Jerome Jordan, C

Replacing Jordan in the middle of the lineup will be a monumental task for the Golden Hurricane coaching staff next season. The school and Conference USA's record holder with 333 blocked shots during his career, he became the seventh player in school history to score more than 400 points in a season three times in a career.

Jordan was simply dominating on the defensive side, as his 983 rebounds rank second in school annals and tied for fifth on the conference all-time record chart. He also proved to be a capable scoring threat. He ranks seventh in Tulsa annals with 1,508 points scored, as his field goal percentage of 56.7 ranks fifth on the league career-record list. His 414 free throws made placed fourth on the school all-time record chart.

The Kingston, Jamaica native did not begin playing organized basketball until 2005, when he enrolled at Florida Prep Academy. As a senior, he transferred to Florida Air Academy, but was ineligible to play in any games due to an academic transfer rule. He was able to participate in practices with head coach Aubin Goporo's team, catching the attention of several universities.

Rivals.com rated Jordan a two-star prospect in 2006. He enrolled at Tulsa, one of the few teams to add him to their recruiting target list before several others schools jumped on the bandwagon later in the year.

As a freshman, Jordan played in 23 games and started 10 contests. He averaged 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game. He started the final nine games of the season, seeing his averages boost to 4.0 points (40), 3.5 rebounds (35) and 1.6 blocks (16) when he was in the starting lineup.

In 2008-09, Jordan started 35 of 36 games, as he averaged 13.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. He led the team in rebounds and blocked shots, scored more than 20 points in eight games, and had four-straight double-double performances early in the season, ending with a season total of 10 double-doubles. He had 24 games with two or more blocks, 20 contests with three or more blocked shots and four games with five or more blocks.

As a junior, Jordan finished second in Conference USA in rebounds (308) and first in field goal percentage (58.6) and blocked shots (91). He was rewarded with being named first-team All-Conference. His 91 blocked shots rank second in school history.

After briefly flirting with entering the 2009 NBA Draft, Jordan announced he would be return for his senior season at Tulsa, saying "I think I was ready (for the NBA Draft), but still have things I need to work on to become better."

Jordan was wise in that decision, as he went on to earn All-Conference USA and All-District first-team honors in 2009-10. Started all 35 games, he registered at least two blocks in 20 contests and recorded 13 double-double performances. He led the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game and also led the Golden Hurricanes with 317 rebounds, the seventh-best season total in school history.

Positives: One of the premier shot blockers in college basketball, Jordan should have similar success in the NBA, thanks to his 7'5" wingspan and 9'5" standing reach … Unlike most big men, Jordan is an athletically built performer with minimal body fat (6.9%) … He is still a neophyte to the game, with actually just three years of solid playing experience, but is very coachable, a hard worker and one who has put in the extra hours needed to improve every area of his game … In addition to being a stellar shot blocker, he shows great determination, extension and timing crashing the boards for rebounds and put-backs … Very nimble for a player his size, reminding me a bit of Alonzo Mourning for the way he moves up and down the court … His success as a scorer has come from his rapidly developing low-post moves, as he is nearly unstoppable when he attacks hard to finish strong at the basket … Has also had good success at drawing contact, putting him at the charity stripe for 595 attempts (made 414 of those shots, fourth-best in school annals) … His wingspan is a great weapon, but he also is very good at waiting for the shooter to elevate before leaving the floor, timing those leaps to consistently contest the shot (is the school and conference career leader with 333 blocked shots and set both league and university season record with 143 blocks as a sophomore, the first time he was ever a full-time starter) … His time at the LeBron James Skills Academy has greatly impressed pro scouts, who feel with patient coaching he can develop into a dominating defender, with an added bonus as an inside scorer … What is remarkable about his scoring statistics is that he was able to accomplish those numbers while being double teamed constantly and without the benefit of a quality point guard to feed him the ball inside … Has started to develop good low post skills, showing the footwork and positioning to get elbow room under the rim … Has the large hands to secure the post-entry pass and shows good timing and elevation going for the rebound … His quick feet and big hands let him grab the ball, take a dribble or two and finish at the basket … Likes to deliver the quick jump hook a few feet from the hoop and has the flexibility to get the ball underneath the room, spin and finish with a nice lay-up … Has adequate strength and technique boxing out his opponent and takes advantage of his length and elevation to block a shots in a crowd … Uses his long reach well to get his hands into the action to deflect in-bound passes … With his touch around the basket, a good passing guard will have a field day feeding him the ball underneath (something he did not have at Tulsa) … Plays well with his back to the basket, using his size effectively to gain position and challenge shots while also keeping himself in front of his man to seal off the opponent … Showed much better elevation as a senior in attempts to convert his shots off the high glass.

