BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA – The United States Men's U21 Basketball team withstood newcomer Dominican Republic's upset attempt to secure the 2024 DIBF World Deaf U21 Basketball Championships, held from July 17 to 27 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Led by tournament MVP Keanu Boren, the Americans survived a back-and-forth affair that saw numerous lead changes, to pull away in the final two minutes to win by a final score of 81-72.
Prior to the final, the U.S. squad, led by head coach Jamel "Sekoe" White, went a perfect 5-0 in round-robin play and defeated Lithuania 83-59 in the semifinal before its showdown with the Dominican Republic. The Dominician team had entered the knockout rounds as the third seed, after a 3-2 record in round-robin play. In fact, its 78-72 round-robin loss to the US had been a preview of the final.
Since the coronavirus pandemic wiped off the 2021 U21 tournament, this year's tournament included a unique provision that allowed two players under the age of 23 to participate in the event. Although a number of teams took advantage of this wrinkle, the Americans fielded a true U-21 team, as no player on its roster was above the age of 21 at the time of competition.
The United States squad was also awarded the Fair Play Award for demonstrating sportsmanship and fairness in the field of play.
