I thought this USA team was not near the level overall of some USA teams I've seen in the past. I'm thinking they selected at least some players to give them a chance whereas in the European competitions they bring team A. I think this team showed that Ice, Kiki, Mcmahon, Kitts, Rosario could easily be on team A. They were not the teams we saw with Azzi, Paige, Citron, Betts...etc. .
I agree that this year's U18 team was not as talented as, say, the 2018 version. The U18 that played in the 2018 FIBA Americas tournament included Rhyne Howard, Nalyssa Smith, Naz Hillmon, Christyn Williams, Nelson-Ododa and Ashley Joens. The 2020 U18 tournament was cancelled due to Covid.
There are no European competitions. USA junior teams compete in the FIBA Americas and the World championships. The U16 and the U18 teams compete every 2 years in the FIBA Americas tournaments. Those events serve as qualifiers for the U17 and U19 World Championships which are also every 2 years. So, the U16 (Americas) and the U19 (Worlds) teams play in the same year every other year and the U17 (Worlds) and the U18 (Americas) play in the same year every other year.
The best young US players who qualify for the U17 team are on that team and playing for a world championship. That tournament presents better competition and is tougher to win. The FIBA Americas tournament, whether U16 or U18, is much less challenging.
The U19 World Championship team is often a blend of the U17 (World) and U18 (Americas) teams from the previous year. For example, in 2019 the USA team that won gold in the World Championships included 6 players from the U17 team that won gold in 2018 but only 3 players from the 2018 team that won the FIBA Americas tournament.