Carlik Jones had a remarkable performance to remember in South Sudan’s 87-68 victory over the Philippines last night in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. He contributed 17 points, 14 assists, nine rebounds, two steals, and committed just one turnover in 29 minutes and 16 seconds on the court.
The output from the 2023 NBA G League MVP fell just one rebound short of making him the first player in FIBA Basketball World Cup history to achieve a triple-double. Nonetheless, it was still a performance to be proud of.
“I think we need to look at the tape so we can find another rebound for him because he might have got one in there (like) a little tip or something,” said South Sudan coach Royal Ivey in jest.
“That’s news to me. As big time as that is, I just want to give a huge shoutout to my coaches, my teammates who every day, every night trust in me to lead and to be myself. I just want to say that and I want to shoutout to the South Sudan fans,” said Jones.
Jones’ performance helped the Bright Stars improve their tournament record to 2-2, enhancing their prospects of qualifying for next year’s Summer Olympics in Paris. Despite the flood of congratulatory messages that followed, the Louisville Cardinal stated that he was simply doing his job on the court.
Being a point guard at this level is not easy, but he demonstrated to spectators what needs to be done in terms of running a team’s offense and setting an example with his time on the court.
“My mentality was just to be the best player on the floor, you know, just do whatever it takes to win. I know we sometimes lack in defensive rebounding so I knew we needed to rebound, push the pace (and) get stops,” said Jones.
“One thing I love to do is get my teammates going. Once everyone is going, it makes it easier for me. My biggest thing is just to lead. Lead on both ends of the floor. God’s willing, I was able to play well.”
For his part, Ivey was very pleased with the performance of his standout guard. Point guards are seen as extensions of their coaches on the floor, and Jones was effective in that role against Gilas.
While basketball is always a team effort, as evident from the Ohio native’s 14 assists, some players indeed stand out more than others in certain games.
“Carlik’s been great for us. He’s our leader. He’s our quarterback on and off the court. He’s a great addition. The guys love him, I love him. He’s a true leader and that’s what leaders do — they bring home the fight. He led us to victory. He put us on his back and we just rode the wave,” said Ivey.
“Fourteen assists, one turnover — that’s what point guards do. They lead (and) they make everybody else better on the court. That’s what he did tonight for the world to see.”
