University of Georgia Athletics
National Team Experience A Hoops Highlight
February 26, 2026 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Georgia forward Justin Abson spent part of his summer in Mexico. But he wasn't just hanging out on a beach or taking in the country's diverse culture. No, Abson was there, in Ciudad Obregón, playing with the Jamaican National Team.
"It was a great experience," he said. "I was playing against guys that are like 30 years old and have played 10-plus years as a pro, and I'm playing with guys like Norman Powell, who just made the (NBA) All-Star team."
In three games of FIBA Americas World Cup pre-qualifying action, Abson helped Jamaica to wins over Barbados and Costa Rica, and Jamaica fell to host Mexico. In those games, Abson averaged 5.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and nearly a block and an assist per game.
"It was great being around all of those guys, those great players," he said. "You want to be in their shoes one day, so I was just picking their brain every chance I got. It was pretty cool. ... The physicality of the game at that level was big for me; they didn't care that I'm 22 years old. I had teammates that were married with two kids, and they're just trying to go out there and feed their family. They're out there playing really hard and it was up to me to play just as hard."
Abson qualified for the team through his mother, Cheryl McDonnough, who is from Jamaica. Abson had previously suited up for Jamaica on the 3-on-3 national team at the 2022 Caribbean Games in Guadeloupe, a small island nation in the Caribbean.
"That was something I did going into my freshman year of college, and I had never even heard of Guadeloupe before that. It was pretty fun. I enjoyed both of those experiences," Abson said.
After spending much of his life playing 5-on-5 basketball, his time spent playing 3-on-3 was a big change from what he was used to. But he thinks it helped make him a better all-around player.
"The pace of the 3-on-3 was something different, because it doesn't stop, and we didn't have any subs for that tournament because it was around the time of COVID and it was difficult for people to travel," he said. "The pace is fast, and I just had to adjust to it."
For most of this season, the Bulldogs have been playing as fast as any team in the country. Abson doesn't shoot a lot, about twice a game, but he's made more than 60% of his attempts when he does. His biggest impact is felt on the defensive end, with blocked shots, disrupted shots, and rebounds.
Heading into Saturday's game against South Carolina at Stegeman Coliseum, Abson has 42 blocked shots (second on the team behind Somto Cyril's 69). That's one block in every 6.9 minutes played for the 6-foot-9 senior from Coconut Creek, Fla.
Abson takes pride in his blocks, and his favorite part of blocking a shot, he said, is "the momentum change" a rejection can produce, whether it leads to a transition basket the other way or not.
"If you can stop the other team from scoring two points, and do it in a loud way, like a block, that can give your team a big boost," he said.
Growing up in South Florida when LeBron James was playing for the Miami Heat, Abson used to love to watch James and those great Heat squads. And he really loved the way James blocked shots.
"The way he'd chase down guys and get blocks from behind, those were like the coolest things," he said. "I'd go to the park and just throw the ball off the backboard and try to block it like LeBron did. That's where I got my knack for blocking shots."
With more than 60 blocks over the past two seasons for the Bulldogs, that work has clearly been paying off.
Staff Writer
Georgia forward Justin Abson spent part of his summer in Mexico. But he wasn't just hanging out on a beach or taking in the country's diverse culture. No, Abson was there, in Ciudad Obregón, playing with the Jamaican National Team.
"It was a great experience," he said. "I was playing against guys that are like 30 years old and have played 10-plus years as a pro, and I'm playing with guys like Norman Powell, who just made the (NBA) All-Star team."
In three games of FIBA Americas World Cup pre-qualifying action, Abson helped Jamaica to wins over Barbados and Costa Rica, and Jamaica fell to host Mexico. In those games, Abson averaged 5.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and nearly a block and an assist per game.
"It was great being around all of those guys, those great players," he said. "You want to be in their shoes one day, so I was just picking their brain every chance I got. It was pretty cool. ... The physicality of the game at that level was big for me; they didn't care that I'm 22 years old. I had teammates that were married with two kids, and they're just trying to go out there and feed their family. They're out there playing really hard and it was up to me to play just as hard."
Abson qualified for the team through his mother, Cheryl McDonnough, who is from Jamaica. Abson had previously suited up for Jamaica on the 3-on-3 national team at the 2022 Caribbean Games in Guadeloupe, a small island nation in the Caribbean.
"That was something I did going into my freshman year of college, and I had never even heard of Guadeloupe before that. It was pretty fun. I enjoyed both of those experiences," Abson said.
After spending much of his life playing 5-on-5 basketball, his time spent playing 3-on-3 was a big change from what he was used to. But he thinks it helped make him a better all-around player.
"The pace of the 3-on-3 was something different, because it doesn't stop, and we didn't have any subs for that tournament because it was around the time of COVID and it was difficult for people to travel," he said. "The pace is fast, and I just had to adjust to it."
For most of this season, the Bulldogs have been playing as fast as any team in the country. Abson doesn't shoot a lot, about twice a game, but he's made more than 60% of his attempts when he does. His biggest impact is felt on the defensive end, with blocked shots, disrupted shots, and rebounds.
Heading into Saturday's game against South Carolina at Stegeman Coliseum, Abson has 42 blocked shots (second on the team behind Somto Cyril's 69). That's one block in every 6.9 minutes played for the 6-foot-9 senior from Coconut Creek, Fla.
Abson takes pride in his blocks, and his favorite part of blocking a shot, he said, is "the momentum change" a rejection can produce, whether it leads to a transition basket the other way or not.
"If you can stop the other team from scoring two points, and do it in a loud way, like a block, that can give your team a big boost," he said.
Growing up in South Florida when LeBron James was playing for the Miami Heat, Abson used to love to watch James and those great Heat squads. And he really loved the way James blocked shots.
"The way he'd chase down guys and get blocks from behind, those were like the coolest things," he said. "I'd go to the park and just throw the ball off the backboard and try to block it like LeBron did. That's where I got my knack for blocking shots."
With more than 60 blocks over the past two seasons for the Bulldogs, that work has clearly been paying off.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
Players Mentioned
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