BYU’s Bruce Branch III was named to the 2026 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team training camp, the organization announced on May 8.
The selection of Branch III places him among a group of 35 athletes who will compete for a spot on the final roster. The training camp will begin on May 21 at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The final team of 12 players is expected to be announced before departure for the FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup, scheduled for June 1-7 in Leon, Mexico.
USA Basketball confirmed that Group A play at the AmeriCup will include matchups against Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. The United States will open its tournament against Argentina on June 1, followed by games with Mexico on June 3 and Brazil on June 4.
Branch III previously represented USA Basketball at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon on April 11. In that game he recorded two rebounds, two assists and one block in thirteen minutes of play. He also attended Junior National Team minicamps in October and April of last year.
A consensus five-star recruit from Gilbert, Arizona, Branch III is ranked as the No. 4 recruit nationally for his class according to Rivals after completing his prep career at Prolific Prep. He earned Max Preps and Naismith Boys’ High School All-American Honorable Mention honors after averaging eighteen points, ten rebounds, four assists and two blocks per game following his reclassification.
Branch III is also noted as being BYU’s second consecutive McDonald’s All-American signee after posting seven points, four rebounds, two blocks and an assist in twenty minutes during that event. Last summer he averaged nearly sixteen points per game while shooting thirty-nine percent from three-point range on the Adidas circuit and received recognition as Rising Star Award winner at Adidas EuroCamp.
