George Washington University Athletics
Littles to Play in U-18 Basketball World Cup
3/29/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
GW men's basketball signee Marcus Littles will take his game international as part of a United States Select Team competing in the Albert Schweitzer Tournament from March 31 to April 7 in Mannheim, Germany.
The bi-annual competition organized by the German Basketball Federation includes Under-18 teams from 12 nations in a World Cup format, with group play followed by a medal round. Littles and the United States begin group play vs. France on March 31, then face China (April 1), Italy (April 2), Egypt (April 4) and Russia (April 5).
A 6-foot-9 power forward out of Philadelphia, Littles heads into the tournament on a high note. He closed his high school career on Wednesday by helping Neumann-Goretti capture the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 3A Championship, his fourth state title in four seasons playing varsity.
Littles, a top-150 recruit nationally, stood out to U.S. head coach Joe Mantegna â€" who is also the coach for Blair Academy in New Jersey -- for his winning pedigree and physical abilities.
"We really needed a guy that could be a physical presence inside, that could score on the block, that could bang with some of the really rugged guys from Russia, Italy, Egypt; China has a couple 7-footers," said Mantegna. "Marcus isn't a 7-footer but the fact that he can score and rebound in traffic, he's a physical screen-setter, and he's a kid who plays high-level competition and won't shrink from the moment. He fit the bill for us."
The Americans have a storied history in the event, having won 10 gold medals since the tournament's inception in 1958, though the last came back in 1996. Since then, European teams have dominated with many of their players going on to professional careers in the EuroLeague or NBA.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge of going up against some of the best players in the world," said Littles. "I'm not backing down so it will be great to see where my game is against each of these countries best players. This is a self-reflective opportunity to see where I am."
Littles is one of three high school seniors on the roster, along with Bryce Willis (Stanford signee) and Taurus Samuels (Dartmouth). The rest of the roster is comprised of eight high school juniors and one sophomore. They'll have just a couple of practices together before heading overseas.
"It's always easier when you've been with a team for a long time, but I think we'll adapt quickly," said Littles. "We're all here for the same purpose, to win games and have a great experience. I do believe I need to be a leader and stand out, just to make it easier for everyone to adapt and mold together."
A livestream of all games in the tournament is available here and stats can be found here. Following group play, teams are re-seeded for two knockout rounds on April 6-7.
