Jerome Jordan faces tough decision on NBA
At
the end of Wednesday’s game against UCF, chants of “one
more year” echoed throughout the Reynolds Center. This
of course referred to the fact that Jamaican Jerome
Jordan is about to face a tough decision regarding
his future, or lack thereof, at the University of Tulsa.
With the end of season in sight he will soon be faced
with two options: return for his senior season or leave
school early and enter the NBA draft.
It is easy for TU fans to say that he should stay for
another season as it would clearly put the Golden
Hurricane in a great position for making the jump to the
NCAA tournament. But taking that into consideration,
should he stay or go? You can make a good case for both
options.
Why enter the draft now:
•Age
Jordan will turn 23-years- old before next season. If he
were to return for his senior season he would be 24
before he even got a chance to play at the NBA level.
This would be a huge downside for any team drafting him.
Complicating this even further is that players Jerome’s
size do not typically have long NBA careers anyway due
to the health complications that go with being that
size. Jordan is certainly more athletic than most
players his height, but age is still very much a
concern.
•Money
There are not very many 23-year-old athletes that can
turn down millions of guaranteed dollars. Depending on
what financial situation Jordan’s family is in, it might
be very difficult to ignore the sizeable offer that
would come with a first or second round NBA draft pick,
especially in this economy.
•Ability
Jordan is still a work in progress on the offensive side
of the ball, but defensively he is incredibly good.
Another year in college would give him an opportunity to
improve his offensive skills, but he is running out of
things to prove on defense. Not only is he a good shot
blocker, but he has also become great at altering shots.
It would appear that most of his offensive weaknesses
could be solved by gaining weight, which is something he
could easily do in an NBA off-season.
Why stay for a senior season:
•Experience
Jordan has only started at the Division I level for two
years and did not even play his senior season in high
school. Another year of college would be invaluable
experience that he would not get while riding a NBA
bench. Jerome has improved his play each year in
college, so it stands to reason that another season at
TU would help his stock significantly. He could put up
even better numbers and improve the raw parts of his
game that still need improvement.
•Weight
Even though Jerome has put on a lot of weight over the
last two years, he is still considered thin for his
position. All you have to do is look at how he was
dominated physically by OU’s Blake Griffin to see how
weight could affect his play at the NBA level. Another
year of college would give him another off-season to
gain more weight and would give him a chance to prove to
the scouts that he can be more physical with his play.
•Degree
One important thing to remember is that NBA teams draft
players for both potential and talent. There is no such
thing as guaranteed success in the NBA, and drafting him
would be considered “taking a chance.” The last thing
Jordan wants is to end up a washed up NBA player without
a college degree. A degree would give him a safety net
in the event that his career in the NBA does not work
out.
A look at some of Jordan’s accomplishments show how
important he has been to Golden Hurricane basketball.
In 2008 Jordan was selected to the C-USA all defensive
team as well as the C-USA all tournament team. He was
the Collegiate Basketball Invitational tournament MVP
and set the C-USA record for most blocked shots in a
season at 143.
On March 5 Jordan was selected, along with junior Ben Uzoh, to the National Association of Basketball Coaches
all district team. He was a first team selection. As an
all district selection, Jordan is now eligible for the
State Farm Coaches’ Division I All-American teams.
Jordan leads the Golden Hurricane this year in scoring
averaging 14.7 points per game. He also leads C-USA in
field goal percentage (.599), rebounds (9) and blocked
shots (2.6).
In the two years Jordan has started at center, TU has
advanced to the C-USA tournament losing to the top team
in the country. They won the inaugural CBI tournament
and are headed to the 2009 C-USA tournament as a second
seed with hopes of making a run at the NCAA tournament.
Whether Jordan decides to go pro or stay with TU his
impact on TU basketball is undeniable. Jordan has
provided a spark of energy and excitement to TU
basketball, and TU fans are hoping he decides to stay
another year.
By
Kurt Swafford,
University of Tulsa Collegian Staff Writer
