By R.L. Bynum
With the United States using a tight rotation in a challenging game against Slovenia, five-star Class of 2024 UNC commitment Ian Jackson dealt with foul trouble and got little playing time.
In the fourth quarter, the Americans rallied for a 77–72 victory at Fönix Arena in Debrecen, Hungary, in the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup by outscoring Slovenia 25–11.
The USA (2–0) plays its final pool play game in Group B at 9 a.m. ET Tuesday against Lebanon (0–2). The round of 16 is Wednesday, the quarterfinals Friday, the semifinals Saturday and the championship Sunday.
Jackson, a rising senior at Cardinal Hayes in The Bronx and ranked by ESPN No. 5 in the Class of 2024, only played 5 minutes and 44 seconds and finished with two points, one rebound and one assist but had four fouls. He made one of two shots, scoring on a short fade-away jumper in the first quarter.
In Saturday’s 136–69 win over Madagascar, Jackson played 16 minutes and collected 17 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. With the Americans heavily favored against Lebanon, Jackson will no doubt get more playing time.
The U.S. moved to 3–0 all-time against the Slovenians at the U19 World Cup, led by 14 points and 11 rebounds from Tennessee’s Tobe Awaka.
Sergei Macura paced Slovenia with 19 points, and UCLA commitment Jan Vide added 17.
Key events, dates
Saturday, April 27, was the deadline for players to submit their names to the NBA draft
Wednesday — Transfer portal closes
May 11–12 — NBA G League Elite Camp in Chicago
May 12–19 — NBA Combine in Chicago
May 17–19 — Evaluation for high school players at NCAA-certified events (EYBL in Indianapolis is one of those)
May 29 at 11:59 p.m. — Deadline to withdraw from NBA draft and maintain college eligibility
June 16 at 5 p.m. — Deadline to withdraw from the NBA draft
UNC schedule so far
Nov. 8 — at Kansas (final AP rank No. 20; final NET ranking No. 19)
Nov. 22 — at Hawaii (final NET ranking No. 172)
Nov. 25–27 — Maui Invitational — Auburn (final AP rank No. 18; final NET ranking No. 5), Colorado (unranked; No. 25), Connecticut (No. 1; No. 2), Dayton (No. 24; No. 23), Iowa State (No. 8; No. 6), Memphis (unranked; No. 75), Michigan State (unranked; No. 24)
Dec. 14 — vs. La Salle (final NET ranking No. 195)
Likely in late November — Opponent TBA in ACC/SEC Challenge
December — vs. UCLA (final NET ranking No. 107) in CBS Sports Classic (date, location TBA)
December — vs. Florida (final NET ranking No. 29) in Jumpman Invitational at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center (date TBA)
— Games home and away against Duke, N.C. State and Pittsburgh
— Home games vs. Boston College, California, Georgia Tech, Miami, SMU, Stanford and Virginia
— Road games vs. Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Note: 2024 NCAA tournament teams are in bold.
Potential 2024-25 UNC roster
| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Freshman | James Brown (4 star) | 5 | 6–8 | 225 |
| — | Freshman | Ian Jackson (5 star) | 2 | 6–4 | 180 |
| — | Freshman | Drake Powell (5 star) | 2 | 6–5 | 185 |
| 2 | Soph. | Elliot Cadeau | PG | 6–1 | 180 |
| 1 | Soph. | Zayden High | 4 | 6–9 | 225 |
| — | Junior | Cade Tyson | 3 | 6–7 | 203 |
| 13 | Junior | Jalen Washington | 5 | 6–10 | 230 |
| 0 | Junior | Seth Trimble | 2 | 6–3 | 195 |
| 5 | Graduate | RJ Davis | PG | 6–0 | 180 |
| Eligible for fifth season | |||||
| 24 | Graduate | Jae’Lyn Withers | 4 | 6–9 | 215 |
| Walk-ons eligible for 5th season | |||||
| 14 | Graduate | Creighton Lebo | PG | 6–1 | 180 |
| 22 | Graduate | Rob Landry | 2 | 6–4 | 190 |
Photo courtesy of FIBA
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