Gilbert Perry High School freshman Koa Peat was named to the USA Basketball Men’s U-17 National Team on Wednesday after five days of practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The two-time Arizona Republic High School Basketball Player of the Year will be one of 12 players who will travel to Istanbul, Turkey, to compete in the 2024 FIBA U-17 Men’s World Cup from June 29-July 7.
The U.S. will play its first match against France on June 29 at 7:30 a.m. Arizona time. The next day, the team will face Guinea for the first time, before facing China on July 2.
The 6-foot-8 Pete led Perry to three consecutive state titles during his three years of high school, and the team has eight players who previously played for USA Basketball.
Last year, Pete won a gold medal with the U.S. U-16 national team that won the FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico, which earned the U-17 team a spot in the upcoming World Cup in Turkey.
In 2022, Pete averaged 10 points for the U.S. U-17 team that won the gold medal in Spain.
“There’s nothing better than playing for your country and winning a gold medal,” Pete told The Arizona Republic in May.
“Being able to try out for the team and then go to Turkey this summer is a huge blessing for me and my family and we’re very excited,” he said.
The U.S. team has won a gold medal at every FIBA U-17 Men’s World Cup tournament since 2010 and owns a 44-0 record in tournament history. Sherman White of Pace Academy in Georgia serves as head coach, with Scott Fitch (Fairport High School, New York) and Chet Mason (Brush High School, Ohio) serving as assistants.
In addition to Pete, the team includes the Boozer brothers, Cameron and Caden, Chris Cenac Jr., AJ DiVanta, Jalen Haralson, Caleb Hold, JJ Manducit, Brandon McCoy Jr., Jordan Smith Jr., Tylan Stokes and Jayden Toombs.
DiVanta, a 6-foot-9 forward, is ranked the No. 1 prospect in the country in the class of 2025 by the 247Sports Composite for Utah Prep, which will play in Section 7 play this weekend at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
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