The freshman from Gilbert, Ariz., will make his USA national debut in Leon, Mexico at the 2026 FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup scheduled for June 1-7. He also represented USA Basketball at the Nike Hoop Summit in April helping the Americans capture their sixth straight victory.

Branch III is joined on the National Team by Illinois’ Quentin Coleman, Miami’s Caleb Gaskins, Kansas’ Taylen Kinney, UConn’s Colben Landrew, Michigan State’s Jasiah Jervis and Ethan Taylor, Adan Diggs, Demarcus Henry, Malachi Jordan, Davion Thompson and Darius Wabbington.

USA Basketball, who has won seven straight gold medals at the event, begins group play on Monday, June 1, at 5:30 p.m. MT against Argentina. They face the hosts, Mexico, on Tuesday, June 2 at 8 p.m. ET before closing out Group A action on Thursday, June 4, at 3 p.m. MT against Brazil.

The winners of both groups will advance directly to the semifinals on Saturday, June 6 and the medal games schedule for Sunday, June 7. The tournament will stream live on YouTube.com/FIBA.

USA Basketball has won 11 gold medals in 13 iterations of the event. In addition to the United State, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela will compete with the top four teams earning a berth to the 2027 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup in Pardubice, Czechia.

Branch III is the second-ever five-star recruit to sign with the Cougars joining last season’s Big 12 Freshman and consensus First Team All-American AJ Dybantsa. He was the No. 2 prospect in 2027 before reclassifying and now ranks No. 6 in the SC Next 100.

The Phoenix, Ariz. native started for Team East in the 2026 McDonald’s All-American game. He finished with seven points, four rebounds, two blocks and an assist in 20 minutes of action. He also played 13 minutes off the bench for Team USA at the 2026 Nike Hoop Summit in their 102-100 overtime victory.

He concluded his prep career at Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. where he earned Max Preps and Naismith Boys’ High School All-American Honorable Mention accolades after averaging 18 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks per game.

The 6-foot-7 wing began his prep career at Perry High School where he helped the Pumas win back-to-back Arizona 6A State Championships playing alongside Arizona’s Koa Peat. During his sophomore season, PHS went 27-2 and finished ranked fourth in the nation.

Last summer, Branch III averaged 15.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 39.0 percent from 3-point range on the Adidas 3SSB circuit for the Compton Magic. He also had a strong showing at the Adidas Eurocamp in Italy receiving All-Camp Team honors while being given the Rising Star Award.

Branch III is the third high school signee of the 2026 class for the Cougars joining four-star and Utah 5A Player of the Year Dean Rueckert and Will Openshaw.