. (If you can only watch a couple games.)

Team USA got most of the weekend attention, and for good reason. It crunched Australia, 88-73, on Saturday, and followed that with an emphatic 108-77 win over France.

The U.S. standouts thus far? Koa Peat (Arizona), who went for 17 points in both games and has shot 60% from the field. He’s looked like the strongest player on the court most games.

Meanwhile, Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville) was solid vs. the Aussies (10 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, but had a breakout game on Sunday: 24 points, 4 rebounds, a steal and block. He was fast, athletic and already looks like a pro.

Any Louisville game where Brown, Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely and Adrian Wooley are on the court at the same time will be must-see TV.

Top 2025 recruit A.J. Dybantsa hasn’t taken over games, but created scoring chances vs. Australia and has been racking up points at the free-throw line. He’s 17-of-23 from the line, which is more makes than any other Team USA player has even attempted.

Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan) was solid vs. Australia, while Daniel Jacobsen (Purdue) played better against France. Jacobsen used his 7-3 size to make a defensive impact.

Beyond Team USA, a couple other incoming college players stood out.

• UConn commit Jacob Furphy stacked the box score vs. Team USA (24 points, 4 rebounds, an assist and a steal), and seemed to be right at home against the more athletic squad. Dan Hurley will love him.

• Fellow Husky commit Eric Reibe has been solid through two games for Germany (10.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg), but the real German standout is Christian Anderson (Texas Tech). He’s played the most minutes, leads them in ±/- and appears to be ready for his starring role with the Red Raiders.

• Finally, Israeli guard Omer Mayer (Purdue) might be the biggest breakout of the event.

Israel’s won both of its games, and Meyer leads them in points (24 ppg), while shooting 67% from the field and 40% from deep. As noted above, he’s comfortable with or without the ball, and looks at ease in any one-on-one scenario.

Maybe Braden Smith won’t have to do all of Purdue’s offensive playmaking next season.

Eager to watch everyone play? Carve out some time on Tuesday and watch the event live on YouTube.

2. Louisville celebrates Aly Khalifa’s clearance

Friday wasn’t the typical team meeting for Pat Kelsey and Louisville.

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