Illinois five-star signee Quentin Coleman has third double-digit rebound total as Team USA finishes group play undefeated in the 2026 FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

June 4, 2026

The most competitive group stage game for Team USA went just about like the first two blowouts for Quentin Coleman.

No, the Illinois five-star signee once again didn’t have his most efficient scoring or shooting performance but attempted to make up for that lack of seeing his shots fall through the net by a level of activity that led the United States to a 84-62 victory over Brazil on Thursday in the 2026 FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup.

In the final group stage game of the tournament in León, Mexico, Coleman finished the evening with 15 points but needed 15 field goal attempts to get to that total while also being credited with 12 rebounds, two steals an assist and only one turnover in nearly 26 minutes off the bench.

The 22-point margin was more than deceiving as Team USA, which dealt a 30-point and 57-point blowout win to its first two opponents of Argentina and Mexico respectively, didn’t secure a double-digit lead in this contest until there were four minutes and 34 seconds left in the third quarter.

Coleman did have three-point field goals in both the third and fourth quarters to comfortably stretch out the lead to a point where the Americans could effectively cruise to a third straight victory.

Coleman was again active on the glass but also much more aggressive on Thursday with his individual offense off the bench for Team USA head coach Anthony Grant, the nine-year head coach at the University of Dayton.

All three of Coleman’s offensive rebounds in this contest were off of his own misses. However, in a game that was 38-36 where Brazil had two chances to tie or take the lead in their final possession of the first half, Coleman’s on-ball and wing defense proved valuable Thursday undoubtedly leading to his team-high plus-22 in his 25 minutes and 45 seconds of on-court time.

Team USA’s bench was saddled with needing to provide offensive explosions as they were led by reserve guard Davion Thompson’s 16 points. The 6-foot-1 Bolingbrook, Ill. guard paired well with Coleman in the third quarter as he had seven points, two steals and an assist on a Coleman three-pointer in a 10-minute frame where the Americans outscored Brazil 21-11.

Illinois extended an offer to the five-star 2027 prospect in April 2024 but the perimeter scoring guard, who will not turn 18 years old until November, seems to be down to centered on Southeastern Conference programs Vanderbilt and Arkansas after announcing he’ll be attending the Link Academy boarding school in Branson, Missouri this fall.

As a team, the Americans were just 11 of 35 from beyond the three-point arc but it was their defensive effort that stymied Brazil to shooting just 4 of 30 from three-point range and earning 12 points immediately off Brazil miscues.

Bruce Branch III, a 6-foot-7 wing who was an early enrollee at Brigham Young this past spring, provided a double-double effort for Team USA with 12 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, and zero turnovers in just under 25 minutes.

Coleman is the first Illini to compete with USA Basketball in international play since Ty Rodgers made the final roster and earned a gold medal in the tournament in the summer of 2022 before arriving in Champaign-Urbana for his first season.

After finishing group play undefeated with three consecutive dominant performances, USA and Canada have earned byes into the semifinal round beginning on Saturday with the championship game slated for 24 hours later.