The United States’ best collection of young, up-and-coming basketball players can’t be found in any city in America right now. It can only be found, of all places, in Dubai, where some of America’s top recruits are on display at the FIBA U17 World Championship.
Headlining the group of talent is Ivan Rabb, a 6’10” hybrid forward who’s ranked as ESPN’s No1 prospect for the class of 2015.
Every college basketball coach wants a piece of him and he has received offers from top schools, including Duke, Georgetown, Kansas and Arizona.
Rabb has yet to decide where he’ll take his enticing skills following his senior year at Bishop O’Dowd High School. That decision can be a burden for any college-bound student, let alone a basketball player with the highest expectations placed on him, but Rabb is finding some peace overseas.
“It does [weigh on me] when I’m at home because I have to take a lot of phone calls and stuff. But I’m here (in Dubai) and I can’t actually accept phone calls so it’s actually a time I can spend with my boys on the team and just get to enjoy vacation together,” Rabb told Sport360°.
As the No1 prospect at the moment, Rabb has big shoes to fill. The last three players prior to this year who finished ranked No1 in ESPN’s top 100 were Andrew Wiggins in 2013, Nerlens Noel in 2012 and Anthony Davis in 2011. Wiggins and Davis were taken first overall in their respective NBA Drafts and Noel would likely have as well had it not been for concern over his ACL injury.
That No1 ranking can be a gift and a curse. It comes with high recognition, but perhaps even loftier expectations.
For Rabb, who embraces those expectations and confidently proclaims that reaching the NBA is his ultimate goal, there is no downside.
“It’s something that I’ve earned over time,” he said. “I just have to continue working. I might be ranked that right now but if I don’t show up, then I’ll definitely drop.
“Don’t play for the ranking, but play because I have future goals I want to achieve.
“I just have to continue being the same guy that I am; enjoy the game, have fun and good things will happen.”
Speaking of pressure, carrying individual weight is one thing. When it’s the load of an entire country? That’s different.
That type of pressure is what every single one of the 12 players on the US roster are carrying on their shoulders at the moment. They’re representing the best basketball nation in the world. They’re not expected to just win. They’re expected to win big.
With that comes a large target on their backs. Every other team has visions of being the one to knock out the giant and hand the North American powerhouse their first ever loss in the U17 World Championship.
Rather than be fazed by it, the team is welcoming any challenge and all-comers. After all, none of them have reached this point without a competitive spirit.
Caleb Swanigan, who’s ranked 17th in his own right on ESPN’s list, said: “We feed off of it definitely because teams want to beat us and we’re going to get the best shot of everyone. But that’s fun because they’re playing the hardest against you and it makes you play harder every game.”
Josh Jackson added: “We know in our minds if we play the right way, play together and do everything we need to do, no one can beat us.”
They exude confidence and are each “the man” for their high schools, but collectively they play like a team with no stars.
You won’t find a single US player near the top for points per game, but the team as a whole ranked first in the tournament with an average of 102 points during the group phase.
Chalk it up to superior skill, talent or athleticism, the players themselves will tell you that the team chemistry is at a high.
“I love playing with these guys,” said Jackson. “The trust level is just through the roof. Going through that training camp, it brings us together and it creates a brotherhood.”
Swanigan added: “It’s fun and makes it easier. You get to be around guys that are just as good and you feel you can rely on your teammates more than you ever could.”
Aside from enjoying their time playing together, the only other mention that brings a bigger smile to the players’ faces is when they’re asked about Dubai.
It’s clear they’re enchanted and intrigued by the city and are thrilled to be experiencing it first-hand. When it’s time to put on the uniform that reads USA across the front though, they’re locked in.
“We’ve been practicing for this and we know it’s important and when we can have fun and when we can’t,” said Swanigan.
“We definitely have to keep things in perspective so when the game starts, we’re ready for it,” he added.
They’ve been ready thus far but there’s still work to be done and a mission to accomplish. A nation’s reputation hangs in the balance.
