Mikel Brown Jr., Team USA Win FIBA U19 World Cup Final vs. Germany

Originally posted on Louisville Cardinals on SI
By Matthew McGavic | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 3:46 PM ET

Mikel Brown Jr. has now wrapped up his time with the USA Basketball Men’s U19 National Team, and he'll be making his way back to Louisville's campus with a gold medal in tow.

Taking on Germany in the gold medal game of the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup, Team USA was able to finish the job, emerging victorious in a 109-76 decision on Sunday at Vaudoise Arena in Lausanne, Switzerland.

It's a clean sweep for the United States, who went a perfect 3-0 in the group stage prior to winning the 16-team knockout stage. It's a bounce-back showing for the USA U19 MNT after failing to medal in the 2023 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup.

While Brown had a bit of a quiet start, he still made his mark on the game. The point guard and incoming Louisville men's basketball freshman finished with 11 points, going 4-for-12 from the field and 2-for-6 on three-pointers. He also tallied four assists and two rebounds.

Even with this, he still was arguably the most important player in Team USA's run to the gold medal. In seven FIBA U19 World Cup games, his 14.7 points, 6.1 assists and 15.8 efficiency all led the team. He also shot 47.9 percent from the field, a blazing 48.8 percent on threes and 80.0 percent at the free throw line.

For his efforts, Brown was named to the tournament's All-Star Five, along side USA teammate A.J. Dybantsa, Germany's Christian Anderson and Hannes Steinbach, plus Slovenia's Zack Smrekar. Dybantsa was named the event's MVP.

Brown broke double figures scoring in six of his seven games played, including three 20-point games, scoring 24 twice vs. France and Cameroon in the group stage. He also dished out six-plus assists five times, including eight against Cameroon.