The FIBA Under-19 World Championship featured 16 teams, and from those teams 22 current college players were represented. There were also a number of high school players who are on their way. I'm ignoring purely international players, and am focusing only on players who are expected to compete at the college level in the US. The most impressive player in the tournament may have been Serbia's Vasilije Micic, but he won't be playing as an amateur in the States.
So whose stock improved the most?
Dante Exum, 6-6 point guard, Australia
One of the intriguing storylines for the 2014 recruiting class will be whether or not Exum will play collegiately, or jump straight to the NBA. Exum is the son of Cecil Exum, who played at UNC before migrating to Australia where he played professionally. Dante has great size, and can play either guard position. Despite being the focus of every defensive game plan, Exum made 53% of his 2s and 33% of his 3s, while grabbing 3.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists a game. His assist to turnover ratio was 1.6:1. He displayed any number of high level moves, most notably a crossover which he used to get into the lane at will.
Tyler Ennis McIntyre, 6-2 point guard, Canada (Syracuse)
All Ennis McIntyre did was lead the tournament in scoring at 20.9 per game. His ability to score in transition was a high point, and he could score in bunches as well, dropping 42 points on China. The big concern were his turnovers, which averaged 2.7 per game. Still, he was adjusting to playing on a national team which did not feature Andrew Wiggins.
Dane Pineau, 6-8 power forward, Australia (St. Mary's)
There isn't a lot of power in the willowy power forward's game, but still, Pineau got it done down low. He averaged 11.8 per game (and when he stepped out to the 3-point line – 1.4 attempts per contest – he knocked down 54% of his shots). But most impressively was his activity on the offensive glass. He averaged 3.9 offensive rebounds per game, and extending possessions will be a sure way to earn minutes as a freshman at St. Mary's.
Nigel Williams-Goss, 6-3 combo guard, USA (Washington)
Just peruse the USA stats and you'll see that Williams-Goss played more minutes than any other player, and this was on a team that featured Marcus Smart, Aaron Gordon, Rasheed Sulaimon, and a whole bunch of other players who will make major waves at the college level. Williams-Goss played with an attitude and aggressiveness that made it difficult for Coach Donovan to sit him for long. He made 53% of his 2s, 42% of his 3s, and had a remarkable 4:1 assist to turnover ratio.
Juan Saiz, 6-8 power forward, Spain (Ole Miss)
Saiz is a late bloomer who appears to be a steal for Ole Miss. He's strong, has a long wingspan, and is relentless around the glass. He averaged 9.4 rebounds per game in this tourney, and also demonstrated impressive footwork when he was fed the ball in the post. He still has a lot of development ahead of him, but he's proven that he can step in and help Ole Miss immediately. If he keeps improving at his current pace, he could be a beast in the SEC by the time he's a junior.
