Leon (Mexico) - For the second consecutive global youth competition, extra awards have been handed out, including the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2024 Best Defensive Player, Best Coach and All-Second Team. The All-Second Team contained Savannah Swords of Canada, Jordyn Palmer of USA, Ines Garcia Monje of Spain, Sara Yamada of Japan and Olivia Vukosa of Croatia.
Swords was a driving force in taking Canada to a maiden silver medal as she went to work with an all-action 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.3 assists.
Palmer added to her jubilation of a first global title with USA by gaining recognition for her work after averaging 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 steals. Garcia Monje had a solid tournament for Spain and erupted at the perfect time in the Third Place game with a show-stopping performance. She eventually averaged 10.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Yamada pulled the strings brilliantly for Japan and made history by becoming the first player in the history of the competition to hand out double-digit assists in two games during the same edition. She finished with 6.0 points and 5.1 assists per outing.
Finally, Vukosa was the baller behind Croatia picking up a fantastic four wins on their debut. She averaged a phenomenal performance efficiency valuation average of 29.0 from 19.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.6 blocks per game - helped by a record-breaking display on the last day.
The center also had the honor of being named as the Best Defensive Player after leading the tournament not only in blocked shots, but also defensive rebounds.
The Best Coach award was handed to Fabienne Blizzard of Canada who guided her team to their best ever finish at the event. Her team caught the eye en-route to snapping up a historic silver medal with their defensive tenacity and only losing the one game in the competition.
FIBA