University Daily Kansan / Friday, March 29, 1991
9B
Jordan glad he stayed with Kansas
He joined 'Hawks despite NCAA probation
The Associated Press
Just as his grandparents know where they were and what they were doing the moment they heard about Pearl Harbor, Adonis Jordan will never forget the instant he heard what the NCAA had done to Kroger.
Relaxing at a friend's house, he thought his world had been turned upside down.
"They came on with the news and said, 'NCAA hands Kansas a three-year probation,' and that's all they said. I didn't know what to think." Jordan said. "I didn't know what it meant."
A highly sought point guard in Reseda, Calif., Jordan just a few weeks earlier had committed to Kansas and its energetic rookie head coach, Roy Williams. But now came of a three-year NCAB probation.
To a high school kid, it sounded as if his college career were being devoured before it could even begin. Was he headed for a place that would not be on television or in the NCAA tournament until he was a senior? Would NCAA guards patrol the hallway?
"I was one phone call away from changing my mind," he said.
The next day, Williams was California-bound.
"Coach Williams flew out and we had a meeting," Jordan said. "He explained the whole thing to me and my mom."
Williams' message was this: It is not as bad as it sounds. He assured the family that the three-year probation included only a one-year tournament ban and that Adonis' career would not necessarily be affected at
A great many other schools had been clamoring for Jordan. He had narrowed his list to Kansas and Seton Hall.
Josephine Jordan let her son make up his own mind.
"She told me to do whatever I thought would make me happy," he said. "I wasn't sure what I should do, but I put my faith in Coach Williams."
It was a decision that turned out to have direct bearing on Kansas' making an unexpected trip to the Final Four this week. Jordan blossomed as
Adonis Jordan Kansas guard
'If I had gone to Seton Hall, I'd be sitting at home watching the Final Four on television. But my mom will be in Indianapolis to watch us play.'
a sophomore and was probably one of the most underrated players in the Big Eight this year. Averaging more than 12 points a game, he led the Jayhawks with 126 assists and 38 steals. Quick enough to penetrate the defense and three point shooter who makes it tough for a defense to get settled.
Showing consistent improvement, he is one of the few players in Kansas history to have more than 100 assists their freshman and sophomore years.
The NCAA's three-year probation came as a shock to everybody at Kansas, coaches, administrators and recruits alike. One reason for the changes was that theNCAA football program had been penalized less than five years earlier.
The toughest aspect of the penalties was probably the recruiting restrictions placed on the program, not the one-year tournament ban.
Jordan turned out to be the only prospect from the early signing period in the fall of 1988 who stuck with the Jayhawks.
"The others thought there was going to be a cloud hanging over them and the school, I guess," Jordan said. "They didn't want to take the chance. I just put my faith in her. He told me he would help me develop a good basketball player and a good person. So far, it's paying off."
Josephine Jordan is happy she let Adonis have the final word.
“Oh, yes, she’s thrilled about the way things have turned out,” he said with a smile. “If I had gone to Seton Hall, I'd be sitting at home watching Four on television. But my mom will be in Indianapolis to watch us play.”
Philip Meiring/KANSAM
Leading the Kansas offense, Jordan brings the ball up the court.
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