A pair of Wisconsin basketball commits are set to represent New Zealand in the Fiba U19 World Cup. The event, which will take place in Switzerland this summer, will showcase some of the top young, global talent during a week long tournament.
Both Hayden Jones, a 2025 Badger commit, and Jackson Ball, a member of the 2026 class, have made the 12-man roster for New Zealand.
Two Badger commits will headline a stacked New Zealand World Cup roster
Jones and Ball are both highly anticipated recruits, and are enjoying very successful seasons in the New Zealand basketball league. Jones is averaging 8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 21 minutes per game. Ball meanwhile, has been setting the league on fire, averaging 22.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 34 minutes per game while shooting nearly 55% from the floor.
The pair will now team up, and try to make a run in the World Cup. While the US roster hasn't been announced yet, they'll almost certainly be favored. Still, having two Badger commits on the same Fiba World Cup roster is something pretty special.
Greg Gard and the Badgers have been hitting the international recruiting trail pretty hard over the last few cycles. Along with Jones and Ball, as well as Riccardo Greppi from last season, Wisconsin also has a commitment from Aleksas Bieliauskas out of Lithuania for 2025. International recruiting is very transactional in nature, as these players have already been playing professional ball from a young age, and in some ways, is much easier than traditional recruiting. Gard and company will likely continue to bring in talent from overseas in future classes as well.