Wisconsin basketball commits Jackson Ball and Hayden Jones showed out in New Zealand’s opening win of the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Saturday.
Pitted against Argentina in 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 committed to Greg Gard’s program on March 3, dropped a team-best 17 points, snared five rebounds and dished out three assists in over 33 minutes of action.
Jones, Ball’s fellow UW commit, dropped nine points, corralled a game-high 12 boards and denied two shot attempts in just under 21 minutes against Argentina. The two future Badgers combined for 15 of New Zealand’s 21 points in a pivotal fourth quarter, a 10-minute period that saw Argentina hold a four-point edge with roughly seven minutes to spare.
New Zealand will square off next against Mali on June 29 for an opportunity to bolster its standing in Pool A. If the squad earns a 3-0 mark, it will advance to the knockout stage with a favorable route to reach the quarterfinal, semifinal, or championship round.
Both Jones and Ball boast previous FIBA experience, having suited up for New Zealand at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey in 2024. In that event, Jones averaged nearly 12 points per game as the fourth-youngest player to debut for the senior national team. His team eventually fell to an American team rostering future lottery NBA picks, Cameron Boozer and A.J. Dybantsa.
At 6-foot-7, Jones has also laced up for the Nelson Giants in the New Zealand National Basketball League for the past two seasons, as well as tallied 12.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists for his country at the 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Qatar. Ball, another NBL talent, averaged just under 20 points off 48.9% from the field for the Hawke’s Bay Hawks in 16 appearances before venturing to Switzerland for U19 action.
Jones is set to join the Badgers during the 2025 season, while Ball will wait until the fall of 2026 to make his impact in Madison. Regardless, their exposure against some of the most prestigious basketball talents in the world allows both prospects to absorb unique moments they may not find at the collegiate level.
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