Jordan Jefferson is an exception to the rule in in the current college basketball landscape. In a day where players hit the transfer portal with quickness and frequency, the Little Rock guard is completing his fourth season with the Trojans. Not only has he been committed, the 6-foot-4, 180-pounder made a big impact as he has played 100 games and started 57.
"You don't see players like
Jordan Jefferson in college basketball anymore," Little Rock head basketball coach
Darrell Walker said. "Players don't stay four years at one school. He's done a great job for us."
Jefferson said he never thought about transferring.
"My dad always taught me to stay with the coach that chose you first," Jefferson said. "Coming out of high school I had two offers, and [Walker] was the first one, so I chose him and stayed loyal to him.
"I came a long way. There have been some ups and downs. Being here four years has made me the person I am today."
Jefferson and classmate
Mwani Wilkinson, an LSU transfer, will be honored Saturday with Senior Day ceremonies prior to Little Rock's final home game of the season with Western Illinois. Jefferson's parents, who have traveled to a handful of road games, along with his two sisters will be in attendance.
"It will be the first time this year for them to see me playing in Little Rock, so I am sure going to try to show out for them," Jefferson said.
It will be a happy day for the Jeffersons, but this senior year hasn't been without some struggle. Jefferson injured his back in a car accident in the fall and played in a win against Maryland Eastern Shore Nov. 27 and didn't return until until a Jan. 18 game at Tennessee Tech.
"I was very nervous," Jefferson said. "I wasn't seeing enough progress. I just kept working."
Jefferson scored 11 points in the win at TTU and hasn't looked back. His presence has helped a team comprised of transfers and young players. He has scored in double figures six times since returning, including 17 points in a win at Southern Indiana Feb. 6. He's averaging 10 points per game since he returned and 8.8 ppg and just over 2 rebounds per game on the season.
"I'm pretty much fully healed and haven't had any problems with it, so I am ready to play more," he said. "I feel like I was the missing piece even though we have had some other injuries. I feel like I can help us get to [the NCAA Tournament]."
Jefferson has contributed almost since the beginning of his tenure at Little Rock. He started 16 games as a freshman and hit eight three-pointers and scored a career-high 24 points in a Sun Belt Conference Tournament win against South Alabama. The eight triples is tied for second-most in a single game in school history.
"A lot of people got injured that year, and I had to step up," Jefferson said. "I just trusted in the work I put in. Being a freshman, I was just playing basketball."
That freshman year set the tone for the next three where Jefferson has grown as a leader on the court and become a better defender.
"I have gotten better – the way I think and the way I see the floor," he said. "All of that has gotten better since I was a freshman. I see things a lot differently."
Jefferson has experienced success in four years, but he hasn't appeared in an NCAA Tournament. Last season, the Trojans were Ohio Valley Conference regular-season champions but fell to tournament champion Morehead State in the OVC Tournament finals. Currently, Little Rock is in third place in the OVC and is considered a contender to win the OVC Tournament next month despite enduring several injuries, including the loss of standout point guard
KK Robinson for the season.
"That's the No. 1 goal," Jefferson said of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. "That's all I dreamed of as a kid is playing in the March Madness Tournament. That would be really special."
Four years and 100 games have come and gone. It's hard for Jefferson, who will graduate with a degree in Health and Wellness in May, to believe that his college career is almost over.
"Now, that I am thinking about it, it has gone by so fast," Jefferson said. "It seems like the other day that my parents dropped me off and set up my room. It's been a great four years. I just want to finish it on a high note."
