Arizona's Koa Peat aims for fourth junior national team gold medal at U19 event

By the time he plays his first game for the Wildcats this fall, Koa Peat might have collected the most Arizona high school and junior national basketball accomplishments in history.

Actually, he probably has already: Peat led Gilbert Perry High School to four state championships, has been named the Gatorade Arizona Player of the Year three times, and the Arizona Republic Male Athlete of the Year twice.

Now he’s set on another goal: If he can help lead USA Basketball to the FIBA U19 World Cup title, Peat will add to his legend by becoming the first player ever to win four junior national team gold medals.

Already, Peat helped lead USA Basketball to U17 World Cup titles in 2022 and 2024, plus the gold in the U16 Americas Championship in 2023.

That’s a lot of metal around the neck of a guy who is still just 18.

“Shooting for that fourth one … that’s pretty legendary and just something I’ve always dreamed of doing,” Peat said after a USA Basketball workout this week. “So I’m super excited for that challenge, and the challenge of making the team.”

Oh, he’ll make the team. That’s not been much of a question this week, even though Peat is playing with guys who are a year older and/or have already spent a year in college. The only question is what sort of significant role he will play exactly.

“How good is Koa Peat?” UA and U19 coach Tommy Lloyd said after a workout, grinning widely.

Of course, Lloyd knew Peat was good. He’s been recruiting Peat pretty much since he was named Arizona’s head coach in April 2021, when Peat was still finishing up eighth grade.

But even though Lloyd and his staff followed Peat around for four years until he committed to the Wildcats in April, USA’s camp is giving Lloyd a much different viewpoint.

“This is the most I’ve ever been on the court actually coaching him,” Lloyd said after a U19 workout Wednesday. “I think the thing that amazes me is just how consistent his effort is: Practice to practice, possession to possession. There really never seems to be a drop off.”

Peat has been a standout in U19 camp, with his powerful but athletic 6-8 frame allowing him to dominate on the break and slide past or through defenses from just about anywhere.

Averaging 9.6 points as a 15-year-old in 2022 on a U17 World Cup team led by expected No. 1 NBA pick Cooper Flagg, Peat was USA’s second-leading scorer (17.9 points) in U17 ball last summer behind only Duke-bound Cameron Boozer.

Peat and incoming BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, who averaged 14.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in the U17 World Cup last summer, are now expected to be among the key players on the U19 team.

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The Americans won’t have Boozer or last summer’s top U18 scorer, Arkansas-bound guard Darius Acuff, but have four returning college players among their 18 finalists, including Michigan center Morez Johnson — who is also one of four players returning from the U18 team Lloyd coached last summer in the FIBA U18 AmeriCup.

That gives the U19 camp participants a mix of talent and experience level Peat says he is excited to be a part of.

“I’ve been playing up (in age) for a while, so I recognize most of these guys,” Peat said. “I think it’ll help the younger guys get better. It’ll help me get better, obviously because it’s the best players in the country.”

As a bonus, Peat is also getting to spend a few extra weeks playing under his college coach.

While Peat said he was in Tucson briefly earlier this month to start going through some concepts of the Arizona system, this is a whole different deal: Lloyd is holding twice-daily workouts in an attempt to get the U19 team together in under two weeks before the FIBA U19 World Cup begins on June 28.

“It’s just super cool to see coach Lloyd out there, engaged with the players, teaching the players,” Peat said. “It’s been great being coached by a great coach like coach Lloyd, and I’m just super happy deciding that I’m going to Arizona next year and also playing for Team USA.”

While Lloyd said it is too early to determine what role Peat will play for the Wildcats next season, Peat is expected to take over for Trey Townsend as UA’s starting forward. In the meanwhile, Peat can play several positions with the U19 team because of his unique set of size, skills, athleticism — and experience.

“I think Koa’s played really well and he’s represented himself really well here in this setting,” Lloyd said. “He’s got a lot of experience in this setting, and he’s comfortable playing FIBA basketball. I’ve been impressed.”

Peat actually could have moved up last year and played U18 under Lloyd, but opted instead for U17 because that was against World Cup competition, while the U18 team played in the AmeriCup in Argentina against only countries from North, Central and South America.

As it turned out, USA’s U18 team won all six AmeriCup games by an average of 42.7 points, including a 96-point cakewalk over Belize, while Peat faced somewhat tougher competition in the U17 event. Peat had 18 points and six rebounds in USA’s 104-81 group-play win over France, which now annually produces some of the world’s best junior teams.

This time, Peat and USA will be paired again with France, plus Australia and Cameroon in what a FIBA.com story recently called the “Group of Death.”

There may not be any easy games. Just like there aren’t any easy practices in Colorado.

Which is exactly what Peat is looking for.

“When you put USA on your chest, you’re representing your country and there’s no feeling like playing for your country,” Peat said. “I don’t take it for granted. I’m super grateful and blessed to be here, playing for Team USA, practicing for Team USA, and I’m just going to continue to just keep going at my hardest every day.”