“Mikel Brown Jr, next question”: Fans choose among AJ Dybantsa, Tyler Kropp, Koa Peat and more for most impressive U19 FIBA world cup stars

High School Basketball: McDonalds All American Jam Fest - Source: Imagn
High School Basketball: McDonalds All American Jam Fest - Source: Imagn

College hoops fans were impressed with the performances of the USA team at the recently concluded FIBA men's U19 World Cup in Switzerland. On Friday, a series of snaps was shared on Instagram, featuring standout players. The players, mostly made up of incoming college freshmen, include BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr., Purdue's Omar Meyer, Texas Tech's Christian Anderson, Washington's Hannes Steinbach, UConn's Jacob Furphy and Eric Reibe.

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Others include Northwestern's Tyler Kropp, Pittsburgh's Roman Siulepa, and Arizona's Koa Peat. With the game stats of the players added in the players' photos, fans were asked to choose their favorite players from the tournament.

"The FIBA U19 World Cup was STACKED with talent 🌍🔥. From breakout stars to future lottery picks, which player stood out to YOU the most in Switzerland? 👀⬇️," the post asked.
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Fans shared their reactions in the comments, with Brown seeming to get most of the votes.

"Mikel. Next question," a fan wrote.
"Mikel," another fan wrote.
"Mikel is cold," a fan commented.
"Mikel," another fan commented.
Fans react to an Instagram post. Image via @fieldof68
Fans react to an Instagram post. Image via @fieldof68

Here are more comments of fans making their choice, with Anderson and Kropp getting some mentions.

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"Tyler Kropp🔥," a fan wrote.
"CA 🔥," another fan wrote.
"Christian Anderson sneaky big 12 1st team this year," a fan commented.
Fans react to an Instagram post. Image via @fieldof68
Fans react to an Instagram post. Image via @fieldof68

Mikel Brown Jr. outperforming projected 2026 draft top pick

Incoming Louisville men's basketball freshman Mikel Brown Jr. made waves following the U19 FIBA World Cup which held in Switzerland. Averaging 14.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists on 46.7 percent shooting per game, Brown helped TEAM USA clinch the title.

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His performance caught the eye of basketball fans and experts, with many suggesting he was outperforming AJ Dybantsa, the projected overall top pick for the 2026 NBA draft. Dybantsa averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists from 50 percent shooting. But Brown stole the show.

“It's more of a credit to Mikel Brown than a shot at Dybantsa, and IDK if it's ‘way’ better, but Mikel Brown has been awesome so far at U19s and has clearly performed better at this tournament. And that's not prospect fatigue, it's a real thing. Brown's played better,” The Athletics' Sam Vecenie wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
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During the U19 World Cup, Brown averaged 24 points per game in two group-stage wins over France and Cameroon. He also earned a spot on the tournament’s SwissBorg All-Star Five. Additionally, Brown went viral for a powerful tomahawk dunk over Villanova commit Acaden Lewis during a one-on-one drill at NBA star Donovan Mitchell’s elite basketball camp last month.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer
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