Tobe Awaka at the FIBA U19 World Cup

[BreatheUT]

Not even medaling is pretty embarrassing for Team USA considering what should be a significant talent advantage. Very happy for Tobe making a name for himself though!

Just off the cuff, I did not recognize any of the names on the USA roster so it seems bigger name players did not attempt to play. Also, no one on the roster was taller than 6'9". Awaka was clearly deserving but it didn't seem to be a roster built for a real championship.

 

[kckempf]

France’s best 19 year old wasn’t there either, of course, as he’s preparing for summer league with the Spurs. It’s a depth tournament for a lot of teams.

 

[cncchris33]

You make a good point. It is possible over the course of a season the team could gel and make noise in their conference tourney. I would not bet on it personally. Where does your veteran leadership come from? How do you control the egos of the guys at the end of the bench? Its one thing convincing a 4-5 star freshman he's gotta develop on the bench behind a 3 star senior that put in the work and has a resume at that level. It's totally different when the guy in front of you is the same age and hasn't had any more experience than you. Maturity is a big problem. Look at Duke NC and Kentucky as perfect examples. They have been over the last few decade 1 and done factories but the more one and dones they have the less rings they take home. When those teams were dominating they were doing it with veterans. Super young teams rarely pan out. There have been a few 2003 Syracuse, 2012 Kentucky, 2015 Duke but all those teams also had a few juniors and seniors in their main rotation holding it together.

Kind of a divergence from the original point but my point is if you add in youth with lack of familiarity it's not normally a recipe for success unless you have transcendent talent. Even then it takes a while. Look at the OKC Thunder and Houston Rockets.

I agree with your overarching point that incessant youth minus any veteran leadership isn't a recipe for extraordinary success, necessarily, but that's a far cry from not even making the NIT. And UK, Duke, and UNC are rarely ever fighting for that dubious honor. They sometimes flame out, bit almost always make the NCAAT, let alone the NIT.

But yeah, I'd much prefer to have talent blended with experience and leadership.

 

[Zues1]

How's his defense

 

[NighthawkVol]

Awaka finished as the No. 2 rebounder in the tournament with 10.6 per game and he led in double-doubles (4). He averaged 20.4 rebounds per 40 min, the 3rd-highest average over the past 4 FIBA U19 World Cups, trailing only Purdue's Zach Edey and Auburn's Austin Wiley (among players who averaged at least 10 min of play/game).

Awaka finished 4th in 2FG shooting percentage (60%) and had the 5th-highest efficiency rating out of 186 participants.

How’d he shoot from the FT line?

 

[johnfnkelly]

Legit looks like an All-SEC level player here.

 

[knox73]

Tobe’s upside is tremendous. Oscar Tschiebwe skills and a real team leader. Thanks for posting this.