MJ's kid makes debut in Canadian tour
Jeffrey Jordan vs Carleton: 6 pts (3-4 FG, 0-1 FT), 1 stl in 19 min
Jeffrey Jordan vs Ottawa: 2 pts (1-4 FG), 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl in 22 min
Jeffrey Jordan vs Concordia: 7 pts (3-6 FG, 0-2 3PT, 1-1 FT), 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, in 15 min
Concordia knocks off Illinois and Jordan's son
University basketball Jeff Jordan earned a spot with the Fighting Illini as a walk-on
Published Monday September 3rd, 2007
Appeared on page B6
MONTREAL - Even in defeat, the son of basketball great Michael Jordan was the centre of attention.
Freshman guard Jeff Jordan was used liberally, but his University of Illinois squad was upset 86-82 by Concordia on Sunday for its first loss in three pre-season games in Canada. The Fighting Illini end their four-game, four-day Canadian tour this afternoon at McGill.
The 600 fans who squeezed into Concordia's tiny gym, mostly to see Jordan, watched brothers Dwayne and Damian Buckley score 28 and 24 points respectively to help the home side pull off a major upset of a Division 1 NCAA team.
Jordan played 15 minutes and had seven points, three rebounds and a steal.
"The small gym was fun -- it reminds me of high school," the 18-year-old said. "It was a good atmosphere. It was definitely a different experience from what we're used to."
At home, the Illini play in a 17,000-seat facility that is almost always sold out and may draw even more this season with the son of the former Chicago Bulls superstar on the team.
The six-foot-one guard was considered a mid-level high school prospect last season and was a walk-on (not on scholarship) player at Illinois after turning down offers from lesser universities. The psychology student got into Illinois on academic merit.
Coach Bruce Weber said he will not be a starter this year, but feels he can develop into a solid player.
"He's got a long way to go," said Weber. "He's got to find a niche and find out how hard he has to play, but that will come."
There were fears that carrying the Jordan name onto the court would be too tall a burden, but the teenager looks to be taking it in stride.
In his first game at Carleton on Friday night, he was mobbed by media but held his own after the Illini beat the defending national champion Ravens 74-72 in overtime. He saw less action as the Illini trashed Ottawa 73-56 on Saturday night.
"He'll get a lot of attention early, but over time, I think it will settle down," Weber added. "He's very level-headed. He doesn't demand attention."
Jordan said he got used to it in high school at Loyola Academy in Chicago "so it's easier to get used to it now at the college level. It hasn't been that hard so far.
"You've got to do your own thing. If you go out there with expectations, you're not going to do well, so I just try to do what I can do for my team."
Jordan's team, playing on well under 24 hours' rest, couldn't find the basket from the free throw line, where they were good on only 11 of 23 chances.
Star centre Shaun Pruitt led the team with 16 points.
Concordia, meanwhile, shot 58 per cent from the field and 77 per cent from the line despite struggling at times with the Illini's bigger players.
Illinois built a seven-point lead in the first quarter, but then Concordia and the Buckley brothers took over.
The Stingers led 78-60 midway through the fourth quarter and Jordan, who had two points up to then, was sent out for the final comeback blitz. He put a deft move on a defender to score two, then broke inside and slipped in another to help close the gap.
"I think I've been playing pretty solid," he said. "From here on, I have to keep working on my defence, my shots and just keep playing hard."
He said his father only helps him out when he asks for advice. Otherwise, "he's pretty much hands off."
Michael Jordan attended many of his sons' high school games, but did not make the trip to Canada. A younger son, Marcus, is still in high school and is considered an even better prospect than Jeff.
The Stingers mobbed one another and the fans were delirious at the final buzzer.
"This is just a stepping stone to where we want to get to in the end," said Dwayne Buckley. "It's great to beat a Division 1 school. It helps the CIS, it helps Canada, it helps everything. But our goal is still to win in Quebec and win in Canada."
Buckley was impressed with Jordan, saying he seemed to help settle the Illini down when things were tight at the end.
And after growing up a Michael Jordan fan, he admitted that "it was like a dream come true to play hard and play against the greatest player in the NBA's son.
"Who wouldn't get up for that. I just played as hard as I can, like every game."
