Mikel Brown Jr. Guides USA to Clean Sweep in Group Stage of FIBA U19 World Cup

Originally posted on Louisville Cardinals on SI
By Matthew McGavic | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 1:16 PM ET

The USA Basketball Men’s U19 National Team has earned a top seed in the knockout stage of the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup, thanks in part to a great showing from Mikel Brown Jr.

The point guard and incoming Louisville men's basketball freshman had standout showings in all three group stage games, helping Team USA go a perfect 3-0 to win Group D. The United States beat Australia 88-73, took down France 108-77, then blasted Cameroon 129-70.

While the 6-foot-3, 165-pound guard had a rough shooting night in Team USA's group stage opener vs. Australia, he still flirted with a triple-double. He finished with 10 points, albeit on 3-of-14 shooting from the field, 2-of-8 on three and 2-4 at the free throw line. However, he also added seven assists to one turnover, six rebounds, a steal and a block.

Against France, Brown looked much more comfortable as a shooter. He went 8-of-11 from the field, including a blazing 6-of-9 on threes plus a pair of free throws, resulting in him scoring 24 points. He also added four assists (against three turnovers), a rebound, a steal and a block.

For the group stage finale vs. Cameroon, Brown exploded in the first half, putting on full display his playmaking ability. In just three quarters, he put up 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting and 4-of-6 from three plus a free throw, and added eight assists to two turnovers, plus two rebounds. 18 of his points and seven of his assists came before halftime, and he saw minimal run in the third quarter of the blowout before sitting the fourth.

Across all three group stage games, Brown averaged 19.3 points, 6.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds, while shooting 20-of-37 (54.1 percent) from the field and 13-of-23 (56.5 percent) on three-point tries.

Next up, Brown and the United State will face Group C's fourth-place team - likely Jordan - in the knockout stage, which is a standard 16-team single elimination tournament. Tip-off time is set for Wednesday, July 2 at a to-be-determined time.