TORONTO (Canada) - A lot is at stake for the players headed to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup this summer in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Xaivian Lee of Canada, who just wrapped up his third year at Princeton University, is proof.
After his freshman year with the Tigers, when he averaged 4.8 points and 0.9 assists in 13.3 minutes per game, Lee traveled to Hungary for the FIBA U19 World Cup in 2023 and used the tournament as launchpad for his college career.
He revealed himself to be a point guard with skill and leadership qualities.
Team Canada was definitely the moment where I thought I had potential to really take basketball wherever
When he returned to Princeton for his sophomore year, he was a different player.
His minutes increased to 31 per game and his scoring and assists average jumped to 17.1 and 3.7 per contest.
"Team Canada was definitely the moment where I thought I had potential to really take basketball wherever," he said.
"The best competition in the entire world at that age group was right there in our hotel and we were playing them every single day, so I felt like I could go out there and show what I could do, and felt comfortable in those different environments."
Lee and Canada had a positive World Cup. The player led his team in scoring (14.1 points per game), assists (3.1) and efficiency (12.9), while the team made it to the Quarter-Finals and finished seventh.
Lee's highest scoring effort was 21 points in a 106-101 overtime defeat to Argentina, but he had 17 in important wins over China and Slovenia and 15 in a tough encounter against event runners-up France, which Canada lost, 80-68.
"Once I got to Princeton the rest of the summer, I was like, 'that (U19 World Cup experience) gave me confidence to bring it to this level ... and I could really help my team out.'
"So it gave me a lot of confidence to ride into my sophomore year for sure."
Lee had another strong season as a junior and even recorded the first triple-double in school history with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in a 95-71 win over Penn.
He has entered the transfer portal, yet left a lasting impression on Princeton by dishing out a Tigers single-season record 165 assists.
FIBA