toronto – Kentucky I ran away from Canada89-72, to win the gold medal in men’s basketball 2023 GLOBAL JAM.
UK coach John Calipari He expressed concern going into the tournament where his young team would play against created rosters by players under the age of 23. But the Wildcats showed no signs that inexperience would be an issue, mainly because veterans set an example.
Senior guard Antonio Reeves, who was named tournament MVP, led the team in scoring in every game but the last.
UK led by as much as 14 at halftime, but Canada rallied to cut that to 45-39 at half time. West Virginia alumnus transfer Trey Mitchell helped the Cats break the game wide open in the third quarter. Mitchell scored eight of his 18 points in the quarter to help them lead by 19 points going into the fourth quarter.
The Cats’ first recruiting class has been announced. Freshman suite Justin Edwards A high-performance 23-point game exploded into the gold medal game. Highly popular guard DJ Wagner has scored double figures in three games. Freshman guard Reed Sheppard Perhaps the biggest upset of the group was as he led the team in assists.
The Cats won their three round robin games—vs Germany (81-73)And Canada (93-69) And Basketball African League selection (104-92) – with an average margin of 14.6 points.
In case you missed it from CL Brown:The UK must keep their lineups small to win big – even when they come back 7-footers
More from C.L. Brown:The UK basketball movement in Toronto begins the battle of talent versus experience
Kentucky Basketball’s Race to Gold 2023 GLOBL JAM, by the numbers:
23.0 – Reeves’ leading scoring average.
7.7 – Mitchell’s leading rebounding average.
5.7 – Sheppard’s passing average leads the team.
37.9 – UK 3-point shooting percentage. Reeves led the team with 18 of 3s while shooting 56.2 percent from behind the arc.
12.7 – Average Wildcats turnover per game. To get so many newcomers, the UK has taken such good care of the ball. Kentucky outscored their opponents 82-38 in shooting points.
23 – Total margin scored by cats in 2nd chance points. Rebounding has been one of their weaknesses, especially since their pair of 7-footers – Aaron Bradshaw and Ogona Oneneso – They are both out with injuries.
Off the field in Toronto:The British basketball team spends a day at Drake Palace during the GLOBL JAM trip
Kentucky, Louisville or the Field?:Carter Knox, 2024 5-star recruit, weighs ‘difficult’ decision
Louisville women’s basketball comes from behind to take gold for USA at 2023 GLOBL JAM
Louisville Canada was defeated, 68-66, in the women’s basketball gold medal game 2023 GLOBAL JAM Sunday championship at Al-Matami Sports Center thanks to the index 3 of Sydney Taylor Her only bucket in the second half. Taylor was named MVP of the event.
U of L jumped out to a 26-17 lead midway through the second quarter buoyed by Taylor, who went on a personal 8-0 run with three consecutive baskets including 2 3s. Canada erased most of its deficit by halftime and took a five-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals went 2-1 in the round robin of the event, beating both Puerto Rico, 78-55, and the All Africa Basketball League Selection Team, 72-39. Their only loss was A.J 74-71 defeat of Canadawhen Jayda Carey3 points attempted to connect in closing seconds.
U of L clearly had more talent than Puerto Rico and the BAL, but 11 of the 12 players on Canada’s roster had NCAA Division I experience including Shayeann Day-Wilson, who played for Duke; and Niah Baker, who played in Wake Forest.
The tournament adhered to FIBA rules, which allowed for more physical play than a typical NCAA game. This is part of the reason why the Cards totaled more than 20 spins in two of their games. Much has happened due to the novelty of adding five new transfers to the rotation and only 10 days of pre-match training.
CL Brown:On the new-look Louisville WBB team, Olivia Cochran is Card’s most irreplaceable player
More from CL Brown at GLOBL JAM:U of L’s national brand is on full display as they play on the international stage
Louisville women’s basketball team reaches gold at the 2023 GLOBL JAM, with the numbers:
13.2 – Taylor’s leading scoring average.
6.5 – rebounding rebounding average for team leader Nella Harris.
5.5 – Kiki Jefferson’s passing average as team captain.
41 – U of L average per game in drawing scored in four matches. Cards had a +66 advantage over their class opponents.
30.0 – Card shooting percentage with three points. Taylor led the team with 12 of 3, including six in the win over Puerto Rico.
28.2 – Louisville bench average points per game. Cards earned fixed points from their reserves. The highest single-game total was Hennie Van Schailk’s 15 points against the BAL.
CL Brown:The 2023-24 Louisville Women’s Basketball Player Directory adapts better than Jeff Walz
CL Brown on U of L men:Emmanuel Okorafor vs. UK offered cause for optimism for Louisville basketball
Sydney Taylor on her game-winning shot for the Cardinals with 29.5 seconds left:
“It was just a normal out-of-bounds game just to get it and run the offense. But I think it would be like a 9 or 10 on the shot clock. But I saw (Nina Rickards) come across, I dig it up, try to open it up. Both defensemen went with it, and left me. Wide open, and I took the ball in. It wasn’t like that for me, I promise.”
Reach out to sports columnist CL Brown at [email protected]Follow him on Twitter at @employee And subscribe to the newsletter onprofile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest To make sure not to miss one of his columns.
More Stories
Bowl Games 2024-25: Odds and predictions for the bracket and the most exciting matchups on the schedule | News, scores, highlights, stats, and rumors
Winning the Carabao Cup does not allow Manchester United players off the hook
Yankees fans who tackled Mookie Betts were banned from World Series Game 5