Future Spartan duo help lead USA Basketball to FIBA U18 AmeriCup title game appearance
Incoming freshmen Ethan Taylor and Jasiah Jervis help lead Team USA in FIBA U18 AmeriCup.
While the start of the 2026-2027 college basketball season is over five months away, two future Spartans were on display in Mexico for the FIBA U18 AmeriCup. Four-stars Ethan Taylor and Jasiah Jervis, both representing team USA, participated in the tournament with Team USA in its quest for the national team’s eighth title.
Due to these teams having limited time to practice together and a large pool of talent, it speaks volumes that both Jervis and Taylor were selected to the team. The achievement demonstrated the ability of both to fit quickly with a new roster and the respect the USA development program has for each.
Jervis, a McDonald's All-American and Gatorade Player of the Year in New York, came off the bench for the US while nursing a tweaked hamstring. Taylor, the 7-foot-1 center, showcased his size as he started throughout the tournament.
Perhaps the biggest story line going into the tournament was how Taylor would look against the international competition after a disappointing senior season at Link Academy where he came off the bench and didn't always show the physicality and grit that has come to be expected of Michigan State big men.
