Team Germany couldn’t keep up with the United States in Sunday’s FIBA U19 World Cup final in Switzerland, but incoming UConn freshman Eric Reibe showed a lot that Dan Hurley and his staff will like when he takes his silver medal to Storrs.
In an experience that will certainly be beneficial heading into his first year as a Husky, the 7-foot big man continued to display his advanced footwork and an ability to score at all three levels during Germany’s 109-76 loss to Team USA in the gold medal game.
It was Germany’s only loss in the U19 World Cup.
Often paired with another big man in Washington commit Hannes Steinbach, Reibe picked his spots as Germany got off to a lead in the first half. The duo tied for the team’s scoring lead with 11 points each as Team USA led 56-47 at the break, with Reibe knocking down 5 of 7 from the field and going 1-for-3 from beyond the arc. He posted a plus-two at the half.
Reibe got into foul trouble early in the second half as he fended off Arizona commit and top-10 prospect Koa Peat with an accidental elbow to the neck area, which was upgraded to an unsportsmanlike foul about 10 seconds into the second half. But the future Husky continued to show his comfortability on the perimeter as Team USA pulled away, dribbling between his legs before driving into the lane and finishing over 7-foot-3 Purdue commit Daniel Jacobsen, and later nailing a 3-pointer.
UConn will meet Peat when it hosts Arizona in the first of a home-and-home series on Nov. 19. Top prospect AJ Dybantsa, who had 11 points and six rebounds in the gold medal game, will meet the Huskies in Boston for the Hall of Fame series on Nov. 15.
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Reibe finished with 16 points in Sunday’s loss, shooting 7-for-16 from the field and 2-for-8 from beyond the arc with three rebounds and two assists.
He closed the tournament averaging 15.3 points on 59% from the field and 6-for-18 shooting from beyond the arc, with 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He had two 20-point performances against Canada (20 points, seven rebounds) to close the group stage and in the Round of 16 against Serbia, when he scored 25 points on 10-for-12 shooting with eight rebounds.
UConn coaches, who were in attendance along with Germany legend and Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki, will have some work to do in developing Reibe on the defensive end, but his offensive versatility makes him an exciting addition to play behind Tarris Reed Jr. at the center spot.
Team Germany got to the final game with a win over another UConn freshman, Jacob Furphy, and Australia in the quarterfinal round before beating Slovenia in the semifinal.
Australia lost its final game to Canada, 75-72, to finish the tournament in sixth place. Furphy’s efficiency fell off as he finished with eight points on 3-for-18 shooting, but he continued to impact the game in other areas as the 6-foot-4 wing added seven rebounds, two assists and three steals. Furphy closed the tournament averaging 16.7 points on 39.1% shooting from the field, 31.4% from beyond the arc, with 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
