By Stefan Djordjevic / info@eurohoops.net
Darussafaka Tekfen went through a lot of changes to the roster over the summer as the club prepared for a new chapter which would include its debut in the Basketball Champions League.
Their first clash in BCL came against Filou Oostende in the second week of the 2020-21 season and it was a successful one, ending with a 79-74 win for the Turkish side.
One of the team’s new additions in Grant Jerrett was the main reason behind the victory.
The historic BCL debut
The 27-year-old American big logged 27 points on 58.8% shooting from the field including 2-3 from deep while also grabbing eight rebounds, dishing one assist, and stealing the ball once.
While it may not seem too flashy, Jerrett is, in fact, only the third player to score more than 25 points and grab more than five rebounds in his first BCL game. Jarrod Jones (October 2017) and Marcos Knight (January 2019) were the ones to do it before him.
A top prospect stuck in a ‘limbo’
Jerrett’s journey started off in the US in the Lutheran High School and he quickly proved to be one of the biggest talents nation-wide. He reached as high as the Top 5 recruits on some lists and he eventually committed to the Arizona Wildcats.
He had a fairly solid season for a freshman but didn’t get too many minutes and started only twice. The youngster didn’t plan on staying too long in Arizona and decided to either enter the NBA Draft or change location.
And the NBA Draft it was. Jerrett got selected in 2013 by the Portland Trail Blazers as the 40th overall pick but was quickly traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
While his rise happened very fast, there might have been some steps skipped and that perhaps cost Jerrett in the long run. It was a great success to reach the NBA at such a young age but his career got stuck in somewhat of a limbo afterward.
He spent the next four years split between the G League and the NBA, going through a couple of trades as well as having practically a whole season off before moving on.
Jerrett logged five games for the Thunder and three games for the Jazz while also playing for the Oklahoma City Blue, Idaho Stampede, and the Canton Charge.
If anything, he had a regular spot on the G League rosters, managing to show his skills, especially when scoring and rebounding.