By R.L. Bynum
Five-star Class of 2024 UNC commit Ian Jackson scored nearly a point a minute, and the United States looked impressive in their opener of the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup.
The 6–5 guard scored 17 points in just over 16 minutes as the Americans rolled to a 136–69 victory over Madagascar at Fönix Arena in Debrecen, Hungary, putting up a record point total by an American U19 team.
Jackson, who collected three rebounds, three assists and two steals, was 7 of 11 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
Tre Johnson, No. 1 in ESPN’s Class of 2024 rankings and uncommitted, led the United States with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Mark Armstrong, a rising sophomore at Villanova, added 19 points and five steals.
The USA shot 58.6% from the floor and outrebounded Madagascar 56–22 in the first meeting between the countries.
It was the American’s 16th consecutive U19 Men’s World Cup victory dating back to 2017. The U.S. has won the competition eight times, including three of the last four (2015, 2019 and 2021). The Americans are 106–14 all-time in U19 men’s competition.
All 12 U.S. players scored in the first half as the team led 60–38 at halftime.
Jackson, who is a rising senior at Cardinal Hayes in The Bronx and ranked by ESPN No. 5 in the Class of 2024, is part of UNC’s class that includes four-star and No. 34-ranked 6–5 wing Drake Powell and four-star and No. 45-ranked James Brown.
The Americans play two more pool-play games in Group B, facing Slovenia at 2 p.m. ET Sunday and Lebanon at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The round of 16 is Wednesday, the quarterfinals Friday, the semifinals Saturday, July 1 and the championship is Sunday, July 2.
Slovenia won its opener Saturday over Lebanon 74–58, led by 20 points from UCLA commitment Jan Vide.
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Roster assuming all players with eligibility other than Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar and the seven players who entered the transfer portal return, which would put UNC three under the 15-player limit. The class for next season is listed.
| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 3 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 5 star | Freshman | Sayon Keita | C | 7–0 | 215 |
| RS freshman | Cade Bennerman — W | C | 7–0 | 205 | |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — X | G | 6–9 | 215 | |
| Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Sophomore | Matt Able — Y | G | 6–6 | 205 | |
| Senior | Terrence Brown — Z | G | 6–3 | 174 | |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | 4 | 6–10 | 215 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 25 | Junior | John Holbrook | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | 2 | 6–1 | 195 |
W — Northwestern transfer. X — Virginia Tech transfer; Y — N.C. State transfer; Z — Utah transfer
In transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 |
Key offseason dates
May 8–10 — G League Combine in Chicago
May 10 — NBA Draft Lottery
May 10–17 — NBA Draft Combine in Chicago
May 27 (11:59 p.m.) — NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline
June 13 — Deadline for international players to withdraw from NBA draft and maintain college eligibility
June 23–24 — NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Nonconference schedule so far
(Other than the ACC/SEC Challenge, games without links revealed from reporting by Alex Rosinski)
(10 of 14 games)
Nov. 2 — vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 6 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 10 — vs. Wyoming
Nov. 13 — vs. Georgia
Nov. 20 — vs. Marshall
Dec. 1 or 2 — vs. SEC team in ACC/SEC Challenge
Dec. 12 — at Georgetown
Dec. 19 — vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden
Dec. 21 — vs. The Citadel
November or December — vs. Butler
Photo courtesy of FIBA
