| Q&A With Jared Jordan Authored by Tommy Dee - November 5, 2007 - 12:53 pm
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Tommy Dee: A lot has happened to you over the last couple months: you finished up at Marist, you got tripped up short of the NCAA Tournament but went on a nice run in the NIT; you had a successful NBA draft camp and then getting drafted; then on to the Knicks, put into words if you can the amazing journey you’ve been on.
Jared Jordan: Yeah, it’s been crazy. I’m doing what I want to do and a lot of people would love to be in my situation. I finished up a great four years at Marist and then did real well in the pre-draft camps and was fortunate enough to get drafted by the Clippers and then traded back east to the Knicks. It’s been a great experience, I’ve gotten a lot of exposure and hopefully it will all help me in the long run realizing my dream of playing in the NBA.
TD: The other night I was at the Garden and I saw you heading back to the bench and you happened to accidentally run into Kevin Garnett. What’s it like to be in that situation, to be on the floor with guys like KG?
JJ: It’s funny you saw that, I kind of got in his way. You know, I’m not the type of guy that gets star struck but it’s kind of weird to be on the same court as Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, and throughout the process I’ve met a bunch of former players - I even met Michael Jordan – and guys you grew up watching and reading about. It’s just cool to be around them. It’s cool to meet these guys on a personal level.
TD: Coming from a small school like Marist, where you’re a celebrity then making the jump to the NBA, give us an idea of what it’s like to go from that small “fishbowl” to the NBA.
JJ: At Marist, being a “Mid-Major” you don’t get a lot of the things you get at big time schools and most of the guys in the NBA come from big time schools. The way you get treated in the NBA (is unbelievable) with the food, the travel arrangements and how they go about doing things. Marist was great and the NBA it’s like college all over again. You have to start from the bottom and get better and work your way up by building you reputation in order to get to that higher level.
TD: I was at a game watching you last year in a big game against Loyola and I was sitting next to a high-level executive from a Western Conference team, (not from the Clippers) and he made it clear that they had a high interest in drafting you. You end up getting drafted by the Clippers at 45. What’s the excitement like when you hear your name called on draft night?
JJ: Some people say it’s better to not get drafted and to be a free agent, but throughout this whole process I always wanted to say I got drafted into the NBA. I was fortunate enough to get picked by the Clippers and I spent the whole summer out there working out. They had two older point guards (and an injured Shaun Livingston), so I guess they decided they didn’t want to turn it over to a rookie so that’s why they traded me, but they gave me an opportunity.
TD: I think of Lionel Simmons a bunch of years back (when LaSalle was a member of the MAAC Conference) and Luis Flores (of Manhattan) a few years ago. You’re on a very short list of guys from the MAAC Conference to have been drafted.
JJ: Yeah, it’s hard coming from a Mid Major because people want to knock the level of talent that you play against. That’s why the NBA draft camp was so important for me. I performed well which put me on a national scene and proved I could play against top competition.
TD: So you get find out you get traded to the Knicks and I know by having spoken to you several times that you are a savvy basketball fan. You must have realized that they had a full roster and a glut at the guard position. What was your first reaction when you heard you were coming back to New York?
JJ: Like you said I ‘m a big basketball fan so I knew what was going on. I knew going in it was going to be tough to make the team, but I looked at it like you never know what was going to happen. I was also excited because I got to be back home with my friends and family for a while, but basketball-wise I really started to play well towards the end and overall it was a good experience for me.
TD: Do you think Isiah gave you a fair shot?
JJ: Definitely. I know people are going to say, “Why would he say yes?” It’s kind of hard with the situation he’s in, he has his 15 guys and they would have had to spend a lot of money to keep me.
TD: What did Isiah say to you personally that may help you get back to the NBA level?
JJ: He told me I was an NBA player. He said keep working hard and don’t get discouraged, that I’d be there eventually and maybe down the road maybe he’d see me again, which was nice to hear coming from him.
TD: You were inside camp, inside the doors so to speak. There were several things that happened during your time there that fans would want to hear about, trail aside. First was the Allan Houston comeback. What did you see from H20 in terms of his health, specifically his knee, did he appear to still be an NBA-type player to you?
JJ: He was only in practice literally one or two days, I mean I shot with him before and after practice and his stroke looked good. People say he can fill it up and that’s for sure, that guy doesn’t miss. I really don’t know the whole situation on why he cut the comeback short, but from what I saw he looked good and can still shoot the ball.
TD: What about the whole Demetrius Nichols situation, a second round pick that seemed to not get along with Isiah. Could you sense there was some tension between him and Isiah?
JJ: It was nothing like that. I actually became real good friends with Demetrius, we worked out a lot before the draft and got to know each other well. He just was in a tough situation like I was and he performed really well in the summer league and felt that he should be part of the team. Fortunately for him he got picked up the other day by Cleveland, so he’s in a good situation now.
TD: Let’s put your GM cap on, I can see you, a heady guy, maybe being a GM or coach down the road. If you’re in Isiah’s shoes right now, we know the team’s defense needs to improve and Curry and Randolph need to gell. Your first priority to improve the Knicks would be……
JJ: They have all the talent in the world, they have a lot of players and I think it’s just a matter of time before they become good. They have to be patient. They have two post players that are real dominant and could be All-Stars this year. I think just a matter of time for them to gel. They practice hard and Isiah seems to get them in the right situations, so I think when they get it together no one’s really going to want to play them.
TD: Who were the guys that took you under their wing and taught you some of the nuances of the NBA game in seeing different things at that level?
JJ: I worked a lot with Assistant Coach Dave Hanners, but I’d have to say Jamal Crawford. People ask me all the time what the guys were like and I tell them that Jamal Crawford is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. The first day I was there he came up to me and was like, “What’s up Jared?” To have a guy like that come up to you and know your name, it kind of makes you take a step back and say, “Wow, he knew my first name.”
TD: We talked a little about your career after playing, but certainly you have a lot of playing left in you. What’s going on right with you and where are we going to see Jared Jordan next?
JJ: I plan on going overseas for the year. I’m not sure where or when I’ll be leaving but I’m going over there to get better, to get stronger and work on my shot and hopefully next year I’ll be in the NBA, that’s my goal. I feel that one day I’ll be there I just have to get my foot in the door with a team and I think once that happens, I’ll be there for a while.
Tommy Dee is a former contributing editor with Maxim Sports Online and his blog truesportsfans.blogspot.com is dedicated to real sports fans.
His radio show can be listened to at BlogTalkRadio.com/nykfanpage |
