By R.L. Bynum
Ian Jackson didn’t get into the United States’ game until the second quarter and struggled with his shot but showed his versatility in a 122–70 victory Tuesday over Lebanon at Fönix Arena in Debrecen, Hungary.
Jackson led the Americans with five assists and collected eight points, five rebounds and two steals in 21½ minutes as the team finished FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup Group B pool play 3–0 and dropped Lebanon to 0–3.
The USA begins the medal round at 9 a.m. ET Wednesday in the round of 16 against China (0–3), with the quarterfinals Friday, the semifinals Saturday and the championship game on Sunday. China lost to Spain 83–74 on Tuesday.
Jackson, a five-star UNC Class of 2024 commitment, didn’t start and wasn’t in the group of five that came in to relieve the starters in the first quarter as the Americans went on a 19–1 run and built a 39–10 lead.
Soon after he came into the game to start the second quarter, Jackson made a slick, long bounce pass from near mid-court in transition to Eric Dailey Jr. for a dunk, and the U.S. led 74–35 at halftime.
Jackson started the second half but didn’t score until sinking the first of two 3-pointers with 4:16 left in the game.
Late in the game, Jackson snagged a loose ball in the backcourt and shoveled an underhanded alley-oop pass to Eric Dailey Jr. for a dunk.
Jackson was 3 of 8 from the floor and 2 of 4 from 3-point range.
Mark Armstrong led the United States with 17 points, with Tre Johnson, Asa Newell and Cody Williams each adding 13.
The USA outrebounded Lebanon 54–32, scored 31 fast break points and netted 29 points off of 19 Lebanon turnovers.
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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