Hooper heads to H-Town 10th ranked basketball player commits to a top program in the nation

As the school year comes to an end, we speculate on where some of the seniors will be going.

Basketball player Kordelius Jefferson has had many questions regarding where he is going. The four-star combo guard at Martin has received 13 D1 offers.

“Once I moved and basketball scholarships started coming in I started to explore all of my options,” Jefferson said.

John Osborn, Martin varsity head coach, says that his size and athleticism allowed him to help the team so well these past years.

“He’s got one of the best personalities I have ever coached,” Osborn said. “I think one thing that attracted him to a lot of the universities was the ability to communicate and relate, he just has one of those magnetic personalities off the court.”

Jefferson first started to focus on basketball during his freshman year because of his parents.

“Even though I didn’t like that decision too much because I still loved to play the game of football, they made a great decision that worked out in my favor,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson went into his senior year this last season averaging 9.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. Jefferson was known as the leader of the Martin

Caiden Cole • Reporter

Warriors. Teammate senior Ismael Smith Flores said Jefferson brought a fighting mentality to the team.

“You knew when he was on the court he was going to turn us up,” Smith Flores said. “He’s a great teammate. He’s the type of teammate that’ll push you to make sure you’re at your absolute best.”

In April, Jefferson narrowed all the colleges to seven, which included Houston, Tennessee, TCU, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Mississippi St, and Texas A&M.

In May, he decided that he will further his basketball career at The University Of Houston.

The Houston Cougars are one of the top teams in the NCAA that make it to March easily every year.

“Having the opportunity to go on a scholarship to play for one of the best college coaches in the country and help me achieve my long-term goal helped me make that decision,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson said he is very excited for his upcoming school year at Houston so he can have the chance to start all over again.

“I’m taking another leap in my life that’ll be different, but I know that it’ll only make me a better version of myself on and off the court,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson said he is going to go into college undecided and see what fits him the best. In addition, he will also be learning many different things about the game of basketball at Houston.

The University Of Houston has one of the best coaching staff in the NCAA.

Their head coach is Kelvin Sampson who was among 15 candidates being considered for the Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year award.

Sampson’s Houston team is known for the outstanding defense they can create on the court.

Jefferson said he believes he will bring a great aspect to the team.

“We have a team full of guards and bigs who de- fend and rebound and at my skill set working with my position coach, Coach Quannas White, everything else good will follow that,” Jefferson said.

He said he hopes to improve every skill set and how hard he plays and hopes to see where that takes his game.

“I want to win a national championship, make relationships, and ultimately reach my longterm goal when it’s all said and done,” Jefferson said. “Even though things didn’t end how I wanted, over all my years in the program, I feel as if I gave Martin basketball my all.”