It's Not Too Late - Get a 1-in-12 chance to win up to $1,600 with Fantasy Basketball Premium Games

The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

DeAndre Jordan's performance during his only season with the Aggies has NBA scouts likening his game to that of Dwight Howard (Orlando).

While his offensive game has yet to mature, his presence on defense helped A&M compile a 25-11 record -- third-best in school history, despite what the coaches expected to be a rebuilding season in 2007-08. He led the Aggies in rebounding (6.0), blocked shots (44) and field-goal percentage (.617).

Jordan recently announced his intention for testing the NBA waters, applying for the upcoming draft. He said he will not retain an agent, leaving open the door for his return to college.

"I just want to test the waters and get a good feel for where I might be drafted," Jordan said. "DeAndre wants to explore where he might be in this year's draft," A&M head coach Mark Turgeon said. "This is the first step in that process."

At Christian Life Center Academy, Jordan was rated the second-best prep center in the country and eighth-best player overall by Rivals.com. He was Rivals top-rated player in the state of Texas, justifying that assessment by averaging 26.1 points, 15.2 rebounds and 8.1 blocks per game as a senior. He also averaged 16.5 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.0 blocks as a junior.

The Parade All-American was named to the first-team All-Greater Houston squad by the Houston Chronicle and was a two-time All-state selection. He posted a career-high 37 points and set a school record with 20 blocked shots in one game.

Jordan played for Team USA at the 2007 Under 19 World Champions in Serbia. He also played for Team USA at the 2007 Global Games in Dallas. Recruited by Florida, Indiana, Texas, LSU and Kentucky, among others, Jordan decided to enroll at Texas A&M for the

2007-08 SEASON

As a true freshman, Jordan appeared in 35 of the team's 36 games, starting 21 contests. He was bothered by a lingering virus throughout January and February that limited him to reserve duty in 14 games over that two-month period. He made 61.7 percent of his field goals (113-of-183), but managed to hit on only 43.7 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe (52-of-119). He averaged 20.1 minutes per game, hauling down 210 rebounds, including 66 off the offensive glass for a 6.0 game average.

Jordan doled out 15 assists and had seven steals. He blocked 44 shots and turned the ball over 57 times while being charged with 67 personal fouls. He totaled 279 points for a game average of 7.9 and produced twelve double-figure scoring performances. He also generated a pair of double-doubles.

ANALYSIS

Positives: For a player of his size and bulk, he is surprisingly nimble and agile, possessing a frame that can handle at least another 20 pounds with no loss in quickness ... Has a huge wingspan and very good lower-body strength, as the opposition struggles to find ways to push him out of the paint ... Explosive on both ends of the court, using his size, wingspan and length to consistently alter shots in the post ... Needs to play with better discipline, but has enough quickness and elevation to get in front and face up to perimeter shooters ... Has possibly the best quickness of any big man in the draft, coupled with his size and reach...Runs the floor like a shooting guard and can explode past opponents when elevating toward the basket ... Is a bit erratic in his play at times, but when he has a point guard feeding him in the paint, he is much more effective than when trying to create on his own ... Has outstanding overall power and large, soft hands, which he uses with good efficiency when called upon to finish around the basket ... His soft hands to secure the post entry pass ... Has a good spring in his step to elevate above the rim...For his size, he gets up and down the floor with relative ease and can fit in a high-tempo offense ... With his extension and sure hands, it should be considered an easy two points when he catches and attacks the basket from close range ... Times his leaps well and has very good reach to block shots ... Uses his frame well to box out the bigger opponent and get strong position in the post ... With his power and great athleticism, he has developed a great presence as a defensive rebounder ... Gets most of his points on dunks, but has also developed an effective jump hook ... Draws fouls thanks to his quickness going to the rim ... Ideal fit for a transition game with his ability to move quickly up and down the court ... Has to improve his positioning under the basket, but gets to most rebounds with good timing and aggression ... Improved touch going to the rim and knows how to draw contact when attacking the basket ... Demonstrates very good touch, with solid post moves ... Sets his feet well and has a good drop-step ... His length, size, hands and raw power make him a force on the offensive glass ... Still a work in progress as an overall defender, but has good quickness bouncing out to the perimeter to disrupt the screen ... Will get into foul trouble when he gets too aggressive, but he has enough power in his lower half to maintain position and clear opponents out of the paint.

Negatives: A great athlete, but Jordan's erratic play was the cumulative byproduct of many factors -- a lingering stomach virus that lasted close to two months; poor play around him; poor footwork in the post cost him position, especially vs. physical defenders ... His motor is more consistent on the offensive end of the court than on defense, where he will shut down when faced vs. a stronger opponent ... Has drawn the ire of the coaching staff with inconsistent work ethic and does not take well to hard coaching ... Has good lower-body strength, but needs further upper-body development to prevent getting pushed out of the box ... Will drop an easy pass due to poor concentration ... Needs to do a better job of holding his position on the block, as he has the lower-body strength to anchor, but gets off-kilter due to balance issues ... Must also develop better counter moves when attacking the basket and will force shots rather than kick the ball out and reset the offense ... Allows too much space to post shooters and is slow to react to the opponent's pump fakes and hesitation moves ... Better playing with his back to the basket, as he lacks a face-up game ... Marginal passer who is very inconsistent setting screens ... Big liability at the free-throw line, where he has poor mechanics ... Needs to develop better court awareness and vision, as he dribbles too high, leading to turnovers and fails to locate the open outlet on screen passes ... Does not have much in the way of offensive moves, outside of dunking the ball, as he does not yet have a good feel for the offensive side of the ball ... Needs to improve his footwork on post moves, where he lacks touch and range ... Most of his scoring comes under the basket, as he has yet to develop a mid-range jump shot ... Offensive game is still not developed ... Falls into "dunk mode" and passes up easier shots to bull to the basket ... Right-hand dominant and isn't a real threat to shoot left-handed.

