Tyler Kropp Readies for Northwestern After Illustrious Youth Career with Argentina
7/11/2025 11:49:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Incoming first-year Tyler Kropp joined Northwestern's summer workouts on Monday, July 7, after performing at the highest international stage of youth basketball.
Kropp was in Lausanne, Switzerland to play in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, putting the cherry on top of a decorated youth career with Argentina. There, Kropp led the tournament in scoring with 21.7 points per game and ranked fourth with 9.7 rebounds per game. He scored at least 18 points in all seven games he played, becoming the first player to do so in the biennial event since 2003.
"I like to look at the player across from me and take it as a challenge," Kropp said. "This guy's the top player in Europe or top player in wherever, and I kind of be like, 'No, I'm just as good as him,' or 'I'm better than him.'"
Three years before leading FIBA's premier youth event in scoring, Kropp walked into a gym in Argentina with nearly 20 other players vying for a roster spot in the 2023 FIBA U16 AmeriCup. The Powell, Ohio, native had traveled over 5,000 miles for a chance to achieve a long-lasting goal — playing for Team Argentina, the country in which his mother was born.
After sending a flurry of emails in an attempt to be recognized by Argentina's youth coaches, Kropp's aspiration of playing for his mother's home country was finally actualized, as he made the cut of the 12-player roster.
"I took a risk. I really had no idea what I was walking into," Kropp said. "I knew I was going to go play for Argentina, but I didn't know what it was going to be like, where we were going to stay. I didn't speak great Spanish at the time."
The following summer, the 6-foot-9 forward made a name for himself in front of his country's faithful. At the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup, held in Buenos Aires, Kropp logged 22.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, leading the tournament in total points and rebounds.
In the process, Argentina notched a silver-medal finish, its best result since 2008, and Kropp — playing in the city his mother was born and raised in — was named to the tournament's All-Star Five.
"We had a home crowd every game," Kropp said. "It was sold out, and it was amazing. Everyone knows all the songs for the national team. They're singing throughout the whole game. I'd get goosebumps every time we played. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it."
A few weeks later, Kropp was in Istanbul, Turkey for the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup. There, he averaged 20.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, ranking third and eighth in the event, respectively. Argentina placed 10th, its best result in a decade.
Nearly a full year later, Special Assistant to the Head Coach Brian James sat in Lausanne as he watched on as Kropp notched 23 points and 9 rebounds at the 2025 U19 World Cup, leading Argentina to a 71-66 victory over perennial basketball powerhouse Serbia.
Now, Kropp is reunited with James in the United States and remains in Evanston until July 22, when he departs for Madrid to join the Argentina senior national team's training camp. He was named to the country's preliminary roster for the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup, which takes place from August 21-31. It is an opportunity that the 18-year-old looks forward to.
"When you put on a national team jersey, it just means a lot more," Kropp said. "Every practice is harder. Every game, every recovery session, every meal, it's intentional. I think it just means a lot, and I love being able to do that."
Mabel Kropp, Tyler Kropp's mother, has seen his dedication to his craft day in and day out since Tyler Kropp began playing organized basketball in third grade.
She has seen her youngest child wear a jersey that reads Argentina across the chest for the past three summers, playing in four competitions. And if Kropp makes the cut for the AmeriCup roster, she'll see it yet again just weeks down the line.
"It's hard to describe with words what that means," Mabel Kropp said. "This makes me very proud. This makes me very happy. It's very emotional. They play the national anthem, and he comes out. People from my country — they just adore him. What an experience. It's like a dream."
As Kropp looks forward to a fruitful four years in Evanston, he thinks about what has led the Wildcats to their unprecedented success in recent years. Looking toward recent NBA draft pick Brooks Barnhizer, Kropp has one goal: win.
"Like Brooks Barnhizer used to always say, 'Leave a place better than you found it.' He definitely improved the program, so we want to keep that going, keep that momentum going," Kropp said.
Kropp was in Lausanne, Switzerland to play in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, putting the cherry on top of a decorated youth career with Argentina. There, Kropp led the tournament in scoring with 21.7 points per game and ranked fourth with 9.7 rebounds per game. He scored at least 18 points in all seven games he played, becoming the first player to do so in the biennial event since 2003.
"I like to look at the player across from me and take it as a challenge," Kropp said. "This guy's the top player in Europe or top player in wherever, and I kind of be like, 'No, I'm just as good as him,' or 'I'm better than him.'"
Three years before leading FIBA's premier youth event in scoring, Kropp walked into a gym in Argentina with nearly 20 other players vying for a roster spot in the 2023 FIBA U16 AmeriCup. The Powell, Ohio, native had traveled over 5,000 miles for a chance to achieve a long-lasting goal — playing for Team Argentina, the country in which his mother was born.
After sending a flurry of emails in an attempt to be recognized by Argentina's youth coaches, Kropp's aspiration of playing for his mother's home country was finally actualized, as he made the cut of the 12-player roster.
"I took a risk. I really had no idea what I was walking into," Kropp said. "I knew I was going to go play for Argentina, but I didn't know what it was going to be like, where we were going to stay. I didn't speak great Spanish at the time."
The following summer, the 6-foot-9 forward made a name for himself in front of his country's faithful. At the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup, held in Buenos Aires, Kropp logged 22.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, leading the tournament in total points and rebounds.
In the process, Argentina notched a silver-medal finish, its best result since 2008, and Kropp — playing in the city his mother was born and raised in — was named to the tournament's All-Star Five.
"We had a home crowd every game," Kropp said. "It was sold out, and it was amazing. Everyone knows all the songs for the national team. They're singing throughout the whole game. I'd get goosebumps every time we played. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it."
A few weeks later, Kropp was in Istanbul, Turkey for the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup. There, he averaged 20.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, ranking third and eighth in the event, respectively. Argentina placed 10th, its best result in a decade.
Nearly a full year later, Special Assistant to the Head Coach Brian James sat in Lausanne as he watched on as Kropp notched 23 points and 9 rebounds at the 2025 U19 World Cup, leading Argentina to a 71-66 victory over perennial basketball powerhouse Serbia.
Now, Kropp is reunited with James in the United States and remains in Evanston until July 22, when he departs for Madrid to join the Argentina senior national team's training camp. He was named to the country's preliminary roster for the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup, which takes place from August 21-31. It is an opportunity that the 18-year-old looks forward to.
"When you put on a national team jersey, it just means a lot more," Kropp said. "Every practice is harder. Every game, every recovery session, every meal, it's intentional. I think it just means a lot, and I love being able to do that."
Mabel Kropp, Tyler Kropp's mother, has seen his dedication to his craft day in and day out since Tyler Kropp began playing organized basketball in third grade.
She has seen her youngest child wear a jersey that reads Argentina across the chest for the past three summers, playing in four competitions. And if Kropp makes the cut for the AmeriCup roster, she'll see it yet again just weeks down the line.
"It's hard to describe with words what that means," Mabel Kropp said. "This makes me very proud. This makes me very happy. It's very emotional. They play the national anthem, and he comes out. People from my country — they just adore him. What an experience. It's like a dream."
As Kropp looks forward to a fruitful four years in Evanston, he thinks about what has led the Wildcats to their unprecedented success in recent years. Looking toward recent NBA draft pick Brooks Barnhizer, Kropp has one goal: win.
"Like Brooks Barnhizer used to always say, 'Leave a place better than you found it.' He definitely improved the program, so we want to keep that going, keep that momentum going," Kropp said.
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