Jerod Davanta Ward (born May 5, 1976)
is an American former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player, who played shooting guard, small forward,
power forward
The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers. When on Of ...
and
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
positions.
Currently, Ward is a TEDx & Motivational Keynote Speaker, Consultant, Coach and College Basketball Analyst for networks including
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
,
Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...
and
Spectrum Sports
Spectrum Sports (abbreviated as SPECTSN), also known under the corporate names Spectrum Networks, or Charter Sports Regional Networks, is the collective name for a group of regional sports networks in the United States that are primarily owned a ...
.
High school
Ward was the number one recruit in the nation winning the
Naismith Prep Player of the Year
The Naismith Prep Player of the Year award, named for Canadian basketball inventor James Naismith, is given annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to high school basketball's top male and female player. The inaugural awards were given to Dennis Sco ...
award coming out of
Clinton, Mississippi
Clinton is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Situated in the Jackson metropolitan area, it is the tenth largest city in Mississippi. The population was 28,100 at the 2020 United States census.
History
Founded in 1823, Clinto ...
in 1994.
The 1994
McDonald's All-American
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger ...
, First Team ''
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...
'' & ''
Slam
Slam, SLAM or SLAMS may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional elements
* S.L.A.M. (Strategic Long-Range Artillery Machine), a fictional weapon in the ''G.I. Joe'' universe
* SLAMS (Space-Land-Air Missile Shield), a fictional anti-ball ...
'' magazine, ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'', ''Basketball Times'' All-American scored 2,652 points with more than 800 rebounds in three varsity seasons at Clinton High School. As a senior, Ward averaged 29.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game for the 26–3 Arrows. He posted 51 & 49 points games along with a 19-rebound game in his senior year campaign. As a junior, Ward averaged 29.5 points and 9.3 rebounds while leading Clinton Arrows to the Class 5A state championship; averaging 33.5 points in the state in tournament. As a sophomore, Ward averaged 27.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. He was coached by Joel Boone. In the 2009–10 season Ward was honored by Clinton High School
retiring his number 32 jersey.
College career
In 1994, Ward signed with the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
and comprised part of its highly touted Fab Five II that included
Travis Conlan,
Maceo Baston
Maceo Demond Baston (born May 29, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of Michigan. At a playing height of , and a playing weight of , he played at the power forward position.
...
,
Willie Mitchell, and
Maurice Taylor
Maurice De Shawn Taylor (born October 30, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played power forward and center positions. Originally from Detroit, Taylor played college basketball at Michigan and was selected by the L ...
.
Though plagued by injuries at Michigan, Ward ranked fifth in career
three-point field goal
A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...
s.
Professional career
The six foot nine inch, 235 lbs forward has played for the
Grand Rapids Hoops
The Grand Rapids Hoops were a basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their first season was in 1989 and their final season was in 2003. Professional basketball later returned to Grand ...
of the
CBA, In 1998–99, he averaged 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and was named to the CBA All-Rookie team.
He also played for
CB Granada
Club Baloncesto Granada, S.A.D. was a professional basketball team based in Granada, Andalusia. The team was founded in 1994 and has had notable players during its history, including Curtis Borchardt, Darvin Ham, Giorgos Sigalas, Scott Padgett, P ...
in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
,
Cibona Zagreb
Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and competes ...
(
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
) and was part of the
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
training camp in 2002.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Jerod
1976 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Croatia
American expatriate basketball people in France
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in Japan
American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon
American expatriate basketball people in South Korea
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines
American expatriate basketball people in Venezuela
Basketball players from Jackson, Mississippi
CB Granada players
Grand Rapids Hoops players
JA Vichy players
Busan KCC Egis players
KK Cibona players
Liga ACB players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Michigan Wolverines men's basketball players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Power forwards (basketball)
Richmond Rhythm players
Toyama Grouses players
American men's basketball players
Philippine Basketball Association imports
TNT Tropang Giga players
Sagesse SC (basketball) players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American sportspeople