Kellier ready take advantage of new opportunity
Published:Wednesday | November 10, 2021 | 12:07 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
WITH A change in environment and intense off-season preparation, Jamaica basketball player, Jordan Kellier, says that he is ready to show his true abilities in his second Division One college season.
Kellier, a former Calabar High alum, will begun his 2021-22 campaign yesterday for Siena College, hoping for more opportunities to display his skills than he had in his previous stint at the University of Utah. He played sparingly last season, only playing seven games and a total of 31 minutes before entering the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) transfer portal to entertain other offers from colleges.
The move to Siena, Kellier says, felt right as he is more suited to their aggressive style of play.
“I feel like this is the spot for me. The environment is very good and the style of play fits my style of play, so it is a good look. I feel like I’m in a bigger role now and I am around teammates who love me and want to see me do great and be great,” Kellier told The Gleaner. “It’s exciting to be around a coaching staff and a bunch of guys who want to bring out the best in you.”
Kellier will have some familiarity in New York, having attended Redemption Christian Academy in the town of Troy shortly after he migrated to the United States at age 16.
He has immediately noticed the difference in environment from his time with Utah in the Pac 12 Conference, saying that there are much more physical demands in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference where Siena plays.
“So far the practices have been much more physical. It’s a kind of gritty-type style of ball game. Guys are fearless, guys really get after it. If I can find one difference I would say that is it. When I was in the Pac 12, it wasn’t that physical, obviously, there are a lot of great players, but the style of ball game wasn’t as gritty as it is here,” Kellier said.
FOCUS
To prepare for that, Kellier says that he has trained intensely over the summer with the main focus on helping the Siena Saints make next year’s NCAA men’s tournament, a competition they were denied from last season after losing to Iona in the MAAC tournament quarter-finals.
With additional work done on his shooting, Kellier says that he feels confident in taking charge of his new lease on life.
“I worked on my shot, shooting it the right way, shooting it with confidence, shooting the right shot because back in previous seasons I used to just shoot shots just to show that I can shoot (the ball). And that leads to me taking bad shots,” Kellier says. “(But) I think I am taking the right shots and I am excited to show my people back in my country that Jordan Kellier is still in the building.”
Siena opened their season against St. Bonaventure, who have been ranked 23rd in the Associated Press pre-season poll.