This past month was an exciting one for Wisconsin Badgers incoming freshmen Jackson Ball and Isaac Riddle, as both participated in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup for their respective home countries.
Ball represented New Zealand, while Riddle represented Australia, which won the entire tournament and took home the Gold medal. The former stood out in a big way, averaging 20.8 points, 4.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game as New Zealand took home the bronze medal.
Throughout the offseason, we’ve heard
reports on Ball’s readiness and potential to play as a true freshman, and he continues to stand out among his age group on the international stage. His best performance came in the bronze medal game, where he put up 29 points and seven assists on a very efficient shooting day.
Ball was the third-leading scorer of the entire tournament and was named to the All-Star team.
Riddle, on the other hand, played a complementary role for Australia, seeing just under 15 minutes a game. He averaged 7.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in those minutes, working his magic primarily inside the arc. He’s seen as a developmental prospect who could take some time to grow into a rotational player, but the foundation as a forward is there for the Australian native.
Both players will now make their way back to Madison as the Badgers prepare for the upcoming season kicking off in October. We’ll see ultimately if Ball will find a way to crack the rotation, similar to how freshmen Zach Kinziger, Hayden Jones, Aleksas Bieliauskas, and Will Garlock did a season ago.
Overall, though, Wisconsin seems to have a deep, young team this season, with room to add one more player to the mix with their final roster spot.
