MALAGA, Spain -- The FIBA U17 World Cup -- on hiatus since 2018 due to the COVID pandemic -- returned earlier this month and crowned the U.S. as champions for the sixth straight time since the event's inception. Head coach Sharman White's American team was dominant, winning every game by 40 points on average, and bringing its win total to 44-0 by moving the ball joyously, turning opponents over incessantly and being the best 3-point shooting team at the event.
Spain, which featured its best generation of talent since Pau Gasol, Felipe Reyes and Juan Carlos Navarro beat the U.