Carlik Jones Drops 35-Point Double-Double in FIBA World Cup Debut
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - On one of the biggest stages in international basketball, Carlik Jones didn't waste any time making an impact for the South Sudan Men's National Basketball Team.
Playing against Puerto Rico in the FIBA World Cup group stage opener for both teams, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound guard - in what was both his FIBA World Cup and international debut - notched a game-high 35 points and 11 rebounds, while also securing six rebounds. Jones shot 12-of-22 from the field, 3-of-8 on three-point attempts, and was 8-of-9 from the free throw line.
Despite this performance, which included a game-tying three-pointer with 10.1 seconds left in regulation, South Sudan would drop their 2023 FIBA World Cup Opener against Puerto Rico, 101-96 in overtime.
However, South Sudan has not yet been officially eliminated from the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Playing in Group B, they still have two more group stage games coming up, facing China on Monday, Aug. 28 and Serbia on Wednesday, Aug. 30 from the Araneta Coliseum in Manilla, Philippines.
Jones has already had a noteworthy offseason. The Cincinnati, Oh. native was named the 2022-23 NBA G League Most Valuable Player back in April, averaging a G League-best 26.1 points, 7.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game for the Windy City Bulls - the G League affiliate for the Chicago Bulls.
Last December, Jones signed a two-way contract with Chicago, which was then converted to a regular contract in early March. While most of his time last season was spent with their G-League affiliate, he played in four NBA games last season for the Bulls, totaling three points, two assists and three rebounds in 28 minutes.
Jones signed an undrafted free agent deal with Dallas after going unselected in the 2021 NBA Draft, and saw time with both the Mavericks and Denver Nuggets during the 2021-22 season. He played in five total games that year - three with the Mavs and two with the Nuggets - collecting four points, five assists, three rebounds and a steal in 23 minutes.
During the 2020-21 season, his lone year at Louisville, Jones was one of the best players in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He averaged 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, while shooting 40.2% from the field and 32.1% on three-point attempts. He was only player in the ACC to rank among the top six in scoring, assists, assists/turnovers ratio and free throw percentage.
Jones was named a First Team All-ACC selection, becoming the third Cardinal to receive the honor, joining Jordan Nwora in 2020 and Donovan Mitchell in 2017. He received the third-highest votes and finished tied for second in the conference player of the year vote.
Prior to joining Louisville, the Cincinnati native was regarded as the top graduate transfer during the 2020 offseason. He averaged 20.0 points, 5.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game in his redshirt junior year at Radford, winning Big South Player of the Year.
(Photo of Carlik Jones: David Yeazell - USA TODAY Sports)
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