'So polished already': Purdue basketball freshman shows 'clutch gene' at FIBA Under-19 World Cup
The wonder that is Omer Mayer is becoming a more well-known commodity during the FIBA Under-19 World Cup. Mayer scored 33 points on 12-of-26 shooting with seven assists to one turnover, five rebounds and four steals in Israel's 86-82 win over Cameroon in the Round of 16. He was 5 for 12 on 3s.
Mayer drew love of Boilermakers fans, college basketball analysts and more after a 24-point performance in Sunday's win over Switzerland.
Cameroon led by three entering the fourth quarter, when Mayer factored heavily. He hit a pair of free throws to take a 61-60 lead. Cameroon retook the lead and Mayer answered with a 3-pointer. He later made another 3-pointer and had three assists leading to eight Israel points down the stretch to hold off Cameroon.
Israel moves into a quarterfinal game against Slovenia on Friday, time to be determined. Mayer is averaging a tournament-high 23.3 points per game to go with 4.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
Mayer was a bit of an unknown with such a late commitment in mid-April. He was teammates with former Purdue big man Trevion Williams at Maccabi Tel Aviv. He's shown against similar-aged peers that he can be a star at an international level.
He figures to factor into a backcourt led by Braden Smith as a secondary ball-handler and shot creator. That sure has been on display in Switzerland.
Insider: How Omer Mayer can elevate Purdue basketball lineup in championship hopeful season, beyond
2024-25 at Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israeli league: 5.5 points, 2.1 assists in 13 games
2024-25 at Maccabi Tel Aviv in EuroLeague: 2.6 points, 2.0 assists
2023-24 at Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israeli league: 3.8 points
2023-24 at Maccabi Tel Aviv in EuroLeague: 0.6 points
Mayer has four years of eligibility.
Purdue sophomore Daniel Jacobsen was incredibly efficient as the U.S. beat Jordan 140-67 on Wednesday. Jacobsen scored 15 points with five rebounds and two assists. He made all seven of his 2-pointers and his lone misses were a pair of 3-point attempts.
Jacobsen recovered from a broken tibia he suffered in the first minute of his second game of his freshman season. He figures to be a key part of Purdue's championship pursuit alongside Trey Kaufman-Renn and transfer Oscar Cluff. Particularly, Jacobsen's rim protection is an added asset, which he displayed Wednesday with five blocks.
In the three group stage games, Jacobsen averaged 5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1 block per game while converting 55.6% of field goal attempts, all 2-pointers, and was 5 for 8 at the free throw line. The U.S. will play Canada in the quarterfinals Friday at a time to be determined.
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