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Many Fans Of Jordan
Marist Guard Makes It Happen For Better-Known Players
August 10, 2006
By MIKE ANTHONY, Courant Staff Writer
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On many nights, Jared Jordan is surrounded by players with boundless
potential and enormous popularity. As the point guard for Jive Records,
the best team in the Greater Hartford Pro-Am Summer Basketball League,
Jordan throws lobs to Jerome Dyson, feeds Curtis Kelly in the post and
watches as Doug Wiggins jukes through the lane.
All three are incoming UConn freshmen, and all are among the reasons a
couple of hundred fans stuff into Fox Middle School in the North End.
Legs dangling from the top row of wooden bleachers, they come to catch
a glimpse of the future, to see Jim Calhoun's new flock of talent.
One might have to watch for a while to realize this really is Jordan's show.
And that's appropriate. That's how Jordan, a Hartford native who led the
nation in assists as a junior at Marist last season, has always operated -
creeping along almost anonymously before his body of work leads to
certain realizations.
"He's got to be the MVP of this league," said Kevin Archer, aka "D.J.
Chance," a Jive sponsor and coach.
"Lots of big names on this team," said Chris Rose, another Jive coach.
"And we go only as far as Jared Jordan takes us."
Many great players have come through Fox in the Pro-Am's 10 years, and
many are here now. The Celtics' Ryan Gomes, who plays for Club Blu, and
Dyson have posted 50-point performances, becoming the latest legends
in a league comprised over the years of NBA players, former local high
school standouts, professionals from various countries and players from
all NCAA divisions.
Jordan (6 feet 2) is often on his own level, a pass-first point guard who
runs Jive's offense with flash and precision. Jordan is averaging 22 points
and a league-high 14 assists, pushing Jive, the defending champion,
through an undefeated regular season and quarterfinal playoff victory
over C&J Auto Tuesday, when he had 16 points and 14 assists.
Jive plays Club Blu tonight in the semifinals. The doubleheader at 6:45
includes a game between Cambyland and Liv Ya Life. Game 1 of the best-
of-three championship series is Friday, also at 6:45.
"It's fun," said the mild-mannered Jordan, a criminal justice major who
grew up in Hartford's West End and played at Kingswood-Oxford in West
Hartford.
"As a little kid, I was always in the city," he said. "I know everybody in
here. I saw them play when I was younger. Now to be out here and be on
a top level, it's just fun."
Durelle Brown, a 1997 Kingswood graduate, first brought Jordan to the
Pro-Am in 2002.
"Everybody was like, `Who's the white kid?'" said Brown, who played at
Manhattan College. "I said, `Trust me, he can play.' And now he's the
most valuable player."
That won't be awarded until the conclusion of the playoffs next week, but
Jordan is a serious contender. Past winners include Keyon Smith of UHart
(2005), Brown (2001) and Mike Williams of UMass (2000).
Jordan's game has grown considerably since the time he spent playing
pickup at Elizabeth Park, and even since he chose Marist over Canisius
and Hartford. Big East schools never called. And they had no reason to,
Jordan said, even if he thinks he was overlooked by many schools.
"I've gotten better each year," he said. "Honestly, people ask why I didn't
go to a bigger school, but going into college I don't think I was able to
play at that level. I've worked my way up there. I think [many schools] saw
me and didn't think I could shoot. Coaches told me I couldn't play at their
level. William and Mary told me I couldn't play there, straight up. So that
made me work harder."
Home for the summer, Jordan works out four days a week with Kendrick
Moore, a 1994 Hartford Public graduate who played at Missouri. Jordan is
a strong and smart player, able to push the fastbreak, run the half-court
set and even get into the lane for rebounds. He averaged 16.1 points and
8.5 assists last season, edging Jose Juan Barea of Northeastern, who
averaged 8.4 assists, for the NCAA lead. (UConn's Marcus Williams
averaged 8.6 but wasn't recognized because he did not play in 75 percent
of the Huskies' games.)
Jordan's jump shot is consistent now, too. He shot 48.7 percent as a
junior.
"He said recently, `I wish I could shoot [a few years ago] like I do now,'"
Brown said. "I told him, `If you were able to, you wouldn't be the player
you are.' Before, he couldn't shoot so he had great vision. That is what the
next generation doesn't have, people who actually want to get other
people the ball. He's a throwback, old-school point guard. Now that he
can shoot, it's very, very scary."
Jordan was given time to grow at Marist, where he averaged 6.8 points
and 3.8 assists as a freshman and 11.7 and 6.3 as a sophomore. Jordan,
many in the know are saying, could easily play - and play well - in the Big
East.
"I feel like I can play at any level, and I want to play in the NBA," Jordan
said. "Hey, I'm just going under the radar again. That's how I have to look
at it."
Contact Mike Anthony at mathony@courant.com.
