Best of 2018: USA back to their best; Alvarez sinks 10 game triples at the U17 Worlds

MIES (Switzerland) - The 2018 edition of the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup saw USA regain the crown having had a shock bronze in 2016, while several rising stars made people sit up and take notice.

There were plenty of talking points as the action went down in Minsk, Belarus, while you can also check out our wrap of the 2010 edition is HERE, the 2012 edition is HERE, the 2014 edition is HERE and the 2016 edition is HERE.

Top of the podium: USA recapture crown after 2016 setback

It was a long two years for USA Basketball as they tried to show the patience needed to tick off the time until they could put right the disappointment of 2016 when they exited in the Semi-Finals. Having taken gold in 2010, 2012 and 2014, it was a case of normal service resumed as they climbed back to the top of the podium in style, rounding out an unbeaten tournament with a devastating 92-40 victory against France in the Final. They had some stellar names and especially ballers like Paige Bueckers who have now got an astronomical personal profile. 

Rank	Team	W-L
1.	USA	7-0
2.	France	6-1
3.	Australia	6-1
4.	Hungary	5-2
5.	Italy	5-2
6.	Spain	3-4
7.	Japan	4-3
8.	Latvia	2-5
9.	Canada	5-2
10.	Mali	2-5
11.	China	3-4
12.	New Zealand	`1-6
13.	Argentina	4-3
14.	Columbia	1-6
15.	Belarus	2-5
16.	Angola	0-7

Meet the MVP: Jordan Horston (USA)

It was a double celebration for Horston as she added to her gold medal with the MVP accolade having been a driving force for the champions with an all-action average of 10.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.4 steals per game. She was joined by USA team-mates Haley Jones and Aliyah Boston with Australia's Shyla Heal and Iliana Rupert of France completing the lineup.

Rupert (France), Jones (USA), Horston (USA, Heal ( Australia) and Boston (USA)

Boston was USA's leading scorer in the Final with 16 points and put up 11.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in the tournament, while Jones averaged 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest.

Rupert was held scoreless in France's Final defeat against USA, but still had a strong tournament with 10.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Heal was ranked second among all players in scoring with 16.0 points per game to go along with 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

On absolute fire:  Maria Camila Alvarez (Columbia)

While there were arguably some performances just as big in the latter stages of the competition during crunch time, we just can't overlook this epic from Alvarez who caught fire in a big way for Columbia. It's not often in the international game that somebody reaches double-digits for three-point shots, but she sunk 10 of them en route to 35 points against Belarus. Though it was bitter-sweet since her team lost 79-75 in overtime.

Five-star entertainment: Heal and Sapphires bag a bronze

This might not seem like a rational pick for the game of the tournament as both teams barely made it past the 50-point mark, but it was such an intense struggle for the bronze medal. Australia had to come back from a very tough situation and posted a huge 26-14 last period to take a 57-51 success against their Hungarian opponents, led by 16 points from their leader, Shyla Heal.

Big prospect: Rupert shows what's to come for France

While everyone in France already had Rupert on radar central and even those followers of the European game, the Belarusian capital was where the center announced her arrival on the global stage. She catapulted France to the Final and was absolutely immense throughout, but especially in the Semi-Finals with a super performance. Fast forward to now and she is a centerpiece of the senior national team.

The hidden star: Shuyu Yang (China)

With just 5 points per game in Minsk, there was no sign that Wang would become one of China's most popular ballers within the next three-year period and attract over 8 million followers on Chinese social media Sina Weibo and Douyin (a Tik Tok offshoot) platforms. That was because she propelled her nation to a historic 3x3 bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Stats leaders

Scorers

Player	Points Per Game
Sika Kone	16.9
Shyla Heal	16.0
Sofia Acevedo	15.7
Charlisse Leger-Walker	15.1
Yutong Liu	14.4

 

Rebounds

Player	Rebounds Per Game
Aminata Brahima Sangare	13.1
Sika Kone	10.9
Laura Meldere	10.6
Jazzmyne Jade Kailahi-Fulu	9.0
Iliana Rupert	8.8

 

Assists

Player	Assists Per Game
Florenica Chagas	6.6
Jordan Horston	5.1
Fanta Kone	4.9
Paige Bueckers	4.7
Nodoka Fujita	4.7
Yuliya Vasilevich	4.7

 

FIBA