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Recapping How Purdue's Daniel Jacobsen Performed With Team USA in FIBA U19 World Cup

Daniel Jacobsen won a gold medal for the second time in the FIBA World Cup. Here's how the Purdue center performed during his time with Team USA.
Dustin Schutte|
Purdue Boilermakers center Daniel Jacobsen (12) practices
Purdue Boilermakers center Daniel Jacobsen (12) practices | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

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Purdue Boilermakers

For a second straight summer, Daniel Jacobsen is returning to the United States with a gold medal. The Purdue center was part of Team USA's run to a championship in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup this year, helping the Americans to a perfect 7-0 record in the event.

Jacobsen's minutes fluctuated throughout the FIBA World Cup, but he was still able to make a significant impact, especially on the defensive end. He averaged 1.9 blocks per game across seven contests, which ranked tied for second-most this year.

The 7-foot-4 center also ended the World Cup averaging 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Jacobsen also logged an average of 14 minutes per game.

Jacobsen began the FIBA U19 World Cup has the starting center for Team USA, but was later moved into a reserve role behind Morez Johnson Jr. He still found ways to make major contributions on both ends of the court, even if the numbers didn't always show up in the box score.

FIBA World Cup is traditionally a guard-dominated event. That was easy to say during Team USA's games, as very little of the offense was centered around Jacobsen. Still, he managed to clear space and create opportunities for his teammates on the offensive ends, usually setting high screens and cleaning up the offensive glass.

Defensively, Jacobsen clogged up the paint and deterred opponents from driving to the basket. If they did, shots were often blocked or altered at the rim when the 7-footer was on the floor.

Jacobsen's best performances came on the final day of group play and in the Round of 16 of the bracket. Against Cameroon to close out group play, the center nearly posted a double-double, scoring seven points, grabbing nine rebounds, and blocking a shot.

In the Round of 16, Jacobsen was dominant against Jordan, scoring 15 points, collecting five rebounds and adding five blocks to his total.

Jacobsen was also incredibly efficient throughout the tournament, connecting on 60.6% of his shots and having only seven turnovers.

As a result of his performance in the event, USA comes home with another gold medal. Jacobsen also won gold in the FIBA U18 World Cup in Argentina last summer.

Daniel Jacobsen game-by-game statistics

  • vs. Australia — 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block
  • vs. France — 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block
  • vs. Cameroon — 7 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block
  • vs. Jordan — 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 blocks
  • vs. Canada — 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block
  • vs. New Zealand — 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks
  • vs. Germany — 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block

Highlights from Daniel Jacobsen in FIBA World Cup

Related stories on Purdue basketball

JACOBSEN'S PERFORMANCE VS. NEW ZEALAND: Purdue center Daniel Jacobsen had a solid performance in USA's win over New Zealand in the semifinal round of the FIBA U19 World Cup. CLICK HERE

PURDUE TARGET COMMITS TO IOWA: Purdue target Trey Thompson committed to Iowa over the weekend. The four-star talent was originally a member of the 2026 class but has reclassified. CLICK HERE

WHY MAYER MISSED ISREAL'S GAME SATURDAY: Purdue guard Omer Mayer did not play in Israel's classification game against Australia on Saturday due to an injury, according to a report. CLICK HERE

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Dustin Schutte
DUSTIN SCHUTTE

Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.

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