Jonathan Raymond casts his eye over the four groups at the Fiba Under 17 Championships and looks at who will be challenging.
Group A
United States, Philippines, Angola, Greece
The United States are the favourites to win the tournament, but Greece boast a pair of top international prospects in towering centre Giorgios Papagiannis, standing 7ft 1ins, and wing Vasilis Charalampapoulos, who is 6ft 8ins.
If anyone can give the Americans a run during group play, it is the 2013 Under 16 Euro bronze medal winners.
The Philippines, a rising basketball nation, will rely on Jolo Mendoza, who scored 16.6 points per game during their silver-medal run at the 2013 Fiba U16 Asia championships and twins Mike and Matt Nieto. They are undersized (Mendoza is 5ft 9ins) but quick and talented.
Angola arrive as the title-winners at the Afrobasket U16 tournament. Silvio de Sousa, a 6ft 8ins centre, remains from that side after scoring 11 ppg and grabbing 10.3 rebounds per game in 2013.
Group B
France, Australia, Canada, Japan
Group B might have subtle claim to being the tightest group. France only finished fifth at the 2013 Euro U16 championships, but also have one of the best players in the tournament in 6ft 8ins forward Stephane Gombauld, considered a likely future NBA draft pick.
This [articular Canada team does not have an Andrew Wiggins or Anthony Bennett, like they did in 2012, but they still have future NBA-worthy talent, like guard Jamal Murray, who scored 17.4 ppg at the 2013 Fiba Americas U16 championships, where the Canadians finished third.
Howard Washington and Brandon Cyrus are also being eyed by top American colleges.
Australia have become a basketball talent factory, and in Dubai they will be led by 6ft 11ins centre Isaac Humphries. Abiola Akintola is also one to watch.
Japan enter the U17 Worlds for the first time after winning bronze in Asia last year.
Group C
UAE, Italy, Spain, Puerto Rico
Hosts UAE are entered in an imposing group that includes European champions Spain, an Italian team with plenty of size and Fiba Americas U16 fourth-place finishers Puerto Rico.
Spain is arguably the best basketball nation in the world after the US, with a litany of successful pros in the NBA and a domestic league headed by the Real Madrid and Barcelona basketball sides.
Guards Sergi Garcia and Xabi Lopez and forwards Santiago Yusta and Samuel Rodriguez are all potential NBA talents.
Italy have a top-notch prospect themselves in 6ft 6ins forward Andrea La Torre. Puerto Rico return Ivan Gandia, who led them in scoring, and Arnaldo Toro, a 6ft 6ins inside presence, from their Fiba Americas side.
Group D
Argentina, China, Egypt, Serbia
Group D will feature a team that could be considered the dark horse of the tournament.
Serbia, silver medallists at the 2013 U16 Euro championships, do not even have a couple of their brightest stars – Borisa Simanic and Milos Gilisic.
They still have plenty going for them, though, with three 6ft 10ins players, including David Miladinovic, a very interesting prospect. Stefan Peno, most valuable player of the 2013 U16 Euro title game, and forward Aleks Aratinovic, are good talents as well.
China went 9-0 at the 2013 Asia U16s and bring Jinqiu Hu, who averaged 20-plus points per game in that tournament, to Dubai.
Egypt will be led by 2013 Afrobasket standout Mohamed Abdelrahman (23.3 ppg last year).
Argentina were runners-up to the US at the 2013 Fiba Americas U16 tournament and boast 6ft 6ins forward Lucio Delfino, who scored 12.8 points and secured 7.2 rebounds per game in that tournament.
jraymond@thenational.ae
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