Dybantsa Wins U19 World Cup MVP–Was Mikel Brown Jr. snubbed?
Anwar Stetson
Team USA comes home champs after bulldozing through the competition at the FIBA Men’s U19 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland, over the weekend. Nicknamed the “Redeem Team” after the 2008 Men’s Olympic squad, this year’s U-19 lineup avenged its disappointing fourth-place finish at 2023’s tournament. Defeating Germany 109-76 in the final, the gold-medal-winning roster featured five prep stars heading to the college ranks this upcoming season.
Dybantsa won tournament MVP with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in the final and averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game for the tournament. FIBA lauded Dybantsa’s “all-around” game, and though the BYU commit may be the most talented player in the nation, the star of the show was his teammate Mikel Brown Jr.
Dybantsa wowed Europe’s crowds with high-flying dunks and an overall display of superior athleticism, but looking at the numbers, Brown Jr. should’ve swiped the award.
Brown Jr., who will play at Louisville this fall, led Team USA’s per game stats in points (14.9), assists (6.1), and efficiency (15.9). He was also second in three-point field goal percentage (47.6%) behind fellow prep star Caleb Holt. Though Dybantsa showed brilliant flashes of deep range, he only shot 11% from beyond the arc during the tournament.
Finally, Dybantsa showed exceptional off-ball teamwork, but as a guard, Mikel Brown Jr.’s tremendous ability to run point helped lead Team USA to victory. It doesn’t hurt that he nearly had his own Vince Carter moment, with this nasty poster attempt in the quarterfinal victory against Canada.
Other standouts included Germany’s Christian Anderson, who had 18 points and 9 assists despite the loss.
The All-Star Five for the tournament included Anderson, Dybantsa, Brown Jr., Slovenia’s Zak Smrekar and Germany’s Hannes Steinbach.
The 2006-and-2007-born rosters for Team USA have yet to lose in international play, with Koa Peat becoming the first player in history to win three men’s FIBA Youth World Cups. The team also averaged 114.6 points per game, the most in tournament history.
Early projections have Dybantsa going number one overall in the 2026 NBA draft, but keep your eye on the crafty 6’2” point guard at Louisville next season.