It was an eventful Sunday for the Wolverines competing in FIBA events overseas.
A pair of Michigan men’s basketball players were in action at the U19 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland, where Morez Johnson Jr. won a gold medal with the United States.
Johnson, a 6-foot-9 forward/center who will be a sophomore at Michigan after transferring from Illinois, appeared in all seven games with six starts. He led the undefeated Americans with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday’s 109-76 win over Germany in the championship.
He averaged 9.4 points and 6.4 rebounds during the event while shooting 59 percent from the field and blocking a team-high 12 shots. One of his dunks against Canada was the top play of the event according to a list shown during halftime of the championship game broadcast.
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get a gold medal and be on the floor,” Johnson said in an interview with USA Basketball before leaving for Switzerland. “I’m cool with just rebounding and defending here. All I want to do is be a part of a winning program.”
Johnson now owns two gold medals; he won one at last summer’s U18 AmeriCup.
Another Wolverine, Oscar Goodman, suited up for his native New Zealand. After a 120-64 loss to the United States in the semis, New Zealand fell to Slovenia 91-87 in Sunday’s bronze-medal game. Goodman, a 6-foot-9 forward who will be a redshirt freshman at Michigan, left the game in the first quarter with an apparent right ankle injury. Goodman came down awkwardly after scoring at the rim.
Goodman started all seven games, averaging 6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds. He posted 13 points and 13 points in a quarterfinal win over the host country, Switzerland.
In the FIBA women’s AmeriCup in Chile, Michigan guard Syla Swords hit the game winner to give Canada the bronze medal on Sunday. Swords, who won’t turn 20 until January, was the youngest player on the roster. After struggling offensively in a loss to the Americans in the semis, she bounced back in a big way to earn a medal, scoring a game-high 23 points against Argentina.
With Canada down one in double overtime and inbounding with two seconds left, Swords caught a pass under the basket and made a layup. Argentina’s shot at the buzzer was way off.
“I’m so excited to bring this medal home, Swords told the FIBA website. “It’s been 30 days of hard work. It’s amazing to have this. The best thing about this team is that we played together.”
Swords, who will be a sophomore this coming season, averaged 9.6 points (second on the team), 4.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists over seven games and was named to the event’s All Star 5. This was her third bronze medal with Canada; she also played for the Olympic team last summer.
The United States outlasted Brazil for the gold medal on Sunday night.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.