Camden’s D.J. Wagner, the nation’s top basketball recruit, takes it all in on the national stage with Team USA
Wagner is representing the United States in the FIBA U-17 World Cup and has helped the Americans reach the semifinals.
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Representing Camden has been a point of great pride for D.J. Wagner, who has blossomed into the nation’s top-ranked boys’ basketball player in the 2023 class. His maturation in South Jersey put him on the path to representing his country, now two games from placing a gold medal around his neck.
“It gives me a lot of pride to go out there, stepping on that floor knowing I’ve got those three letters on my chest, playing for my country,” Wagner said. “But also, we’re all out here just playing and having fun doing something we love to do.”
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At the end of June, Wagner was selected to play for Team USA in the FIBA U17 World Cup, a biennial event in Malaga, Spain.
Team USA knifed through group play, which began July 2. Matched up with Lebanon, Slovenia, and Mali, the Americans won by an average of 52 points. They decimated Egypt in the Round of 16 and knocked off Serbia, 106-80, in Friday’s quarterfinal matchup.
On Saturday, they beat Lithuania, 89-62, in the semifinals, advancing to the championship on Sunday against the winner of France and Spain.
A five-day training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo., starting June 18 helped Team USA determine a 12-man roster from 18 finalists. Together, they represent nine states, with repeats from New York and Florida.
Wagner mentioned Ronald Holland, a 6-foot-8 forward from Dallas, and 6-foot-1 point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., from Chicago, as guys with whom he has crossed paths on AAU circuits.
The rest of the U17 national team includes David Castillo (Oklahoma), Dennis Evans III (California), Cooper Flagg (Maine), Johnuel Fland (New York), Ian Jackson (New York), Karter Knox (Florida), Asa Newell (Florida), Koa Peat (Georgia), and Sean Stewart (Florida).
“It’s hard to put a number on the people we rely on [to form the team],” said Sean Ford, Team USA’s men’s national team director. “There’s a strong network of people that if they see a good player who they think is of a high level and elite enough for the national team, they let us know. We’re really fortunate when it comes to that.”
Wagner previously participated in USA Basketball’s minicamp in July 2019 and again in October. But playing for Team USA — wearing No. 12, the inverse of his Camden jersey — has been his first taste of international competition.
He said it didn’t take long to recognize the difference between the competition he’s facing around the United States and the way the game is played overseas.
“The way they play, it’s definitely different,” said Wagner, who is averaging 9.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in about 19 minutes per game. “It’s a lot more physical, and it’s a lot slower than they play in the States. But it’s definitely a great experience, just learning to play with all the different guys.”
In the time Ford has seen Wagner up close, either at Team USA camps or in FIBA competition, the 17-year-old has shown great poise. He’s played at his own pace, Ford said, rather than letting the game speed him up.
“We’re very respectful and very understanding of putting too high of expectations on a player at such a young age,” Ford said. “We’re very hesitant to ordain players to be the next player.
“Right now, he’s an awfully nice kid. He comes from a great family, and he’s an elite player right now. We’re going to do everything in our power to help him reach his potential and stay there as long as he can.”
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On a whiteboard in the team’s locker room, above some scribbled game planning, is a descending seven-number countdown. It signifies the number of wins it would take to secure Team USA’s sixth straight U17 gold medal, dating back to 2010 (there was no tournament in 2020).
Friday’s win meant they could cross off the number 3. The win on Saturday scratched out the 2. Winning again on Sunday would mean crossing out the 1, which has little surrounding dashes, denoting it as the gold-medal game.
“We know that us winning gold medals isn’t going to last forever,” Ford said. “We try to be the best team that we can be, not just better than our opponents. We know that everyone else is improving, so we have to find ways to improve. Taking care of our business is probably the most important thing, and hopefully winning is a result of that.”