Inside Switzerland: Unexpected Revelations from the Heart of Illini Nation’s Journey

While the Boilermakers return starting guards Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and C.J. Cox/Gicarri Harris for the 2025-26 season, Matt Painter should probably make room in his backcourt for Mayer. The 6-4 guard is the leading scorer in Lausanne and averaged 23.7 points on 44/44/69 shooting to go with  4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Israel only played two group games after Jordan refused to play Sunday in protest of the conflict in Gaza.

Morillo and the Dominican Republic are also in the wrong half of the bracket after going 1-2 in group play and losing to Australia in the Sweet 16 on Wednesday. Not for lack of effort — or production — on Morillo’s part. The 6-7 guard currently ranks third in the tournament in scoring at 21.5 points per game and has also averaged 8.3 rebounds and three assists heading into today’s game against Serbia.Two of the Illini’s non-Big Ten opponents (that are currently known) are represented in Switzerland, with Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson playing for a dangerous German team and Connecticut teammates Jacob Furphy and Eric Reibe playing for Australia and Germany, respectively.Wednesday marked the Round of 16. The quarterfinals resume today, with Team USA celebrating the Fourth of July by playing its neighbors to the north, Team Canada.Catching the buzz from the FIBA U19 World Cup all the way from Champaign has been quite the ride these first few days. While Illinois assistant coach Geoff Alexander gets to soak in the serene views of Lausanne and the stunning Lac Leman, I’ve been glued to the action from home, marveling at the talent on display. The Round of 16 has wrapped up, and with the quarterfinals kicking off as Team USA gears up to celebrate July 4th against Canadian neighbors, there’s plenty of hoop chatter filling the air. From intriguing Illinois prospects showcasing flashes of brilliance to emerging Big Ten stars and Team USA’s dominant run, the tournament is lighting up screens and raising expectations. Let’s dive into some key takeaways that have me talking hoops late into the night. LEARN MOREThe first four days in Switzerland were smooth sailing for the Americans, who won all four games by double figures and averaged a 44 1/2-point margin of victory. Dropping 140 points on Jordan in Wednesday’s Round of 16 matchup padded that particular stat.Here’s how the rest of the Big Ten players have fared in Switzerland:The 7-foot-1 Huan, who is teaming up with his twin brother Sifeng, blocked eight shots in China’s opener and had his best overall performance in a Round of 16 loss to New Zealand with 16 points, six blocks, five rebounds and two steals. Huan is averaging 10.5 points, 5.3 blocks and 4.3 rebounds heading into today’s game against France.

Eyes on Huan, Morillo

Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team and college basketball at large:So, this is an update from Switzerland and the FIBA U19 World Cup from … Champaign. While Illinois assistant coach Geoff Alexander is in Lausanne — a beautiful city in the southwest corner of the country overlooking Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) — I’ve been following along from home during the first four days of the tournament.Some takeaways …

Team USA cruising

Sign up for our daily basketball newsletter hereReibe has given the Germans a dominant frontcourt duo playing alongside Steinbach. The 7-footer has averaged 16.5 points and six rebounds so far, with his future Huskies teammate leading the Australians in scoring putting up 21.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

Big Ten not lacking for talent

The only players in Switzerland with Illinois offers are Chinese center Sinan Huan out of Georgetown Prep (Md.) and Dominican guard Lucas Morillo out of The Newman School (Mass.). Neither had extensive team success in group play, but they flashed some real individual skill.Group play and the Round of 16 provided plenty of fodder for the not-so-casual college basketball fans, whether it was Illinois recruiting targets playing well, current/future Big Ten foes showing out or Team USA handling all comers for a 4-0 start.Arizona forward Koa Peat, Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. and BYU wing AJ Dybantsa were the top three scorers through the first four games. Former Illinois forward Morez Johnson Jr. is the team’s leading rebounder and is averaging 8.8 points and six rebounds for the tournament. While he got ejected following a double technical against Cameroon on Tuesday — limiting himself to just 9 minutes on the court — he bounced back with 19 points, five rebounds and three steals in the 140-67 win against Jordan on Wednesday.

• Tyler Kropp, Argentina (Northwestern): 21.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg
• Hannes Steinbach, Germany (Washington): 18.3 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 2.3 apg
• Hayden Jones, New Zealand (Wisconsin): 13.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.8 apg
• Oscar Goodman, New Zealand (Michigan): 7.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg
• Daniel Jacobsen, USA (Purdue): 7.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.0 bpg

Illinois scheduled tough

To subscribe, click hereThe infusion of international talent into the Big Ten isn’t restricted to Illinois’ takeover of the Balkans. Four conference newcomers have made an impression during their time in Switzerland, with Israeli guard Omer Mayer (Purdue) at the top of that list.Anderson started seven of 35 games for the Red Raiders last season and could be in store for a breakout sophomore season paired in a high-level inside-out combo with JT Toppin. The 6-2 guard is averaging 14.5 points, 6.8 assists and four rebounds in four games for Germany.