Jaden Springer “Humbled with Greatness”
By Rick Lewis
For Jaden Springer, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” His father Gary grew up in Harlem, New York and was one of the city’s most storied basketball players. As a matter of fact, he played on one of the greatest high school teams in New York City back in 1979. After receiving high school All American honors, Gary Springer went on to Iona College and finished with 1866 career points and 1021 rebounds, which is quite an impressive accomplishment. He was a three-time honorable mention All-American in college and he suffered a knee injury that prevented him from playing in the NBA.
In regard to Jaden Springer, he has actually been on our radar since 2014. While he was just a young middle school player, it was obvious Jaden was going to be a special player if he continues to work hard and stay focused. In our 2014 NC Jr. Phenom camp evaluation, we stated the following. “Jaden is blessed with athleticism and a matching skillset. The thing that separates Jaden from his peers is his competitive nature. Jaden plays hard and with an intense purpose. Jaden is very coachable. His athleticism is very high for his age/grade level. Looking forward to seeing great things in the future for him.” While his strongest attribute is his athleticism and physically maturity, he has a solid midrange jumper. More importantly, he plays with a chip on his shoulder. Jaden scored excellent marks in effort, team play, and ability to finish, defense on the ball, quickness, footwork and rebounding his position.” It’s impressive how his evaluation from 2014 dovetails with today’s assessment of Jaden.
At his high school’s team open gym, we got a chance to watch and evaluate Jaden Springer up close. First of all, Jaden already carries offers from Auburn, Charlotte, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, NC State, Old Dominion, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and UCLA. Last year as a rising freshman, Jaden was named MVP of the @Basketball Elite 24 rising freshman game. In addition, he has been selected as a member of Team USA. All tremendous honors for such a young player.
That being said, Jaden Springer is not only a special young player, but he is a special young man! We’re talking about a young player that has all the physical tools to play at the highest level. (6’4 with a 6’10 wingspan and 41” one foot standing vertical)
However, we’ve been equally impressed with his unselfish play and how he carries himself with his teammates. First of all, Jaden Springer is the perfect teammate. While he is far more talented to the players on the team, he fits in perfectly and plays to his strengths while enhancing the strengths of his teammates. For most players of his caliber, they can become “ball dominant,” but not Jaden. He is quick to hit open teammates and takes as much pride in making the assist as scoring. As a matter of fact, he may be too unselfish at times.
On the court, he simply leads by example. He demonstrates positive body language and plays within his game. Jaden simply allows the game come to him, but is also gracious in getting his teammates involved. Off the court, he’s still somewhat shy which is his personality trait. In addition, Jaden isn’t caught up personally in all the limelight. He’s just a fun loving kid who is enjoying life. Being the best he can be in the classroom (3.6 GPA) and on the basketball court.
October 2014
https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/news_article/show/493712-player-recaps-nc-junior-phenom-150-team-4
November 2015
https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/news_article/show/583073-nc-phenom-150-recap-team-19
August, 2016
https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/news_article/show/691890-the-stars-of-tomorrow-the-north-carolina-2020-class