Wisconsin Basketball: New Zealand Badgers Duo Battles Against Strong FIBA U19 Competition
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New Zealanders Hayden Jones and Jackson Ball have been a core part of the Kiwis run to the semi-finals of the World Cup. Jones and Ball are both scheduled to become Badgers in the future, but first must take part in some of the toughest competition the duo will potentially ever face. New Zealand finished 2-1 in group play with wins over Argentina and Mali and a six-point loss to a strong team in Serbia.
After defeating China and Switzerland in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively, New Zealand drew the United States for the semi-finals in a game that was more about damage reduction than it was about the Kiwis potentially winning. New Zealand lost 120-64 to the United States, but the Kiwis and the Wisconsin basketball duo played against arguably the best competition they may face.
Headlined by top recruit and future BYU Cougar AJ Dybantsa, the United States boasts an insanely talented U19 team that includes Koa Peat, Caleb Holt, and Jasper Johnson who are all considered to be future NBA locks.
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While the result for the Wisconsin basketball duo against the United States was not what the New Zealanders wanted, the U19 FIBA World Cup has proven to be a valuable learning experience.
Through six games, Hayden Jones shot 41.4% from the floor while shooting 30.8% from three-point range, averaging 13.5 points per game. Jones impressed on offense and led the Kiwis on the court multiple times, showing maturity in his game for a young athlete. Jones also proved to be a capable defender, averaging 1.3 blocks per game and snagging a steal as well.
For Ball, the six game stretch was more of a learning experience as the guard could not quite dial up the long-range shots. Ball shot 33.3% through six games largely due to shooting 25.5% from three-point range, missing 5.8 attempts while only taking 3.2 two-point shots per game.
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