Michael Jordan's sons to play together at Central Florida
Michael Jordan's sons are on the verge of playing together at Central Florida, a reunion that should provide a flurry of new media and marketing opportunities for the Knights even if the impact is minimal from a wins-and-losses perspective.
According to FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman, Illinois transfer Jeffrey Jordan will join his brother Marcus at Central Florida as a walk-on next season. Jeffrey averaged 1.6 points and 1.7 assists in 13.8 minutes per game as a junior for the Illini last season, but his playing time was likely to evaporate with the healthy return of combo guard Joseph Bertrand and the arrival of a pair of talented freshmen.
Following in the footsteps of the greatest player in NBA history landed Jeffrey and Marcus in the limelight since they entered high school. They endured other kids following them to get a glimpse of father, opposing fans chanting "You're no Michael" at high school and AAU games and reporters badgering them about their vertical leaps or why they don't play with their tongue out.
Younger brother Marcus has always been considered the one with the greatest long-term potential because he has greater size and athleticism. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 8.0 points and 3.1 rebounds as a freshman at Central Florida last season, though the biggest splash he made was when his decision to wear his father's Nike brand shoes to a game caused Adidas to retract its endorsement contract with the school.
Jeffrey, a 6-foot guard, passed up scholarship offers from a handful of mid-majors to walk on at Illinois instead. He eventually earned a scholarship and sporadic playing time as a result of his hustle, but he lacked the talent to earn the consistent spot in coach Bruce Weber's rotation that he sought.
When Jeffrey and Marcus last played together in high school, more than 2,500 fans used to pack Loyola Academy's tiny gym to see them on the court and try to get a glimpse of Michael in the stands.
For a program like Central Florida that has long toiled in the shadows of its larger in-state rivals, that sort of attendance boost and media attention would be very welcome.
