© Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
In Kevin Durant for LeBron James for Antonio Eduardo, the 2024 United States Men’s Olympic Basketball Team is obviously filled with stars and players who have been in the spotlight since high school. However, the rest of the world also has its share of great players, as 11 former five-stars will serve for countries other than the USA.
Today, Rivals looks back at each of the 11 as high school prospects and remembers how their recruitments unfolded.
More: How the July Live Period Will Affect Rivals150 Ratings
*****
2025 Ratings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2026 rankings: Rivals150
Transfer Portal: Full coverage | Player rating | Transfer Tracker | Player search
*****
© Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Team: Canada
Faculty: Duke
How to recruit: Possibly the most decorated high school prospect on this list, Barrett earned multiple national player of the year honors as a senior at Montverde Academy, to which he transferred from Ontario’s St. Marcellinus School during his junior year.
Barrett was originally a member of the 2019 class but reclassified to 2018 before committing to Duke. He chose the Blue Devils over the finalists Oregon It is Kentucky. He finished the cycle as the highest-rated prospect in Rivals150 and a McDonald’s All-American.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH THE DUKE’S FANS AT DEVILSILLUSTRATED.COM
*****
© Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Team: Canada
How to recruit: Birch began his high school career in Ontario before heading to Massachusetts and attending two American high schools. He became a national name and McDonald’s All-American playing for Notre Dame Prep and racked up offers from top schools from coast to coast.
At the time of your commitment to Pitt, he had a reputation as a top-notch athlete with a raw offensive game. He selected the Panthers on programs such as Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Ohio State and Providence. Birch would play one season for then-coach Jamie Dixon at Pitt before transferring to UNLV to finish his university career.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH UNLV FANS AT REBEL-NET.COM
*****
© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Team: Greece
Faculty: Florida
How to recruit: American Calathes is of Greek descent and has played for the national team since 2008. He was ranked 14th in the 2007 Rivals150 and built his reputation while playing.R Lake Howell High School, Florida. Calathes was selected as a McDonald’s All-American and committed to Florida during the Billy Donovan it was. He chose the Gators over both Miami It is State of Florida.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH FLORIDA FANS AT 1STANDTENFLORIDA.COM
*****
© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Team: Australia
Faculty: None
How to recruit: The ex’s son North Caroline player Cecil Exum, Dante Exum never played college basketball, but certainly considered doing so. He visited places like Indiana and UNC and was loosely linked to Georgetown, SMU It is LSU before deciding to return to his native Australia and compete there before declaring for the 2014 NBA draft.
*****
© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Team: Southern Sudan
Faculty: Kentucky
How to recruit: Gabrial was born in Khartoum, Sudan, and settled in the New England region upon arriving in the United States. He played at high schools in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
He was part of a crowded Kentucky class that also included De’Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo It is Monk Malik. The five-star forward committed to Kentucky just days after his official visit to Lexington, in a move that surprised everyone in the recruiting world due to the fact that Gabriel had three additional official visits still on his schedule at the time of his pledge. Duke was seen as the lead in recruiting Gabriel for much of the process, but momentum began to shift toward the Wildcats in the month leading up to his official visit to UK.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH KENTUCKY FANS AT CATSILLUSTRATED.COM
*****
© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Team: Australia
Faculty: Arizona
How to recruit: Ranked 13th in the 2018 Rivals150, Green moved from Sydney to America when he was 13 and became a star, playing for powerhouse high school program IMG Academy and eventually being selected for the 2019 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game.
He committed to Arizona over offers from programs like North Carolina, New village, Kansas and UNLV. He was considered a skinny Tar Heel for some time before his commitment. He played his AAU career with the West Coast Elite travel program.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ARIZONA FANS ON GOAZCATS.COM
*****
© Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Team: Canada
Faculty: Kentucky
How to recruit: A one-time Indiana commit who ultimately backed out of that pledge and landed in Kentucky, Saskatchewan-born Lyles turned some heads when he changed his mind based on the fact that he went to high school in Indianapolis. He was also considering Louisville at the time of his commitment to Kentucky.
*****
© Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Team: Southern Sudan
Faculty: Duke
How to recruit: Maluach has yet to play a college game for Duke, but he made waves in the international basketball world earlier this month with a strong performance in South Sudan’s near-victory over the United States in a pre-Olympics warm-up game.
A five-star in the class of 2024, Maluach never played high school basketball or AAU basketball, so he doesn’t have a numerical rating despite being a five-star talent. The 7-footer, born in South Sudan, is a product of the NBA Global Academy and is committed to Duke throughout UCLAKentucky and Kansas.
*****
Team: Canada
Faculty: Kentucky
How to recruit: Murray, born in Canada, attended high school in Ontario, but his AAU team competed in American events, gaining exposure and an eventual five-star rating. He committed to Kentucky while wearing a Canadian flag cape live on TSN, the Canadian version of ESPN, and chose the Wildcats over Oregon. Michigan It is State of Michigan.
*****
© Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Team: Canada
Faculty: Florida /Gonzaga
How to recruit: Nembhard is originally from Aurora, Ontario and attended high school at Florida-based powerhouse Montverde Academy. He chose Florida based on his relationship with then-Gators coach Mike Whitewho is now the head coach of Georgia.
He eventually transferred to Gonzaga, which was among his list of finalists at the time of his pledge to UF and became a second-round pick during his two seasons as a Bulldog.
*****
© Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Team: Canada
Faculty: Stanford
How to recruit: Powell was born in Toronto but eventually moved to the United States to study at Florida-based athlete factory IMG Academy. He was ranked as the 25th prospect in the 2010 Rivals150 and was primarily sought after by prestigious academic institutions, ultimately choosing Stanford about Georgia Tech and Harvard.
Its list of non-traditional offerings was the result of its focus on academic standards as well as its late-start position. He only arrived on the national radar towards the end of his prep career.
This article first appeared in Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.
