Wisconsin basketball commits Jackson Ball and Hayden Jones confirmed out in New Zealand’s opening win of the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Saturday.
Pitted in opposition to Argentina within the squad’s opening contest of the group stage, Ball and Jones helped New Zealand overcome an early 13-tally deficit to pocket a 77-72 win. Ball, who dedicated to Greg Gard’s program on March 3, dropped a team-best 17 factors, snared 5 rebounds and dished out three assists in over 33 minutes of motion.
Jones, Ball’s fellow UW commit, dropped 9 factors, corralled a game-high 12 boards and denied two shot makes an attempt in just below 21 minutes in opposition to Argentina. The 2 future Badgers mixed for 15 of New Zealand’s 21 factors in a pivotal fourth quarter, a 10-minute interval that noticed Argentina maintain a four-point edge with roughly seven minutes to spare.
New Zealand will sq. off subsequent in opposition to Mali on June 29 for a possibility to bolster its standing in Pool A. If the squad earns a 3-0 mark, it’ll advance to the knockout stage with a positive route to succeed in the quarterfinal, semifinal, or championship spherical.
Each Jones and Ball boast earlier FIBA expertise, having suited up for New Zealand on the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey in 2024. In that occasion, Jones averaged practically 12 factors per recreation because the fourth-youngest participant to debut for the senior nationwide group. His group finally fell to an American group rostering future lottery NBA picks, Cameron Boozer and A.J. Dybantsa.
At 6-foot-7, Jones has additionally laced up for the Nelson Giants within the New Zealand Nationwide Basketball League for the previous two seasons, in addition to tallied 12.2 factors, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists for his nation on the 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Qatar. Ball, one other NBL expertise, averaged just below 20 factors off 48.9% from the sector for the Hawke’s Bay Hawks in 16 appearances earlier than venturing to Switzerland for U19 motion.
Jones is ready to affix the Badgers through the 2025 season, whereas Ball will wait till the autumn of 2026 to make his influence in Madison. Regardless, their publicity in opposition to among the most prestigious basketball abilities on this planet permits each prospects to soak up distinctive moments they might not discover on the collegiate stage.
Contact/Comply with @TheBadgersWire on X (previously Twitter) and like our web page on Fb to comply with ongoing protection of Wisconsin Badgers information, notes and opinion
About The Author
