Vancouver, BC - From the gym to a plane right back into the gym. That is what yesterday (and many other days) have looked like for Jadon Cohee in the past few weeks, and not to mention his four year ongoing Division I career. While Jadon has been south of the border mainly for the past four years, you might recall him starring at Walnut Grove for the Gators, where he played for the Senior Team starting in grade 10, leading the team to the provincials all three years, including a Championship in his grade 11 year and tournament MVP. Upon his graduation, Jadon attended Seattle University, alongside other B.C. standouts Emerson Murray and Manroop Clair. As a true freshman, he averaged 18 minutes in his first season with the Redhawks before seeing that jump to 21 minutes and 8 points per game in his sophomore year.
Following that year, Jadon decided to transfer from Seattle University, landing at Southern Utah University. NCAA transfer rules would require him to sit out a full year. Jadon clearly benefited from this redshirt year, as his game took off this past season where he averaged 13 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds in over 33 minutes per game, good for third highest scorer on the team, and the top assist man for the Thunderbirds.
This past April Jadon graduated from Southern Utah University, and since he redshirted his junior year, he has one year of eligibility. Jadon is a graduate transfer and will be eligible immediately next season. He has drawn interest from DePaul, South Carolina, Loyola Chicago, Georgia, Seton Hall, Purdue, Santa Clara, Nevada, Louisville, Duke, with official visits to DePaul, Santa Clara, George Washington, and yesterday at Oregon.
Vancouver Basketball’s corespondent and Academy Basketball’s On-Court player-development lead Doug Plumb sat down with Jadon post training yesterday to get a quick update.
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Doug: First off, I want to preface this and set the stage of why we are doing this interview. You just got off the plane from your official visit to the University of Oregon, you haven’t slept and you proactively hit me up to come get some work in the gym. The athletes in the gym with you are in High School. It didn’t matter to you. You love the game and understand the game knows no prejudice. The hard work of the grind to really make knows no boundaries or ego. You have to work relentlessly to get to where you want to get to. It takes what it takes and that’s that. This is a great message and lesson for the next generation of athletes not only in our province but in our country.
If you want something bad enough - you will find a way. Everytime.
You are a role model in the basketball community and I have seen how far you have come, from the skinny young kid at Walnut Grove to now, and I’m proud of who you are not only on the court but what you embody in terms of passion and fortitude off the court.
Jadon: I appreciate the kind words. Thank you.
Doug: Can you give us a quick update with where you have been since high school?
Jadon: Since high school I have been kind of all over the place, I spent my freshman and sophomore year at Seattle University in the WAC and had two up and down years, but it was a great learning experience. At the end of my second year I transferred to Southern Utah in the Big Sky. I redshirted a year which was big for me. I gained 16 pounds and got much better. I played my Redshirt Junior year where I had a good year, which put me in the position I am in now.
Doug: Explain the process you are currently going through.
Jadon: Right now I am going through the graduate transfer process for my fifth year, because I am a college graduate I am able to transfer without sitting out, which is nice.
Doug: Whats the high level list of the schools you are talking to now?
Jadon: I have been talking to tons of schools since I got my release from Southern Utah University. I have offers from schools such as Louisville, Xavier, Oregon, Minnesota, as well as dozens of other Division I schools.
Doug: How does it make you feel to be such a sought after graduate transfer being a kid from B.C. ?
Jadon: Some people ask me why I've transferred a few times during college and I want the perception of transferring to not be a bad thing. Seattle, although a great experience, didn't work out for me. Southern Utah was awesome for me. I have a lot of love for Coach Simon and his staff, but I just felt I needed a change my last year. Being considered one of the bigger grad transfers in America has been very humbling and a blessing but to me it really doesn't mean much. All that matters is how I perform.
Doug: What is your timeline like to make a decision?
Jadon: My timeline is very soon I have broke my list down from about 45 schools to five - four American and one Canadian.
Doug: What has been the secret to your success and what advice would you give to a younger you / the next generation of BC Athletes athletes?
Jadon: My secret to success has been simple in BC, I want this more than you want this. I'm not the greatest athlete in the world, but I always knew however much work my peer(s) put in, I was gonna do more and they were gonna know about it.
Young players have to understand being good in B.C. doesn't mean a damn thing - there's kids all over the world who are way better than you. If you really want take hoops far, you have to sacrifice family time, friendship, your social life and other things. A lot of younger kids look up to me in BC which I take as a blessing. But what they don't understand is I’m only in this position because of the work I've put in.
I’ve been able to prove I'm a good player, but there's still many players I'm chasing. To be great and to have basketball pay for your education, you can never be satisfied, there's always someone better somewhere, even if you don't see it right now you have to do whatever you can to chase that person and pass them. That's the only secret, hard work and sacrifice.
Doug: What’s are your goals with basketball?
Jadon: My goals with basketball are to take this game I love as far as I can. I want to play as long as I can and support my future family playing the game I'm obsessed with. I don’t yet know where it is going to take me but I want to show the next generation you can take this game as far as you want, if you just put in the work. The west coast needs to slowly catch up to the east coast in Canada in hoops. Basketball needs to become a way of life if you really want it.
If any ever has any questions hit me up on Instagram, and I'll gladly share some advice. I want to see the next generation succeed whether it be CCAA, USports, JuCo, D2, or D1.
Thanks for reading my interview, until next time!!!
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Jadon Cohee
Walnut Grove Alumni, Class of 2014
COMMUNITY
