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College life is all about experiencing new things. For Justin Bibbs this summer, that came with a hefty dose of basketball.

Bibbs, a rising sophomore at Virginia Tech, spent a month this summer as a member of the USA Basketball U19 team, which won the gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Championship played in early July in Heraklion, Crete, Greece.

Bibbs is the first Virginia Tech men’s basketball player to win a gold medal in a FIBA-sanctioned world championship. But along with playing elite-level basketball, Bibbs got a cultural experience of a lifetime.

“It was great! It was an unbelievable experience,” he said.

Bibbs was invited to try out for the team and made an impression. Although originally the last player cut from the national team, he was invited back to replace an injured player. After a few more practices at the training center in Colorado Springs, he and his teammates were off to Crete by way of an eight-hour flight to Zurich, Switzerland. Globetrotting, indeed. Once in Crete, Bibbs was able to experience the life on this beautiful, Mediterranean Island.

“Heraklion was nice,” Bibbs said. “I got to see the beach a couple of times, and the people treated us like rock stars. The weather was great, and the scenery was beautiful. No rain, partly cloudy every day. It was awesome. Flying eight hours was kind of tough on me. The food was pretty good. You have to be open to try new things.”

Once play began, it was all business for Team USA. This event features the best players in the world under the age of 20 years old. With the globalization of the game, the competition was outstanding.

Team USA won the title with a 79-71 overtime victory against Croatia, one of the pre-tournament favorites, along with the U.S. squad. But it was the semifinal game that will stick with Bibbs the longest.

In the semis, the U.S. held off the host country, Greece, 82-76. Although Bibbs has played a season of ACC basketball, he had never experienced the fervor of a crowd like the one supporting Greece.

“Playing Greece in the semifinals was the craziest environment I’ve ever played in,” Bibbs said. “The fans loved us the game before, but hated us when we played Greece. In college, fans cheer when their team does something well. Internationally, they cheer for no reason. It was so loud. It’d give you chills sometimes.”

Along with the benefits of international travel and competition, the work to make the team will prove beneficial to Bibbs.

“I think being able to play this summer has made me a better player,” he said. “Being able to play against a lot of guys from overseas helps. They play a different way, but their way is just as effective as ours. Being coached by different coaches helped me a lot.

“When we were in Colorado Springs, before we flew out, we had two-a-days every day. Those were kind of tough. To be coached by [head coach] Sean Miller, Coach [Ed] Cooley and [assistant coach] Archie [Miller] and going to Greece with incredible players was just awesome.”

Bibbs realized that this was a special opportunity and one that needs to be cherished. He knows that only through his hard work on the court was he able to be given this opportunity. And he doesn’t take it lightly.

“Being able to play for Team USA was pretty huge,” Bibbs said. “I never thought I’d be able to do that. Opportunities come, and you have to be able to take advantage of them. This wasn’t even part of my goal. I never thought this would happen for me.”

Like the rest of Team USA, Bibbs received a gold medal. It is something he holds dear. It will eventually make its way to Blacksburg, but for now, his mother has it back home. But Hokie Nation will get glimpses of it in the future. Hokie gold will be quite a sight to see.

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