Negatives: Has made steady progress in his overall game, but has just three years of extensive experience and will need a patient coach to help him further develop his skills … Best when playing with his back to the basket, as he lacks any sort of range from the perimeter and might not ever develop a strong face-up game … Has good court quickness, but does not show much explosiveness … Has the size you look for in a pivot and while he has had good success on the defensive boards, he seems to back away too much when he should be charging to the offensive glass for put-backs and dunks … Scouts feel that he can be dominating, but he lacks the lower-body strength needed to establish position and prevent bigger men from backing him out … Type of player who would be best served learning on the bench and spending the bulk of his time in the weight room next season, but he is one of the oldest players in the 2010 draft and his learning curve is thus shorter than it would be for a youngster (born in 1986 and will be 24 when the 2010 NBA season begins) … That lack of raw power is evident mostly when he loses a lot of battles in the post … Moves well on the court, but will never be considered an explosive runner who can deliver on the fast break (better in a half court game) … Perhaps due to inexperience, but he does not always react to the quick pass well … Can be downright passive at times and for a big man, he should dominate inside, but more often than not, he will bounce back and settle for fade-aways … Will feed the ball out when he can, but does not show great court vision to locate open teammates and his passes are slow and erratic, giving a quicker defender a great opportunity to steal it … Has to develop better confidence in his off-hand, as he's become too predictable as a right-handed shooter.

Compares To: JERMAINE O'NEAL, Miami -- There are obvious holes in his game (needs to add lower-body strength, become more aggressive and develop better post moves), but considering that Jordan has just three complete years playing basketball, he is one of those prospects that a team can get a steal late in round one or early in the second. He is comfortable playing with his back to the basket and will provide good defense, especially crashing the boards or blocking shots.

--Report by Dave-Te' Thomas

All-American third-team selection by The NBA Draft Report … All-Conference USA and NABC All-District first-team choice … Started all 35 games at center, leading the team in scoring, rebounds and blocked shots … Totaled a career-best 540 points (15.4 ppg) behind 184 of 335 field goals (54.9%) and 172 of 250 free throws (68.8%) … Pulled down 317 rebounds (9.1 rpg), the seventh-best season total in school history … Blocked 82 shots, the fifth-best season total by a Golden Hurricane … Handed out 44 assists and had 16 steals … Registered 13 double-double performances, including nine times in his last 14 contests … Had 20 games with at least two blocks as a senior, 14 games with three or more and five games with five blocks or more.

Played in 23 games and started 10 contests … Averaged 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game … Started the final nine games of the season and averaged 4.0 points (40), 3.5 rebounds (35) and 1.6 blocks (16) in 14.3 minutes (143) in the lineup.

Played in 133 games at Tulsa, the fifth-best total in school history … Ranks seventh in Golden Hurricane annals in scoring, totaling 1,508 points … Just the seventh player in school history to record 400 points in a season three times … Tied for seventh on the Tulsa season-record chart in field goal percentage, making 58.6% of his shots in 2008-09 … His 56.7 field goal percentage for his career ranks fifth in league annals … Successful on 414 free throw chances, fourth-best in school history … Ranks second in Tulsa annals and placed tied for fifth in the Conference USA record book with 983 rebounds … His 317 boards as a senior rank seventh on the school season-record list, as his 309 rebounds in 2007-08 and 308 in 2008-09 rank eighth and 10th, respectively, on that chart, becoming the only player in Tulsa history to record more than 300 rebounds three times in a career … Holds the school and league all-time record with 333 blocked shots … set the Tulsa season-record with 143 blocks as a sophomore, ranking second on that list with 91 blocks in 2008-09 and fifth with 82 blocks in 2009-10 … In the 2008 Conference USA Tournament, Jordan blocked eight shots vs. East Carolina, tying the tourney record that was set by Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin in the 1998 tournament … Recorded double figures in scoring 76 times and had at least 10 rebounds in 40 contests … Registered 31 double-double performances and blocked three or more shots 65 times.

Attended Florida Air Academy (Melbourne, Fla.) in 2005-06, but was ineligible to play in games due to an academic transfer rule … Participated in practices with head coach Aubin Goporo's team.

Exercise Sports Science … Son of Faith and Bryan Jordan … Born 9/26/86 in Kingston, Jamaica.