SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Glenn & Stacey Murphy Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry will have more decor to add to his office at the Rolfs Practice Facility after he helped guide the U18 USA squad to a gold medal in the 2024 FIBA U18 Americup. Coach Shrewsberry was previously named an assistant coach for the Team USA squad, marking his first time on a USA staff.
The U18 USA squad spent the last week in Buenos Aires, downing Brazil to take the top seed in Group B. The U.S. then cruised past Canada in the semifinals to soar right into the gold-medal game where they defeated Argentina 110-70. Coach Shrewsberry will now fly back to South Bend to start the summer session with the 2024-25 Fighting Irish.
From USA Basketball
2024 FIBA Men’s U18 AmeriCup Most Valuable Player Darius Acuff Jr. led the USA U18 National Team to their seventh straight gold medal at the 2024 FIBA Men’s U18 AmeriCup. Acuff Jr. had a dominant performance with 26 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and three steals in the 110-70 championship win over Argentina.
The AmeriCup host, Argentina, pounced to an early 10-4 start. The U.S. responded swiftly, scoring eight straight points to take their first lead of the evening, which they held for the remainder of the quarter. The game was fast paced, as both teams showed an elevated tempo. Acuff Jr. showed poise and control for the U.S. in the first, scoring 10 of his 26 points in the first frame.
Argentina grabbed the lead (30-28) again at the 6:41 mark in the second frame, which the U.S. replied to by going on a huge run. The team’s defensive pressure helped spur an 18-0 run over the next few minutes of play, going up 46-30 with 2:58 remaining. Jasper Johnson sparked the second quarter flame, scoring the first five points in the run and 11 points in the quarter.
Mikel Brown Jr. was the table-setter in this massive run, nabbing four of his nine assists in that section of the game. Brown Jr.’s contributions aided the Americans to win the second quarter by 15 (28-13) and go into halftime up 52-36.
Out of the break, Nikolas Khamenia gave the U.S. a 22-point lead, notching six of his 11 points after back-to-back triples. The Americans never looked back the rest of the quarter, slowing Argentina again with a full-court press. The USA won the third by 23 points and went on to secure the 40-point victory, 110-70.
A significant part of the American’s vast runs in the second and third quarters was their relentless, suffocating defense. The U.S. forced the Argentinians to turn the ball over 22 times, stealing 17 of them. The defensive effort resulted in 41 fast break points and 33 points from turnovers.
Along with Acuff Jr., the heavy hitters on the offensive side were Johnson (19) off the bench, Daniel Jacobsen (11), who was pivotal in the first half, and Khamenia (11), who gave the USA some juice at the start of the third quarter.
Leading the team with nine assists each was the backcourt pairing of Acuff Jr. and Brown Jr., who facilitated easy looks for their teammates all evening. The U.S. collected 32 assists in the championship game.
The United States improved to 14-1 against Argentina after defeating them twice in the 2024 FIBA Men’s U18 AmeriCup. This championship win is the 11th gold medal for the USA in 13 renditions of the event.
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