Future Lobo shines at FIBA World Cup, former Albuquerque prep star wins gold with Team USA

It was a productive past couple of weeks in Switzerland for one future Lobo and one former Albuquerque high school player representing their countries in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.

Timéo Pons, a 6-foot-8 guard from France who is expected to join the UNM Lobos in the next few weeks in Albuquerque, averaged 7.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.7 steals and hit a team-high 11 3-pointers in seven games for France, which finished ninth in the 16-team event — two years after losing in the gold medal game to Spain.

He hit 11-of-30 (36.7%) 3-pointers in the event. The rest of the French roster hit 41-of-159 (25.8%).

Pons’ best games were in a 12-point loss to Team USA, in which he went 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and a 15-point, four-rebound game in which he hit three more 3-pointers in a win Saturday over Mali.

Pons was often a spark off the bench, hitting 3-pointers in six of the team’s seven games after he had a scoreless, 0-for-2 shooting performance in an opening-round win over Cameroon.

With the exception of the June 29 loss to gold medal-winning Team USA, France (4-3) outscored every opponent while Pons was one the floor. He was the only player on Team France with a positive plus-minus in every game other than the USA loss.

In a loss to Switzerland, France outscored the tournament hosts by 12 points in the 16 minutes Pons played, but was outscored by 19 in the other 36 minutes.

In Sunday’s loss to Serbia, France outscored its opponent by nine points in the 17 minutes Pons was one the court but was outscored by 12 in the 23 minutes he was on the bench.

Overall, France was plus-17 (outscored teams by 17 points) with him on the court in seven games. In the six games not counting the loss to Team USA, France was plus-32 when Pons was playing.

Golden boy

Former La Cueva Bear center Daniel Jacobsen, who finished his high school career at a prep school in New Hampshire and now plays for the Purdue Boilermakers in the Big Ten, finished his six games in the FIBA U19 World Cup averaging 6.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots in 14.0 minutes per game for Team USA.

In Sunday’s 109-76 gold medal win over Germany, the 7-foot-3 Jacobsen scored eight points on 4-of-6 shooting to go along with two rebounds, two fouls, two turnovers and a blocked shot.

His best game was a 15-point, five-rebound, five-blocked shot outing in 20 minutes against Jordan on July 2.