I was the Sports Editor at the TU paper (the Collegian) when TU picked up Jerome Jordan, the lanky seven-foot center from Kingston, Jamaica. Although he was really raw his freshman year, I knew he was going to be a huge asset for that team. I wrote about it and I was right. He finished with the Conference USA career blocks record, threw down countless jams and is now considered a late first round to second round pick in the 2010 NBA draft.
I love the guy. He’s super nice, he’s got a great touch when he gets in the post, he’s fast, he can dunk (like a 7-footer should) and he just has an overall cool factor that you can only get when you come from Jamaica. You can argue all day about his stats, production, potential in the kill-or-be-killed NBA, but the OKC Thunder desperately need a center, and this guy is an almost-hometown kid with serious potential. Add him in with Durant and Westbrook and you could have a seriously formidable young, fast, soft-spoken playoff-killing team. These guys wouldn’t talk trash, but they could trash talkers (see 2010 first round vs. L.A. and imagine they have a decent baller in the paint). Somebody needs to shut those Hollywood punks up, right?
Jordan still has a way to go if he wants to start in the NBA – he has to get bigger physically, get some fire and toughness, get more aggressive on the defensive end, etc. – but he’s seven feet tall with a huge wing span and with the right coaches he can do some serious damage in the big leagues. He’s not the bruiser/basher type that the Thunder need right now, but he definitely has the potential to at least hold his own while he beefs up and works on his skills.
Maybe I’m biased (I’m definitely biased!), but OKC is a young team that is on its way to being a really formidable force. If they add some Oklahoma talent like Jordan, along with some other key players, they may just have enough of a supporting cast to launch Durant (who finished 2nd in MVP voting) into superstardom. He’s obviously on his way and Jordan does need some work, but I’ll continue to rep for this guy because I know he has potential and he’s a great guy. OKC, are you listening?
