Purdue center Daniel Jacobsen is one of 33 players to be invited to tryouts for USA Basketball’s U19 National Team for the 2025 FIBA World Cup in Switzerland.
Fully healed from a leg injury that cost him his freshman season, Purdue 7-foot-4 center Daniel Jacobsen has the opportunity to make an impact with USA Basketball. The redshirt freshman was one of 33 players invited to tryouts for the U19 National Team, which will participate in the 2025 FIBA World Cup in Switzerland.
Tryouts are held in Colorado Springs, Colo., beginning June 14. A 12-man roster will be announced before the squad departs for Lausanne, Switzerland, in late June. The 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup begins on June 28 and runs through July 6.
This won’t be Jacobsen’s first experience with USA Basketball. Last summer, the 7-foot-4 center played on the USA Basketball U18 National Team, winning a gold medal in Argentina. He averaged 9.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per contest.
Purdue coach Matt Painter recently told Andy Katz on The Sideline that he believes Jacobsen will gain some valuable experience working with USA Basketball this summer.
“We’re excited about that, hopefully he makes that team and gets that experience again after starting for the U18 team (last year),” Painter said.
Jacobsen’s first year in West Lafayette was cut short due to a broken leg suffered in the first minute of the second game of the 2024-25 season. He will likely receive a medical redshirt for an additional year of eligibility, but that’s not something Purdue is concerned with at this time.
In Jacobsen’s lone appearance last season, he helped Purdue earn a 90-73 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. As the starting center for the Boilermakers, he scored 13 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots. He also made some pivotal plays late in the game to secure the win.
Jacobsen’s injury certainly hurt Purdue’s frontcourt depth.
“We took a hit when we lost Daniel, I think he really would have helped (with rebounding),” Painter told Katz. “I think he would have had a learning curve like all freshmen big guys do.”
According to PurdueSports.com, Jacobsen used his time away from basketball to put on some weight and improve his strength, adding 40 pounds to his frame since first arriving on Purdue’s campus.
Though Purdue only captured a glimpse of Jacobsen’s ability last season, he’s capable of adding great rim protection to the Boilermakers’ lineup on the defensive end. Offensively, he has good range for a seven-footer, while also possessing the ability to throw down alley-oops and finish at the rim.
If Jacobsen makes the USA Basketball U19 National Team, it will give him another opportunity to play against some of the top talent internationally. It would only help his growth and development when Purdue’s 2025-26 season rolls arou
