Wisconsin hoops commit is looking spectacular in his overseas league

The New Zealand Basketball League has found their next young star, and by proxy, so has Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers. Jackson Ball is truly a young phenom in New Zealand, and when his stats first started to make their way to American audiences, people came out of the woodwork to say, "Calm down, it's early." Now Ball has a 12-game sample size, and his performances continue to amaze.

17 year old Jackson Ball is one of the best players this season in the New Zealand Basketball League

Jackson Ball has played in all 12 games for his team, averaging a team-high 34.6 minutes a game. He's literally unbenchable for the Hawke's Bay Hawks. In those 34.6 minutes, Ball is averaging 22.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. He's already had one 40-point game and two games north of 30 (36 and 33). He has only had two games with less than 15 points (13 both times). He's shooting 73.3% from 2-point and 37.7% from 3-point. In true Greg Gard love, his free-throw percentage is 84.6%. He's literally a walking bucket in the New Zealand Basketball League.

The crazy part about all this is that he still has one more year overseas unless he can work some reclassification magic. He's only 17 years old and won't turn 18 until next March. He's playing in a league full of grown men. While there are a few other examples of teenagers in the NZBL, most are in their upper 20s.

Jackson Ball's team takes on fellow Wisconsin commit Hayden Jone's team on Friday, and it's watchable for Americans. It will be streaming on ESPN+ at 2:30 a.m. (7:30 p.m. New Zealand Standard Time). While it may not be realistic to watch since it's the middle of the night, it will be available to watch on ESPN+ on recording after the event finishes. Wisconsin fans may want to check that one out.