Team USA U17 Coach Sharman White Breaks Down Kentucky Targets After Gold Medal Win

Team USA made it look easy. The U17 team cruised to its seventh straight World Cup Championship in Istanbul earlier this month in dominant fashion.

Bolstered by multiple Kentucky basketball targets, Team USA scored an average of 128.6 points per game, winning by an average margin of 65.7 points. Leading the way was head coach Sharman White, the associate athletic director and head men’s basketball coach at Pace Academy (Atlanta, GA).

“They’ll go down, in my opinion, as one of the top USA Junior National U17 teams we’ve had. They dominated this tournament,” White told KSR+. “We probably won’t be able to confirm that for a couple of years, but if I had to look at it on the surface, this team is truly the best team we’ve had in U17 history.”

KSR+ sat down with White to discuss the journey to a gold medal. He also broke down several players on the team that Kentucky is recruiting.

The Journey Started Long Before Training Camp

The 2024 Team USA U17 Training Camp to determine the roster took place in Colorado Springs in early June with 35 athletes vying for 12 roster spots. A lot of players fought hard for a spot, but at the end of the day, the roster was comprised mostly of more experienced players.

“Fortunately for us, eight of the 12 guys were part of the U16 qualifying team last summer,” White said. “We had experience going in with some guys who had experienced FIBA and the level of play. You have to raise your game and things of that nature. Once we got into competition play, these guys continued to get better and get stronger as we went along.”

Having eight players with previous Team USA experience made the job a little easier. There was less of an adjustment period.

“It gives us some synergy and a lot of connectivity amongst each other,” White said. “These guys have to understand that FIBA is a little bit different than here in America. It’s a lot more physical. These guys were able to come in and understand the task and assignment, and it made it so that we could go, give them instructions, and they could carry it out. It was a lot easier by being a part of it the second time.”

AJ Dybantsa: ‘He’s a Complete Player’

Leading the charge for Team USA was the No. 1 player in the country, AJ Dybantsa. The 6-foot-8 forward from Utah Prep (Hurricane, UT) averaged 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists across seven games.

“He’s a basketball player and he does a lot of things well,” White said. “He plays the game at a high level, he’s a competitor, is very skilled, and can play multiple positions.”

Dybantsa can do basically anything on the basketball court. His versatility was on full display in Istanbul.

“He’s got the full entourage of things you need and you’re looking for,” White said. “He’s a complete player, he’s got a great attitude, a great basketball IQ, understands the game, asks questions, and is very worthy of the ranking he’s received.”

With Dybantsa being a member of last year’s U16 team, White has seen his growth firsthand. That included his shooting, passing, and defending.

“He’s always been a great defender, but I think he’s even improved in that area, with regards to positioning and knowing where to be,” White said. “He’s improved a lot of areas of his game. It wasn’t that he was deficient in a lot of those areas. It’s just that he’s gotten better.”

Chris Cenac: ‘He Was Very Physical’

While Team USA had a lot of returning players, there were still some looking to make their mark for the first time. That includes Chris Cenac, a 6-foot-10 forward out of Link Academy (MO).

The five-star forward has been one of the nation’s biggest stock-risers in recent months. Cenac is now ranked as the No. 14 overall prospect in the 2025 class.

“He’s 6-10, 6-11 and he handles the ball like a guard,” White said. “He passes the ball like a guard and can shoot it.”

As this was Cenac’s first time being a part of Team USA, he had a lot to prove, chiefly physicality.

“He was very physical in his play,” White said. “He made it a purpose to show a lot of physicality and play extremely hard. This really helped him in that aspect.”

Brandon McCoy Jr.: ‘He Took Point Guards Out’

It wasn’t only 2025 prospects that stood out on Team USA. 2026 point guard Brandon McCoy was among the returnees who lived up to his billing as the nation’s top prospect.

“His growth started after we finished last year,” White said. “I saw him take off right after we finished up U16s. He hasn’t stopped since.”

Over the last two years, McCoy has become a consensus top-two player in the country. That’s due to his competitiveness and athleticism, among other traits.

“This kid has really become a staple as far as being one of the top kids in the country,” White said. “He affects the game on both sides of the ball and he was probably one of our top defenders. He had the assignment of guarding the point guard for each game and took point guards out.”

Tyran Stokes: ‘He Competes and Wants to Win’

The other player in contention as the top overall prospect in the 2026 class is Tyran Stokes. The 6-foot-7 forward from Prolific Prep (Napa, CA) returned from last year and was tasked with being the team’s sixth man.

“He was all in on that,” White said. “All these kids checked their egos at the door and were all about trying to win a gold medal in the World Cup with the significance of it. He was one of the main ones.”

That turned out to be the right decision. Stokes averaged 12.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while finishing with two double-doubles.

“It’s not hard to tell why he is the No. 1 player in that class,” White said. “[Tyran] is tremendous in his skill and ability to attack. He’s athletic and can shoot the basketball at a high level. He just does a lot of things, but the most important thing is that he competes and wants to win.”

Cam Boozer: ‘He Made His Imprint on the Game Heavily’

Cameron Boozer did everything for Team USA during this gold medal run. He averaged 15.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists, finishing with a double-double in five of seven games.

“[Cameron] came back this year and showed a lot of the leadership,” White said. “He proved that he’s a leader and did a great job of that, not only through his voice but through his play and the way he conducted himself on and off the court.”

White also mentioned Boozer’s jump shot as an area of improvement. He went 55-79 from the field, including going 3-8 from three-point range.

“His jump shot has really improved a lot as well as his feel for the game and becoming more versatile,” White said. “He’s always been a strong inside player, but he did a lot of things for us on the edges and the perimeter area. His game is continuing to evolve. He made his imprint on the game heavily in every game we played.”

Cayden Boozer: ‘He Makes it Easy for Others’

The other Boozer twin, Cayden Boozer, was impactful as well, leading the team with 6.4 assists per game. He also averaged 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

“[Cayden] solidified himself as one of the top point guards in the country,” White said. “He can see the floor and he makes it easy for other players to score the basketball. That’s the way I like to sum it up. He’s going to put them in a position where they can score it easily. If you’re open, he’s going to find you.”

Boozer was tasked with setting the pace of the games. With Team USA’s margin of victories, it was clear he did his job.

“He made sure we played at the certain pace we wanted to play at,” White said. “Again, he’s a great team guy and very likable. He did a great job for us.”

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