Onuaku’s USA U19 Team Shares 2015 Basketball Team Of The Year Honor
December 10, 2015 | Men's Basketball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – Louisville sophomore forward/center Chinanu Onuaku won a gold medal as a member of the 2015 USA Basketball Men's U19 FIBA World Championship Team in July. Today that team and the women's U19 team were named as co-recipients of the 2015 USA Basketball Team of the Year Award in recognition of their undefeated, gold-medal performances.
"These two USA U19 teams represented the United States with tremendous sportsmanship and teamwork on their way to gold medals, " said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO/Executive Director. "The FIBA U19 World Championships are extremely competitive tournaments that feature the best talent from around the world, including young professional players. The USA U19 teams played truly impressive basketball, and we are proud to celebrate their golden achievements."
In seven games during the event played June 27-July 5 in Heraklion, Crete, Greece, Onuaku started six games and averaged 4.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, hit 13-of-20 field goals (.650) and added 10 steals and a team-high 12 blocked shots while averaging 16 minutes a game for the deep USA squad, coached by Arizona's Sean Miller. Onuaku's 1.7 blocked shots were the sixth-most in the 16-team event.
Onuaku totaled six points, eight rebounds and a team-high four blocked shots in 28 minutes in the USA's 79-71 overtime victory over Croatia, claiming its second straight U19 World Championship, the first USA back-to-back titles in the event since 1983. Onuaku's four blocks tied the U.S. single-game record. Former UofL forward Montrezl Harrell was a member of the 2013 gold medal winning USA U19 team.
This year marks the 20th time USA Basketball has presented its Team of the Year award, which first was earned in 1996 by the historic USA Women's Olympic/National Team.
In the preliminary round, the USA men beat Iran 83-53, Croatia 103-81 and Egypt 92-50. The USA downed Argentina 93-45 in the round of 16, Italy 86-65 in the quarterfinals, host Greece 82-76 in the semifinals and Croatia in the gold medal game.
The USA led the 16-team field in seven team statistical categories, including scoring margin, points per game (88.3), total points (618), field goal percentage (.486), blocks per game (6.4), steals per game (13.0) and efficiency (107.9).
USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA Basketball, chaired by Jerry Colangelo, is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA-sponsored international competitions, as well as for some national competitions, and for the development of youth basketball initiatives that address player development, coach education and safety.
USA Basketball men's and women's teams between 2012-15 compiled a spectacular 151-6 win-loss record in FIBA and FIBA Americas competitions, the World University Games and the Nike Hoop Summit, and posted a 92-15 win-loss record in official FIBA and FIBA Americas 3x3 competitions.
USA teams are the current men's and women's champions in the Olympics; men's FIBA World Cup and women's FIBA World Championship; men's and women's FIBA U19 and U17 World Championships; men's and women's U18 FIBA Americas Championships; men's U16 FIBA Americas Championship; the FIBA 3x3 Women's World Championship; and the women's Youth Olympic Games. USA Basketball currently ranks No. 1 in all five of FIBA's world-ranking categories, including combined, men's, women's, boys and girls.
For further information about USA Basketball, go to the official Web site of USA Basketball at www.usab.com and connect with us on facebook.com/usabasketball, twitter.com/usabasketball, plus.google.com/+usabasketball, instagram.com/usabasketball and youtube.com/usab.
