The United States is a perfect 6-0 and into the quarterfinals of the FIBA U19 World Championship, and Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon is a big part of the reason why.
One of the squad's most experienced players, Sulaimon has started all six games for the Americans and is the team's fourth-leading scorer, averaging 10.2 points per contest. After a slower start in the tournament's first round, Sulaimon has come on strong for the United States in the second round play, leading his team with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc in a 91-66 win against Brazil Monday.
He followed that up with another 15-point performance, this time adding five rebounds and three steals, in a 71-62 win against a tough Lithuania squad Wednesday. Sulaimon played a team-high 29 minutes in the game.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said that one of Sulaimon's goals for this tournament was to increase his versatility on the perimeter, and he has done so by playing all three perimeter positions for the U.S. In the contest against Lithuania, Sulaimon was forced to play some point guard after Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart got into foul trouble early.
Sulaimon is joined on the team by rising high school seniors Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow, top targets in the Class of 2014 who both hold scholarship offers from Duke. Okafor and Winslow rank second and third on the team in scoring, respectively.
The United States plays its quarterfinal matchup against Canada Friday at 8:15 p.m.
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