There are many former metro area student-athletes accomplishing great things at the professional level. St. Bernard’s High School standout Jordair Jett is among them.
Jett’s name is not unfamiliar in Minnesota prep circles. After starring in both football and basketball during his freshman and sophomore year at St. Agnes High School, he transferred to St. Bernard’s and decided to focus on basketball.
As a senior during the 2008-09 season, Jett led the Bulldogs to a runner-up finish in the Class 2A state tournament after averaging 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals per game while earning All-Conference, All-Metro and All-State honors.
He was also a 2009 Mr. Basketball finalist. From there he averaged 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for Notre Dame Prep during the 2009-10 season, earning him a scholarship to play at St. Louis University.
After concluding an outstanding prep career in 2009 and a year at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Jett enjoyed a four-year stint at St. Louis University. While there he was named to three consecutive Atlantic-10 Conference All-Defensive teams (2012-2014), two straight Atlantic-10 All-Conference teams (2013-2014), was the Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year (2014), and led the Billikens to three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Upon the conclusion of his collegiate career, Jett was one of 16 players named to St. Louis University’s All-Century team in 2015. Since then he has enjoyed a successful professional career overseas with the Townsville Crocodiles and Southland Sharks of the National Basketball League (NBL) in New Zealand and QBL’s Townsville Heat.
The 6’1” 215-pound point guard recently became a professional champion as a member of the Townsend Heat of the Queensland Basketball League (QBL), a professional league in Queensland, Australia. He averaged 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game this past season before returning to the NBL by signing with the Illawarra Hawks for the 2018-19 season.
The rest, as they say, is history. Correction: history in the making.
Jett doesn’t seem to be through yet.
Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald is a contributing columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.