NCAA Basketball: 23 ppg transfer scorer Demontrae Jefferson still available for 2018-19

When Demontrae Jefferson decided to transfer from Texas Southern Basketball, it was expected that he’d land with a new program. So far, that hasn’t been the case.

In the last five years, Texas Southern Basketball has been the class of the SWAC, making the NCAA Tournament four times. They managed to do so again last season, including winning their First Four game against North Carolina Central, 64-46.

Things will look different for the Tigers this upcoming season. They won’t have their most successful head coach in school history in Mike Davis, who opted to take the Detroit Mercy job in the Horizon. The program also won’t have their best player and leading scorer Demontrae Jefferson either.

After a quality freshman year where he averaged 14.3 ppg as a starter for Texas Southern, Jefferson exploded this past year as a sophomore. He led the SWAC with 23.3 ppg on 42% shooting, including 39% from three-point range on eight attempts a game. His 82% free throw shooting on six FTA also was tops in the conference, while also ranking in the top-5 in the league in assists.

There’s no questioning the heart and confidence of the 5’7 guard, who scored 25 points in the NCAA Tournament win and dropped 25+ in 12 different occasions last season. Jefferson averaged nearly 38 mpg but was also suspended for several games midway through the season.

Once the season was over, the 23 ppg made the move to transfer out of the program. With two years of eligibility left, Jefferson should’ve been one of the most sought-after transfers in the market. But so far, nothing has happened, with the guard still without a D-1 team for the 2018-19 season.

While it would be inappropriate for me to speculate why one known fact is that he was suspended multiple times last year. That may scare some programs away, weary that he could cause problems. Him being just 5’7 and 150-pounds also hurts Jefferson in the eyes of power conference teams as well.

But one thing for sure is that he should be on a roster for this upcoming season. While it’s true he’s been suspended, the young man also had to deal with the loss of his father, a task that’s never easy to handle while also leading a basketball team. There are D-1 players involved with actual crimes and NCAA violations who are still around, so why not him?

It’s currently the beginning of September and Jefferson is a free agent, with a history of great scoring. Since transfer rules make him unable to play this season anyway, he can wait just a bit longer before a team decides to take a chance on him. He’s simply too good not to be given that shot.