Marist Guard Makes It Happen For Better-Known Players
August 10, 2006
By MIKE ANTHONY, Courant Staff Writer
ÂÂ
On many nights, Jared Jordan is surrounded by players with boundless
potential and enormous popularity. As the point guard for Jive Records,
the best team in the Greater Hartford Pro-Am Summer Basketball League,
Jordan throws lobs to Jerome Dyson, feeds Curtis Kelly in the post and
watches as Doug Wiggins jukes through the lane.
All three are incoming UConn freshmen, and all are among the reasons a
couple of hundred fans stuff into Fox Middle School in the North End.
Legs dangling from the top row of wooden bleachers, they come to catch
a glimpse of the future, to see Jim Calhoun's new flock of talent.
One might have to watch for a while to realize this really is Jordan's show.
And that's appropriate. That's how Jordan, a Hartford native who led the
nation in assists as a junior at Marist last season, has always operated -
creeping along almost anonymously before his body of work leads to
certain realizations.
"He's got to be the MVP of this league," said Kevin Archer, aka "D.J.
Chance," a Jive sponsor and coach.
"Lots of big names on this team," said Chris Rose, another Jive coach.
"And we go only as far as Jared Jordan takes us."
Many great players have come through Fox in the Pro-Am's 10 years, and
many are here now. The Celtics' Ryan Gomes, who plays for Club Blu, and
Dyson have posted 50-point performances, becoming the latest legends
in a league comprised over the years of NBA players, former local high
school standouts, professionals from various countries and players from
all NCAA divisions.
Jordan (6 feet 2) is often on his own level, a pass-first point guard who
runs Jive's offense with flash and precision. Jordan is averaging 22 points
and a league-high 14 assists, pushing Jive, the defending champion,
through an undefeated regular season and quarterfinal playoff victory
over C&J Auto Tuesday, when he had 16 points and 14 assists.
Jive plays Club Blu tonight in the semifinals. The doubleheader at 6:45
includes a game between Cambyland and Liv Ya Life. Game 1 of the best-
of-three championship series is Friday, also at 6:45.
"It's fun," said the mild-mannered Jordan, a criminal justice major who
grew up in Hartford's West End and played at Kingswood-Oxford in West
Hartford.
"As a little kid, I was always in the city," he said. "I know everybody in
here. I saw them play when I was younger. Now to be out here and be on
a top level, it's just fun."
Durelle Brown, a 1997 Kingswood graduate, first brought Jordan to the
Pro-Am in 2002.
"Everybody was like, `Who's the white kid?'" said Brown, who played at
Manhattan College. "I said, `Trust me, he can play.' And now he's the
most valuable player."
That won't be awarded until the conclusion of the playoffs next week, but
Jordan is a serious contender. Past winners include Keyon Smith of UHart
(2005), Brown (2001) and Mike Williams of UMass (2000).
Jordan's game has grown considerably since the time he spent playing
pickup at Elizabeth Park, and even since he chose Marist over Canisius
and Hartford. Big East schools never called. And they had no reason to,
Jordan said, even if he thinks he was overlooked by many schools.
"I've gotten better each year," he said. "Honestly, people ask why I didn't
go to a bigger school, but going into college I don't think I was able to
play at that level. I've worked my way up there. I think [many schools] saw
me and didn't think I could shoot. Coaches told me I couldn't play at their
level. William and Mary told me I couldn't play there, straight up. So that
made me work harder."
Home for the summer, Jordan works out four days a week with Kendrick
Moore, a 1994 Hartford Public graduate who played at Missouri. Jordan is
a strong and smart player, able to push the fastbreak, run the half-court
set and even get into the lane for rebounds. He averaged 16.1 points and
8.5 assists last season, edging Jose Juan Barea of Northeastern, who
averaged 8.4 assists, for the NCAA lead. (UConn's Marcus Williams
averaged 8.6 but wasn't recognized because he did not play in 75 percent
of the Huskies' games.)
Jordan's jump shot is consistent now, too. He shot 48.7 percent as a
junior.
"He said recently, `I wish I could shoot [a few years ago] like I do now,'"
Brown said. "I told him, `If you were able to, you wouldn't be the player
you are.' Before, he couldn't shoot so he had great vision. That is what the
next generation doesn't have, people who actually want to get other
people the ball. He's a throwback, old-school point guard. Now that he
can shoot, it's very, very scary."
Jordan was given time to grow at Marist, where he averaged 6.8 points
and 3.8 assists as a freshman and 11.7 and 6.3 as a sophomore. Jordan,
many in the know are saying, could easily play - and play well - in the Big
East.
"I feel like I can play at any level, and I want to play in the NBA," Jordan
said. "Hey, I'm just going under the radar again. That's how I have to look
at it."
Contact Mike Anthony at mathony@courant.com.
