We shouldn't even be writing about Jordan Dickerson in this manner, right now. Originally, the SMU transfer was supposed to sit out the entire 2013-14 season per NCAA rules. However, the PSU shooty hoops world received a pleasant surprise in mid-December when the Brooklyn native received a hardship waiver from the NCAA (the exact details of which still, have not been made public), thus allowing him to play beginning with the final non-conference game against Mount St. Mary's.
Dickerson at times, brought an interior defensive presence not seen since the days of Calvin Booth (back in the mid-90's for you young-uns and other folks who may not be familiar). It sure was a delight to see Dickerson swatting opposing shots away on a fairly regular basis and altering the shots of opponents who tried to penetrate the lane. He did have however, also have a knack for getting his shots blocked by guys several inches shorter than him, getting outworked on the boards, and seeming a step too slow at times.
The Numbers
Min% | ORTG | POSS% | PPG | 2P% | 3P% | RPG | ARate | TORate | FTRate | |
Season | 20.7 | 87.5 | 9.1 | 1.5 | 52.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 32.5 | 42.3 |
Conference-Only | 32.1 | 86.4 | 8.8 | 1.4 | 81.4 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 34.2 | 36.3 |
Please keep in mind that the 'season' numbers and conference-only numbers merely vary based on one extra game (Mount St. Mary's). Although, he wasn't much of a scorer, the reason for his spike in 2-point percentage was due to the layups and dunks he garnered during the rare moments he did get on the scoreboard. Also, for a guy of his size and stature, two rebounds per game is an average you would like to see skyrocket for next season.
The Good
The Bad
As previously mentioned in the opening paragraph, Dickerson's biggest issue was consistency. At his worst, he was slow, seemingly lost, and got pushed around by players several inches shorter.
Best Performance
@ Ohio State - Jordan played a season-high 22 minutes in that famed overtime upset victory in Columbus and he certainly made the most of it by putting up a season-high five blocks and altering several other Buckeye shots in the process to go along with his four points and three rebounds. More importantly, it was the first time we saw Jordan actually look capable of holding his own against Big Ten-caliber competition, and it gave a glimpse of the type of performance could put together when everything was clicking for him.
Next Season
Another offseason in the weight room certainly couldn't hurt, neither could getting into better condition in order to be suited to see 25-30 minutes per game. Really, consistently putting together more performances that tend to resemble the first meeting with Ohio State would go a long way. The mere fact that he was even able to see playing time this year thanks to the NCAA waiver, may end up paying big dividends starting next November.
Final Grade: C
Given his mid-season start and lack of expectations, he certainly had his moments in the spotlight. As mentioned ad nauseum already, he just needs to consistently put together the strong performances as an imposing defensive presence down low that he is capable of becoming. Time will tell whether that comes to fruition, but it's difficult to be as pessimistic about the post situation as it was a year ago.