San Antonio has been a haven for national basketball events for decades and, in 2006, the San Antonio Sports Foundation took things global. The 2006 FIBA Americas Men’s U18 Championships, hosted in conjunction with USA Basketball, showcased the top young talent from across North, Central and South America. Teams from seven countries converged on St. Mary’s University for the four-day event.
Team USA dominated the competition. During group play, they played Uruguay and Brazil, winning by a combined 71 points. On the other side, Argentina swept their group in three games. After both rolled through the playoff rounds, the two teams met in the championship game. Team USA captured the gold medal, winning by a 22-point margin behind Spencer Hawes’ 24-point, 10-rebound performance. With the win, they qualified for the 2007 U19 World Championships, where they would win a silver medal in a loss to Serbia.
For this tournament, Team USA was loaded with young talent. It featured nine future NBA players, along with four NBA draft lottery picks. The team was led by Michael Beasley, who would become a second-overall pick in the NBA. Team Canada also contributed two future NBA players. Nearly every single player who participated in the championships would go on to play professional basketball.
Over the years, San Antonio has had no shortage of basketball hosted by the Sports Foundation, with multiple NCAA tournaments and Final Fours. The 2006 FIBA America Men’s U18 Championships were another installment in the city’s vast basketball legacy, this time on an international scale. With another NCAA Final Four coming in 2008, the Sports Foundation’s basketball resume kept on growing.