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Team USA Defeats Italy at U23 Men’s World Championships to Finish Ninth

By NWBA, 06/15/17, 8:30PM CDT

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Photo Courtesy of Wheelchair Basketball Canada

TORONTO, CANADA – The U.S. Men’s U23 National Team finished strong at the 2017 U23 Men’s World Championships by winning its last two games. Team USA started strong against Italy in the 9th-place game at the Mattamy Centre in downtown Toronto, and commanded the tempo from the tip for the 65-48 victory.

After the first quarter, the United States was up 16-12, and held a slight 31-28 lead at the half. In the last two quarters, the U.S. pulled away by scoring 34 points, and holding Italy to only 20 points.

University of Missouri’s Marshall Lindsay of Stansbury Park, Utah, paced the United States this morning by putting up 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in the game. Joining Lindsay with double digits were University of Wisconsin-Whitewaters’ Kyle Gribble of Elmhurst, Illinois, and University of Texas-Arlington’s Fabian Romo of Missouri City, Texas, who each scored 15 points apiece. Jeromie Meyer of Woodbine, Iowa, and a starter for the University of Nebraska-Omaha, put up 11 points on the day.

Leading the way for Italy were three athletes with double digits in scoring: Sabri Bedzeti (15 pts.); Dario Di Francesco (11 pts.); and Alessandro Nava (10 pts.).

The U23 U.S. Men’s National Team finished the tournament with a 2-4 record. The U23 Men’s World Championships will conclude on Friday with the bronze medal and gold medal games.

Paralympic medalist Jeremy Lade of Whitewater, Wisconsin served as the U23 Men’s Head Coach and was his first international coaching assignment. Joining Lade on the sidelines were assistant coaches Christian Burkett of Seattle, Washington, and Scott Meyer of Columbia, Missouri. Kelly Fischbach will serve as the Team Leader, with Mike Lenser of Whitewater, Wisconsin working at the athletic trainer.

The U23 men’s wheelchair basketball program is an international development team that serves as NWBA pipeline to the U.S. Men’s National Team. This program provides elite youth athletes the opportunity to compete at the international level. Team USA has reached the championship game in three of the last five U23 World Championships, having won in 2005 and 2009. The United States claimed a bronze medal in 2001, and did not participate in 2013. 

2017 IWBF U23 Men’s World Championships Results

Toronto, Canada, June 8-16

Pool Play – USA record, 1-4

Great Britain def. USA, 87-50

Germany def. USA, 75-51

France def. USA, 62-54

Japan def. USA, 64-57

USA def. South Africa, 76-17

9th Place Game

USA def. Italy, 65-48

Schedule

June 16

Bronze Medal Game at 10 a.m.

Gold Medal Game at 12 p.m.

2017 IWBF U23 Men’s World Championships Pools

Toronto, Canada, June 8-16

Pool A: Turkey, Iran, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Italy

Pool B: Great Britain, Japan, United States, France, South Africa, Germany