Jerell Springer facts for kids

Jerell Dwayne Springer (born January 19, 1999) is an American basketball player. He plays as a point guard for BC Kavkasia in the Georgia A League. Jerell is 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. He was a highly-rated basketball player during his high school years in Nevada, playing for Shadow Ridge and Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas. Even though he faced some challenges playing in his senior year, he was still a top choice for college basketball teams. He first planned to play for Southern Utah but later decided to join the JBA.

Jerell's High School Basketball Journey

Jerell Springer played basketball for three years at Shadow Ridge High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. In July 2015, he was chosen as one of the top 25 players at a special basketball camp in Norwalk, California.

Junior Year Success

During his junior year, Jerell was a star player. He scored an average of 20.4 points per game. He also grabbed 9.0 rebounds and made 4.0 assists per game. Because of his great performance, he earned All-League and third-team All-State honors. By the end of that season, many college teams wanted him to play for them. He received offers from Pacific and Southern Utah.

Senior Year Challenges

For his senior year, Jerell moved to Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas. However, he faced a problem and was not allowed to play for his new school at first. This was very tough for him, as it was his last year of high school basketball. A special court order allowed him to play in one game on January 21, 2017. In that game, he scored seven points. Even though he couldn't play for most of the season, Desert Pines High School still won the Class 3A state championship.

Choosing a Path After High School

After high school, Jerell played for his travel team, 702 Attack. He impressed many college teams, including UNLV and BYU. In May 2017, he decided to commit to play for the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. The coach, Todd Simon, was excited about Jerell joining the team.

However, Jerell later decided not to go to Southern Utah right away. He chose to play an extra year at Planet Athlete Academy in Tempe, Arizona. He hoped this would help him get even more interest from other college programs. On December 2, 2017, he had an amazing game, scoring 29 points, grabbing 9 rebounds, and making 5 assists.

Jerell's Professional Basketball Career

In April 2018, Jerell tried out for the Junior Basketball Association (JBA) in Houston, Texas. He was one of only seven players chosen to join the league, becoming a member of the Seattle Ballers. Former NBA player Ed O'Bannon praised Jerell. He said Jerell played hard and understood the game very well.

Playing for the Seattle Ballers

In Seattle's first game on June 23, 2018, Jerell had a fantastic start. He scored 22 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and made 5 assists. Seattle won that game against the Dallas Ballers. The very next day, Jerell scored a game-high 48 points in a close loss to the Los Angeles Ballers. His great play earned him a spot on the West roster for the JBA All-Star Game. In the championship game, Jerell led Seattle with 32 points, but they lost to Los Angeles.

International Tour with JBA USA Team

After the first JBA season ended, Jerell was one of 14 players chosen for the JBA's USA Team. This team went on an international tour in 2018. On September 22, Jerell scored 8 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in a close win against the Svendborg Rabbits from Denmark. On October 8, he was the top scorer with 36 points in a win over BK Liepājas Lauvas from the Latvian Basketball League. Jerell also contributed 27 points, eight rebounds, and three steals in a win against CSKA-2 on October 11.

Playing in Georgia

In January 2020, Jerell signed a one-year contract with BC Kavkasia in the Georgia A League. He quickly made an impact. On March 13, 2020, he was named the A League Player of the Week. This happened after he scored 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a game against Burji.