Jack Whitbourn and Akira Jacobs Compete on the International Stage
Incoming Rams shine on the international stage for their respective countries.
Jack Whitbourn participated with Team Australia in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Switzerland from June 28th to July 6th, a premier global stage for showcasing emerging basketball talent. This year’s field featured a bevy of incoming college freshmen and rising sophomores—48, from my count at the start of the event, and Whitbourn was the only participant representing an Atlantic-10 school for the coming season. Whitbourn played alongside several NCAA-bound athletes with Team Australia: Luke Fennell (Syracuse), Jacob Furphy (UConn), Emmett Adair (Loyola), and Roman Siulepa, who is rumored to be heading to Pitt.
Stat Lines:
Game 1 vs. USA (88-73 L) | 2 points (1/2 FG), 3 rebounds, one assist, steal, and block; two personal fouls and one turnover in 12 minutes
Game 2 vs. Cameroon (101-96 W) | 4 points (1/2 FG), 4 rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 17 minutes
Game 3 vs. France (71-63 W) | 8 points (2/5 FG, 4/7 FT), 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 fouls, 2 turnovers in 24 minutes
Round of 16 vs. Dominican Republic (106-96 W) | 12 points (5/8 FG, 2/2 FT), 12 rebounds (7 offensive), 2 assists, one steal, and one foul in 22 minutes
Quarterfinals vs. Germany (80-67 L) | 4 rebounds, one assist, and one foul in 21 minutes
Consolation vs. Israel (78-72 W) | 9 points (4/6 FG, 1/1 FT), 2 rebounds, one block, and one turnover in 8 minutes
Consolation vs. Canada (75-72 L) | 3 rebounds and one foul in 21 minutes
Tournament Stat Line: 5 PPG, 5 RPG, 0.7 APG
Highlights:
Whitbourn and Goc Malual split increased time at center following presumptive starter Rocco Zikarsky’s decision to forego the World Cup after being selected by the Timberwolves in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Whitbourn was utilized often in high pick-and-roll actions, passing or handing the ball off on the perimeter and creating space for the ball-handler before rolling towards the hoop, something I expect to see a lot of from him as a Ram. If he’s able to build on his perimeter shot and hit the occasional open three—something he didn’t show in World Cup play (0/1 3PT in seven games), he’ll become even more of a threat in the PnR game. Whitbourn showed soft finishing around the rim and shot 13/26 (50%) from two during the tournament. He turned in his best game against a scrappy but undersized Dominican Republic team, had a strong outing against France, and was less effective against the superior front courts of Canada, Germany, and the USA, which featured more high-major college talent.
FIBA Profile: (link)
Team Australia: (link)
Akira Jacobs is playing with the Japanese National Team throughout this summer in preparation for their participation in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup. Jacobs is one of three active NCAA athletes on the Japanese National Team’s roster, along with Luka Toews (Boston College), Yuto Kawashima (Seattle), and Ibu Yamazaki (Northern Colorado).
Team Japan recently wrapped up two exhibition games against the Netherlands, with Jacobs starting each game at the small forward position.
Stat Lines:
Game 1 (78-70 L) | 15 points (2/2 2PT, 2/6 3PT, 5/6 FT), 2 rebounds in 22 minutes
Game 2 (74-53 W) | 14 points (4/4 2PT, 2/4 3PT), 1 assist, 1 steal in 22.5 minutes
Jacobs’ Highlights from Game 1:
Jacobs shot an efficient 10/16 (62.5%) from the field and hit 4/10 attempted threes across the two games against the Netherlands. He’s an important piece offensively—his 29 points combined led the way for Japan. Jacobs moves well without the ball, positioning himself well to allow teammates to find him as he slashes to the rim and looks for catch-and-shoot opportunities on the perimeter, and his big frame is a threat in transition when he gets space to run.
Akira and Team Japan are back in action tomorrow, traveling to South Korea for two games on 7/11 & 7/13 in continued preparation for the FIBA Asia Cup, and will kick off pool play in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during the first week of August. More to come on his play as the summer progresses.