Jeffrey Jordan vs Carleton: 6 pts (3-4 FG, 0-1 FT), 1 stl in 19 min
Jeffrey Jordan vs Ottawa: 2 pts (1-4 FG), 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl in 22 min
Jeffrey Jordan vs Concordia: 7 pts (3-6 FG, 0-2 3PT, 1-1 FT), 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, in 15 min
Concordia knocks off Illinois and Jordan's son
University basketball Jeff Jordan earned a spot with the Fighting Illini as a walk-on
Published Monday September 3rd, 2007
Appeared on page B6
MONTREAL - Even in defeat, the son of basketball great Michael Jordan was the centre of attention.
Freshman guard Jeff Jordan was used liberally, but his University of Illinois squad was upset 86-82 by Concordia on Sunday for its first loss in three pre-season games in Canada. The Fighting Illini end their four-game, four-day Canadian tour this afternoon at McGill.
The 600 fans who squeezed into Concordia's tiny gym, mostly to see Jordan, watched brothers Dwayne and Damian Buckley score 28 and 24 points respectively to help the home side pull off a major upset of a Division 1 NCAA team.
Jordan played 15 minutes and had seven points, three rebounds and a steal.
"The small gym was fun -- it reminds me of high school," the 18-year-old said. "It was a good atmosphere. It was definitely a different experience from what we're used to."
At home, the Illini play in a 17,000-seat facility that is almost always sold out and may draw even more this season with the son of the former Chicago Bulls superstar on the team.
The six-foot-one guard was considered a mid-level high school prospect last season and was a walk-on (not on scholarship) player at Illinois after turning down offers from lesser universities. The psychology student got into Illinois on academic merit.
Coach Bruce Weber said he will not be a starter this year, but feels he can develop into a solid player.
"He's got a long way to go," said Weber. "He's got to find a niche and find out how hard he has to play, but that will come."
There were fears that carrying the Jordan name onto the court would be too tall a burden, but the teenager looks to be taking it in stride.
In his first game at Carleton on Friday night, he was mobbed by media but held his own after the Illini beat the defending national champion Ravens 74-72 in overtime. He saw less action as the Illini trashed Ottawa 73-56 on Saturday night.
"He'll get a lot of attention early, but over time, I think it will settle down," Weber added. "He's very level-headed. He doesn't demand attention."
Jordan said he got used to it in high school at Loyola Academy in Chicago "so it's easier to get used to it now at the college level. It hasn't been that hard so far.
"You've got to do your own thing. If you go out there with expectations, you're not going to do well, so I just try to do what I can do for my team."
Jordan's team, playing on well under 24 hours' rest, couldn't find the basket from the free throw line, where they were good on only 11 of 23 chances.
Star centre Shaun Pruitt led the team with 16 points.
Concordia, meanwhile, shot 58 per cent from the field and 77 per cent from the line despite struggling at times with the Illini's bigger players.
Illinois built a seven-point lead in the first quarter, but then Concordia and the Buckley brothers took over.
The Stingers led 78-60 midway through the fourth quarter and Jordan, who had two points up to then, was sent out for the final comeback blitz. He put a deft move on a defender to score two, then broke inside and slipped in another to help close the gap.
"I think I've been playing pretty solid," he said. "From here on, I have to keep working on my defence, my shots and just keep playing hard."
He said his father only helps him out when he asks for advice. Otherwise, "he's pretty much hands off."
Michael Jordan attended many of his sons' high school games, but did not make the trip to Canada. A younger son, Marcus, is still in high school and is considered an even better prospect than Jeff.
The Stingers mobbed one another and the fans were delirious at the final buzzer.
"This is just a stepping stone to where we want to get to in the end," said Dwayne Buckley. "It's great to beat a Division 1 school. It helps the CIS, it helps Canada, it helps everything. But our goal is still to win in Quebec and win in Canada."
Buckley was impressed with Jordan, saying he seemed to help settle the Illini down when things were tight at the end.
And after growing up a Michael Jordan fan, he admitted that "it was like a dream come true to play hard and play against the greatest player in the NBA's son.
"Who wouldn't get up for that. I just played as hard as I can, like every game."
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