GILBERT, Ariz. — Koa Peat is only 17 years old, but the Perry High School basketball star is already making a name for himself on the world stage.
The 6’8″, 210 lb. forward made history on Sunday in Turkey, as he helped lead Team USA to their seventh-straight FIBA U17 World Cup gold medal with a 129-88 win over Italy.
The gold medal was Peat’s second, a feat that had never been accomplished before. He was also a part of the 2022 team that defeated Spain to claim the gold medal. Team USA has never lost a game in U17 World Cup since its inception in 2010, going 51-0.
2022 & 2024 #FIBAU17 Gold Medalist?
Call it a two-Peat. pic.twitter.com/dHtbHCtUCB
Peat led all scorers in the gold medal game with 26 points. He also had eight rebounds, four assists and a steal in the game.
RELATED: Koa Peat hosts basketball camp for Valley kids
Peat may not have been named the MVP of this year’s World Cup (that award went to USA guard Cameron Boozer, the son of former NBA star Carlos Boozer), but Peat shined for the US, playing at least 15 minutes in every game and averaging 17.9 points (second on Team USA), 5.6 rebounds (third) and 2.1 assists per game.
Koa Peat becomes the first athlete to win two #FIBAU17 gold medals. 🥇🥇 pic.twitter.com/anTaQZ4D01
Peat, along with teammate Tyran Stokes, was named to the All-World Cup second team.
This was a historic performance for Team USA, as they dominated their competition, scoring 128.6 points per game and only giving up 64.3 points per game. The Americans only trailed three times in their seven games. Once in the gold medal game, when Italy took a 3-2 lead, once in their opening game when France took a 3-0 lead and once in their second game of the tournament when Guinea took a 2-1 lead.
A dominant #FIBAU17 run ends in GOLD.
🇺🇸 7-0
🇺🇸 7th straight Gold Medal
🇺🇸 64.3 pts (avg. margin of victory) pic.twitter.com/81UaT2iRbE
Peat is one of the top recruits in the nation in the class of 2025. The five-star prospect is ranked by 247Sports as the top player in Arizona, second-best power forward in the nation and fifth-best player overall. He is currently uncommitted and has offers from at least 30 schools, including major programs North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky and Kansas along with in-state schools Arizona and Arizona State.
The rising senior will look to lead Perry to a third-straight AIA Open Division state championship (and fourth-straight state championship overall) in the 2024-25 season. The Pumas will open their season on Nov. 22 against Brophy.
The future of @usabasketball is so bright. 🥇
🇺🇸 #USABMU17 x #FIBAU17 pic.twitter.com/ta1zvaPcyK
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, NBA’s Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL’s Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football’s Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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