Purdue basketball tall sophomore center Daniel Jacobsen ready after injury
The Boilermakers had a big loss to their frontcourt two games into the 2024-25 season, but have a healthier and stronger sophomore.
Daniel Jacobsen will return to West Lafayette with a gold medal, and Purdue teammate Omer Mayer saw his stock rise during the FIBA U19 World Cup.
Purdue basketball will have a gold medalist when it begins the 2025-26 season.
Daniel Jacobsen represented the Boilermakers as part of USA Basketball’s entry into the FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Switzerland. Jacobsen finished with eight points, two rebounds and a block in 15 minutes as the U.S. beat Germany 109-76 for the gold medal Sunday.
It was a return to game action for Jacobsen, who suffered a broken tibia in the first minute of his second game at Purdue in November. His presence around the rim as a shot blocker at 7 foot 4 will be key for Purdue, which added transfer Oscar Cluff to pair alongside Trey Kaufman-Renn. Jacobsen figures to play off the bench with transfer Liam Murphy.
Jacobsen had a tournament-best 15 points and five blocks in a Round of 16 win over Jordan. He had nine rebounds against Cameroon in the group phase. He struggled though against a Canadian team with size in the semifinals and only played five minutes.
Still, Jacobsen averaged 6.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 14.1 minutes per contest during the seven-game tournament.
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Omer Mayer shines at FIBA U19 World Cup
Regardless of what Jacobsen did, it was going to be difficult to outshine his Purdue teammate, Omer Mayer of Israel. While Mayer and his country exited earlier than the U.S., he had many impressed with his game. Some said the 18-year-old was already a NBA talent, and other simply recognized how polished he was.
His four-game tournament totals (Israel won a group stage game by forfeit) were 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2 steals per game. He did have 3 turnovers per contest, escalated by six in the loss to Slovenia. He shot 43.1% from the floor and was 13 for 34 (38.4%) on 3-pointers.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder figures to complement All-American point guard Braden Smith.
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