No burden, just joy for young Jordan March 10, 2005 BY JAY MARIOTTI SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Advertisement Just as I can't imagine the son of Picasso designing sculptures or the son of Neil Armstrong flying to the moon, it's hard to believe You Know Who's kid is playing high-school basketball. Jeff Jordan, No. 32 for the Loyola Academy Ramblers, can quit the sport tomorrow and have my undying admiration. He could have pursued any other endeavor -- football, golf, drama club, tuba -- and we all would have grasped why. But there he was Wednesday night, a 6-1 sophomore guard, scoring nine points and helping his team advance to the Niles West Sectional finals with a thrilling 51-50 victory over St. Patrick. Better, he was spotted smiling and clapping several times during the game and, yes, even sticking out the family tongue in the heat of action, which strongly suggests he isn't carrying a monstrous offspring burden as much as he's another teen having a good time. "That's what basketball is for, to have fun,'' said Jeff, mature and respectful with a familiar gleam in his eye. "I've always loved the game. No one pressured me to play when I started out. My dad lets me go about it my way, and when I need advice, I ask him. I wouldn't play if I wasn't having fun.'' His famous father, Michael, attends most games but wasn't in Morton Grove for Jeff's version of the opening round of the NBA playoffs. "We just want him to have fun,'' MJ said in a rare comment about his son. I recall Jordan scolding me when the Sun-Times placed Jeff's picture on the front page during an AAU tournament in Tennessee two years ago. Understandably, he is protective of the national glare that will accompany his son as long as he plays competitive basketball. But the fact is, Jeff can handle himself just fine, despite heckling that follows him in every road gym. "Where's your daddy? Where's your daddy?'' chanted the St. Pat's students, in their green facepaint and leprechaun outfits, noticing Michael's absence. Calmly, Jeff stepped to the free-throw line and made both shots. "We loved Space Jam! We loved Space Jam!'' they yelled, trying again to rattle him. He handles it well Undeterred, Jeff wiped his hands on his heels -- Reeboks, dad -- and hit a mid-range jumper with the left hand. In the locker room, I asked him if he wished he could be viewed as another player. "Sometimes,'' he said. "But after a while, I get used to it. The crowds are going to do that, but I like to use that to help me. They're never that bad.'' Please understand we aren't looking at Heir Jordan here. At best, Jeff might start for a mid-major or make a roster at a big-time program seeking the Jordan cachet -- say, North Carolina. They tell me his younger brother, 6-2 Marcus, is the kid with the skills and crazy dunks and might qualify as the best eighth-grader in the state. Loyola's best players in the victory were seniors Doug Kadison and Phil Syvertsen, who scored 12 points each and bailed out the cause in tense moments. With 9.7 seconds left and the Ramblers protecting a two-point lead, Jordan stepped to the free-throw line with a chance to be a hero. As the St. Patrick kids bounced, waved their hands and yelled like it was, well, St. Patty's day, the first end of a one-and-one ... clanked off the rim. Jeff was upset with himself, but more telling was the scene a few seconds later. Loyola forced a steal, and immediately, Jordan broke out into a grin and clenched his fist. He didn't need to be the hero. He wanted to win. A team guy, I conclude. "Jeff is amazing,'' Loyola coach Bryan Tucker said. "He's a great kid who comes in every day and gives us everything he has. This team wouldn't be playing now if it wasn't for Jeff Jordan. I see a huge upside for him. He's fearless. He wants the ball.'' Tucker is in the difficult position of having to coach the son of the greatest player ever. Michael never would tell Tucker how to handle Jeff, but he does want the coach to take care of his boy. The fan taunts could leave scars if young Jordan wasn't well-adjusted. Seems to me he is. "He never lets any of that affect him,'' Tucker said. "He's such a tough kid, he tries to use it to his advantage. He's able to tune it out. I'm never concerned about Jeff Jordan and his ability to handle things.'' It shouldn't surprise anyone that Jordan kept playing after taking a nasty spill in the opening minutes. He got up, limped around and didn't even look at the bench. When a boy grows up watching his dad play sick in an NBA Finals game in Utah, he doesn't limp away in the Niles West Sectional. His jumper wasn't falling much and he missed other big free throws down the stretch, but so what? A young man was playing the game his father mastered like no other human being. In the vernacular, how cool is that? The right perspective For those concerned through the years that Jordan wasn't spending enough time with his family, relax. That's pretty much all he does anymore. Oh, he has this curious obsession with his motorcycle racing team, with competition set for this weekend in Daytona Beach. But mostly, he's waiting to own an NBA team -- still not too late, Jerry Reinsdorf -- while dabbling in business ventures that recently included the release of the 20th edition of Air Jordans. "I still have that desire [to buy a team]. But I'm being patient and waiting for the right scenario,'' Jordan said. "When the right situation comes up, it will happen. I'm very patient. I enjoy being home. I enjoy being with my kids and doing a lot of the things that I haven't had a chance to do. Basketball is still my passion, and I look forward to getting back into it.'' If Loyola beats New Trier on Friday night, my guess is Jordan won't miss Jeff's next game. That would be Monday in the United Center Supersectional against, most likely, Westinghouse, the No.1 team in the area. It would be Jeff's second visit to the House His Dad Built. The debut? Oh, he scored all 15 of his points in the second half, including a game-winning layup with 6.1 seconds left in a 48-47 victory over De La Salle. All that after suffering a migraine headache the day before. "I was kind of nervous, but I settled down,'' he said. "It was great to hit that shot in the UC.'' I thought about asking Jeff Jordan about the statue outside, the incredible feeling of hitting a game-winner in the arena where his father became a legend. I decided to pass, realizing my thoughts are much heavier than his. The kid is too busy being a kid, the way his father wants it and the way it should be. Jay Mariotti is a regular on ''Around the Horn'' at 4 p.m. on ESPN. Send e-mail to inbox@ suntimes.com with name, hometown and daytime phone number (letters run Sunday).
6-2 and dunking in 8th grade? wow. These guys dunk so young it's amazing, I remember reading somewhere that Chris Webber was dunking in the 6th or 7th grade. That's insane.
