Jordair Jett (born August 17, 1991) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player. He played college basketball for the
Saint Louis Billikens
The Saint Louis Billikens are the collegiate athletic teams that represent Saint Louis University, located in St. Louis, Missouri. The Billikens compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the ...
where he was named
Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year in 2014, becoming the school's first conference player of the year since 1980.
Early life
Jett grew up in
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...
and was raised by his single mother in a home with a sister, brother and two cousins Jett considers brothers. His mother, a track star, used to take him to the park where he'd watch his brother and cousins play basketball and football. By the age of nine, Jett was playing organized basketball.
High school career
For his first two years of high school, Jett attended
Saint Agnes High School in
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...
where he played basketball and football. In 2007, he transferred to
Saint Bernard's High School, where as a senior in 2008–09, he averaged 20 points, five assists and five steals per game. He then moved to
Notre Dame Prep in
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private e ...
for a prep season in 2009–10. There, he played for coach Ryan Hurd, and averaged a team-high 14 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists. He helped the Crusaders to a 27–7 record and the No. 4 seed at the 2010 National Prep Championship tournament.
College career
As a freshman at
Saint Louis in 2010–11, Jett played in all 31 games and drew 10 starting assignments, and led the team with 44 steals, which is second most all-time at SLU by a freshman (Larry Hughes, 69). He also averaged 7.5 points and 3.1 assists per game.
As a sophomore in 2011–12, Jett was named to the A-10 All-Defensive team and appeared in all 34 contests. He helped the Billikens reach the third round of the
2012 NCAA tournament. He averaged 6.5 points and 2.1 assists per game.
As a junior in 2012–13, Jett earned third-team All-Conference selection and was named to the A-10 All-Defensive team for the second year in a row. He helped the Billikens win the
Atlantic 10
The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Eastern ...
regular season and
2013 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament championship. The Billikens reached the third round of the
2013 NCAA tournament. He appeared in all 35 contests and started in nine of the first 11 games, then came off the bench in the rest. He averaged 9.0 points per game and led the Billikens with 112 assists.
As a senior in 2013–14, Jett was named the
Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year, and was also voted to A-10 All-Defensive team, first-team All-Conference and NABC first-team All-District selection. The Billikens won the Atlantic 10 regular season championship and reached the third round of the
2014 NCAA tournament. He led Billikens in assists (164), steals (51) and was second in scoring (13.9 ppg). Jett ended his career ranking third all-time at SLU in assists (422) and steals (174) – his 164 assists as a senior was third all-time in a single season at SLU. He reached the 1,000 point mark for his career and is ranked 18th all-time in scoring at SLU with 1,239 points.
In January 2015, he was one of 16 players named to the Saint Louis Billikens' All-Century Team.
Professional career
After graduating from college, an off-season knee injury requiring surgery undermined Jett's plans for several
NBA workouts, ultimately leading him back to Saint Louis for his rehabilitation and to work out with the team. In July 2015, Jett played for a team made up of Saint Louis alumni in the second annual ''The Basketball Tournament'', with one of his teammates being
Brian Conklin, of whom Jett played alongside at Saint Louis between 2010 and 2012. Conklin encouraged Jett to inquire about joining his team in Australia, the
Townsville Crocodiles
The Townsville Crocodiles were an Australian professional men's basketball team based in the North Queensland city of Townsville. They competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at the Townsville Entertainmen ...
.
Later that month, on July 31, Jett signed with the Townsville Crocodiles for the
2015–16 NBL season
The 2015–16 NBL season was the 38th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 7 October 2015 and 14 February 2016, followed by a post-season featuri ...
. On November 4, 2015, he scored a season-high 24 points in an 89–77 win over the
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...
. He topped his season high two times throughout the season, scoring 26 points on December 2 against the
Cairns Taipans
The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre, known colloquially as "The ...
, and 29 points on January 16 against the
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
. The Crocodiles finished the season in seventh place with an 11–17 record. Jett appeared in all 28 games for the Crocodiles in 2015–16, averaging 15.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. At the annual club awards night, he won the Kevin Sugars Medal for being named MVP, in addition to being named the club's Defensive Player of the Year.
On February 5, 2016, Jett signed with the
Southland Sharks
The Southland Sharks are a New Zealand basketball team based in Invercargill. The Sharks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Stadium Southland. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the SBS Bank S ...
for the
2016 New Zealand NBL season
The 2016 NBL season was the 35th season of the National Basketball League. The league's team total dropped to an all-time low for the 2016 season, with the departure of the Manawatu Jets leaving the competition with seven teams.
The 2016 pre-s ...
. He was named back-to-back Player of the Week for Rounds 3 and 4 before missing the rest of the season with a knee injury. In six games for the Sharks, he averaged 22.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
In March 2018, Jett returned to Australia and signed with the Townsville Heat of the
Queensland Basketball League
NBL1 North, formerly the Queensland Basketball League (QBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Queensland partnered wit ...
. In August 2018, he helped the Heat win the QBL Championship with a 2–0 sweep of the Cairns Marlins in the grand final series. In 19 games, he averaged 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
On June 28, 2018, Jett signed with the
Illawarra Hawks
The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home game ...
for the
2018–19 NBL season
The 2018–19 NBL season was the 41st season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams have contested the league. The regular season had been played between October 2018 and February 2019, followed ...
, returning to the league for a second stint. He appeared in all 28 games for the Hawks, averaging 12.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
On April 3, 2019, Jett signed with the
Nelson Giants
The Nelson Giants are a New Zealand basketball team based in Nelson. The Giants compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Trafalgar Centre. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Mike Pero Nelson ...
for the
2019 New Zealand NBL season, returning to the league for a second stint.
He appeared in all 18 games for the Giants, averaging 18.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
References
External links
Jordair Jettat crocodiles.com.au
Jordair Jettat slubillikens.com
Jordair Jettat foxsportspulse.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jett, Jordair
1991 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Australia
American expatriate basketball people in New Zealand
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Saint Paul, Minnesota
Illawarra Hawks players
Nelson Giants players
Point guards
Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball players
Southland Sharks players
Townsville Crocodiles players