Daniel Jacobsen had a game-changing performance at the USA U18 Basketball trials.
On Tuesday, USA Basketball announced the final 12-player roster for the U18 Men’s National Team that will travel to Buenos Aires for the FIBA AmericCup beginning on June 3.
The roster was selected after 28 five days of camp at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. It began with 28 players taking part in Thursday night’s opening practice, continued with double sessions on Friday and was followed by a Saturday morning session before the first cut was made down, narrowing the participants down to 18.
The player who made the biggest impression in those first three days, especially relative to expectations, was undoubtedly Daniel Jacobsen. So, it was no surprise to see his name on the final roster even when 5-star prospects like Jayden Quaintance didn’t make the final cut.
The 7-footer who is committed to Purdue has always been an intriguing prospect thanks to his combination of size and skill. But, there was always a bit of a gap between his potential and production.
In 34 games this year at Brewster Academy, Jacobsen averaged 7.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game, all while showing notable progress. Also, he continued to grow physically as he now measures in at 7-foot-3.
This week in Colorado Springs, we didn’t see the tallest player on the floor drift out to the 3-point line or be reluctant to assert himself in the paint like we have sometimes in the past. We saw the opposite. We saw Jacobsen assert himself at the rim on both ends of the floor from the start of the event.
Defensively, he put his body in front of drivers and contested plays at the rim, particularly when rotating from the weak-side of the floor. Offensively, he was trying to dunk everything. And even when he couldn’t, he showed quick finishing ability around the paint. He worked for deep catches when playing with his back to the basket and then elevated into his baby hooks. He also made a couple of impressive quick passes from various spots on the floor.
Now, this isn’t to say that Purdue fans should expect Jacobsen to be able to step right in for Zach Edey. He still has work left to do. Jacobsen weighed in at 251 pounds this week in Colorado, after beginning the season at Brewster at 234. While those 17 pounds of presumed muscle is a good start, but it’s just that – a start. He will need to keep building up his body before being able to consistently handle the physical rigor of the Big Ten.
Because Jacobsen has not yet arrived on Purdue’s campus. we considered it both fair game and completely deserved, based on what we saw this week, to adjust his final ranking (to be clear, we will never been an outlet that changes rankings after kids arrive on campus in an effort to make ourselves look more accurate).
So, we’re bumping him up into the top-15 center prospects in the national class of 2025 and a top-100 prospect in the country. The future Boilermaker now ranks as the No. 86 prospect in the country.
This rating is notably higher than any other in the industry. After reflecting the recent growth that we have seen first-hand, and simultaneously accounts for the time, it may still take for him to continue to fill-out his frame and grow into his body. But make no mistake about it, Purdue now has another 7-footer with a very exciting future.
