Daniel Jacobsen Makes First Round of Cuts at USA U-19 Basketball Tryouts

The redshirt sophomore was one of the better players in last summer’s U-18 tourney with Team USA

Purdue Basketball’s Daniel Jacobsen has been announced as 1 of 18 finalists for the Team USA U-19 Basketball National Team that will compete at the FIBA U-19 World Championships in Switzerland. Jacobsen just recently returned back to be a full participant just prior to the end of the spring semester following a broken tibia he suffered in just the second game of his freshman season. He spent the rest of the season rehabbing following surgery and putting on weight that saw the 7’4 center weigh in at 250 pounds entering summer workouts. He looked noticeably bigger in drills and scrimmages during Purdue’s first day of practice and flashed a lot of the potential that had him shooting up rankings in his senior season.

It was with the U-18 National Team last summer where Jacobsen really made waves as he entered his college career where he set a new Team USA record in the AmeriCup with 19 blocks in just six games. For the tourney, he averaged 9.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game and flashed the defensive presence that saw him as one of the elite rim protectors in his class. He has shown some rust in his return and likely some of the first full participation he has seen since the injury in November, but all signs point to him making the roster given his success last year and his ability to change games on the defensive side and on the glass.

Stay tuned to Hammer and Rails for more news as the final roster is likely to be announced later this week.