Compares To: ANDREW BYNUM-Los Angeles Lakers ... Like Bynum as a rookie, Jordan is not ready to step in and contribute as a rookie. But he has upside and is an imposing physical specimen with the long wingspan and guard-like quickness to be a nice fit in an up-tempo attack -- once he matures, both on and off the court. His work ethic is lacking and he had a few issues with coaching that concerns NBA execs. Jordan needs to improve his court vision and awareness, along with his upper-body strength. He also lacks creativity on offense. On athletic skills alone, he's worth a lottery pick, but he could spell doom for an overeager GM unless Jordan shows the desire to grow into his athletic potential.

CAREER NOTES:

Set a Big Twelve Conference record by connecting on 17 consecutive field-goal tries in November, 2007 (5-5 vs. Oral Roberts, 3-3 vs. Texas El-Paso, 6-6 vs. Ouachita Baptist, 4-5 vs. Washington, from 11/13-to-11/21) ... His field-goal percentage of 61.7 percent rank second on the school season-record list, topped only by Rudy Woods (62.2 percent, 1978-79) ... His six blocked shots vs. Baylor (3/05/08) set a school single-game record vs. a Big Twelve opponent and rank third overall in school annals behind David Harris (nine vs. Baylor in 1990 and eight vs. Michigan State in 1989) ... His 44 blocked shots in 2007-08 were the fourth-best season total by an A&M freshman, ranking eighth on the school's annual overall record chart and were the most by an Aggie since David Harris set the school record with 108 blocks in 1989-90.

2007-08 SEASON

Selected to the All-Big Twelve Conference Freshman Team by the league's media ... Started 21 of 35 games he appeared in, as a stomach virus limited him to 14 assignments coming off the bench during January-February ... Named to the all-tournament team at the NIT Tip-Off in New York in November, where he set the conference record by making 17 straight field goals ... Scored 278 points, as his field-goal percentage (.617) was the second-best season total in school history ... Connected on 113-of-183 field goals, with 53 of them coming on dunks, as he connected on just 52-of-119 free throw attempts (43.7 percent) ... Led the team with 210 rebounds, including 66 off the offensive glass, finishing with an average of 6.0 boards per game ... Credited with 15 assists and seven steals ... His 44 blocked shots led the team and were the fourth-best total by a freshman in school annals (eighth overall) ... Turned the ball over 57 times and was charged with 67 personal fouls ... Started in first 17 games then came off the bench in the next 10 contests.

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

Had at least one block in nine consecutive games prior to the start of the Big Twelve Conference Tournament...Scored a career-high 18 points with nine rebounds vs. Texas State, making 6-of-7 from the field (all dunks)...Had a career-best 12 rebounds vs. Rice and Texas-El Paso...Collected a career-high six blocks vs. Baylor, an A&M record for Big Twelve competition and tied for third on the school single-game charts ... Was slowed early in conference play by a sprained ankle suffered in a loss at Texas Tech, but returned to the starting lineup and scored eight points with a game-high 10 rebounds vs. the Red Raiders ... Led the team with 10 points and made 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in a loss at Oklahoma and scored a team-high 15 points with two blocks in a home loss to Oklahoma State ... Added a team-high 14 points with 8 rebounds, making 7-of-8 from the field, vs. Detroit ... Scored 12 points and added 10 rebounds vs. Ouachita Baptist to become the first Aggies freshman since Joseph Jones in 2004-05 to record a double-double ... Had his second double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds (along with a career-high four blocks) vs. Rice ... Scored 12 points in each of the McNeese State and Oral Roberts contests ... Had three blocks vs. Washington and put back slam vs. Colorado that was named one of the top four plays in college basketball that week by ESPN.

INJURY REPORT

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Christian Life Center (Houston, Tex.) Academy, playing basketball for head coach Carlos Wilson ... Rated the second-best prep center in the country and eighth-best player overall by Rivals.com ... Was Rivals top-rated player in the state of Texas ... As a senior, he averaged 26.1 points, 15.2 rebounds and 8.1 blocks per game ... As a junior, he averaged 16.5 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.0 blocks ... The Parade All-American was named to the first-team All-Greater Houston squad by the Houston Chronicle and was a two-time All-state selection ... Posted a career-high of 37 points and set a school record with 20 blocked shots in one game ... Played for Team USA at the 2007 Under 19 World Champions in Serbia ... Also played for Team USA at the 2007 Global Games in Dallas.

PERSONAL

General Studies major ... Son of Kimberly Jordan ... Born Hyland DeAndre Jordan, Jr., on 7/21/88 in Houston, Texas.