Future Wisconsin men's basketball players Hayden Jones, Jackson Ball impressed at FIBA U19 World Cup

A couple future Badgers gained more experience — and impressed — on the international level.

Incoming Wisconsin men's basketball freshman Hayden Jones and 2026 commit Jackson Ball had significant roles on New Zealand’s fourth-place finish at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland.

Jones, a 6-foot-7 guard, averaged a team-high 14.6 points per game for New Zealand. He also had 7.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 28.9 minutes per game. The only player to receive more minutes was incoming UC-Irvine freshman Tama Isaac.

Jones had an especially noteworthy game in New Zealand’s quarterfinal win over host Switzerland, where he put up 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists while shooting 9-for-17 from the field.

“Hayden has developed himself into a player that can play point guard, plus the two and three positions,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said in November when Jones signed with the Badgers. “Defensively, he's long and does an excellent job of guarding players and disrupting shots at the rim with his natural size and ability. He's also a great rebounder at his position.”

Ball, a 6-foot-4 guard who committed to the Badgers in March, averaged 9.9 points and 3.1 assists per game. He shot a mere 31.4% from the field, though. He was one of two New Zealand players to score in double-figures in the team’s 56-point semifinal loss to the United States.

New Zealand finished fourth despite being No. 22 in FIBA's world rankings ahead of the tournament. It marked the first time New Zealand reached the U19 World Cup quarterfinals, let alone the semifinals.

“We’ve shown this week that the future is bright in New Zealand, and we’ve got multiple players that stepped up in different moments throughout the tournament,” New Zealand head coach Matt Lacey said via the team’s press release.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here's how Hayden Jones, Jackson Ball performed at FIBA U19 World Cup