Jaylon Bardley waited … and then waited some more.
After receiving recruiting interest from East Central Community College in Decatur in December 2014 and then in January of this year, Bardley didn’t talk to many coaches for what seemed to be the longest time. For a senior who wanted to play basketball at the next level, the wait was difficult.
Bardley’s uncertainty ended two weeks ago when he received another call from the coaches at ECCC and an invitation to visit the campus and to work out with the men’s basketball team. It didn’t take long for the New Hope High School point guard to impress and to earn a scholarship offer.
On Tuesday, Bardley ended the wait by signing to play basketball at ECCC.
“I didn’t ask him (why he waited so long),” Bardley said. “I was excited. I had received a few calls. I was going to go work out at Hinds (C.C. in Raymond), but on my visit to East Central I knew I was going to go to East Central.”
Bardley, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound point guard, said he tried to stay patient while he waited for someone to give him a chance. When he finally received that call, he said he was ready to make the most of it. While he said he played OK in his workout at ECCC, he said he did his best to show he was deserving of an opportunity.
“I just had to prove to them I could do it. I just needed one chance,” Bardley said. “I went down there with the mind-set of getting a scholarship, so I really was expecting it, but I was still happy to get it.”
Bardley said he played point guard during the games at ECCC. He said he didn’t do the best he could do, but he felt he played defense and showed he could lead a team.
New Hope High boys basketball coach Drew McBrayer said Bardley averaged a little more than 11 points and seven assists per game for the Trojans (22-8) this past season. He said it has been pleasing to watch Bardley develop into a point guard and for him to recognize how he best can help the team. McBrayer said Bardley led the team in scoring as a sophomore. While his scoring decreased in the past two years — largely due to the presence and maturation of players like Shemar Johnson, Demyis Mayberry, and Terryonte Thomas — McBrayer said Bardley attracted attention with his ability to get others involved and to run the team the past three seasons.
“He always has had the ability,” McBrayer said. “Jaylon knew he had to take shots (as a sophomore). He can score. No doubt. But his game is about creating for other people. I think he has done very well the past two years, and he has worked very hard at it the past two years.”
McBrayer said Bardley’s willingness to sacrifice scoring for setting up his teammates is a great sign because it shows he recognizes that is what he will have to do at the next level.
McBrayer said Bardley will have to get stronger to go against bigger competition he will face in the Mississippi Association of Junior and Community Colleges (MACJC), but he feels Bardley will do that and improve his perimeter shooting to complement his skills as a floor general. He feels Bardley defends well enough and is quick enough to hold his own.
“He understands the game of basketball a whole lot better than he did back then,” McBrayer said. “It just shows maturity. I think Jaylon understood for him to make an impression on coaches to go to the next level it was going to be as a point guard because of his size. He didn’t necessarily have to be a scoring point guard but be a point guard who could score when he needed to and to distribute and get other players involved. It is a testament for him to understand it and to do it. We can talk about it all we want, but he has to be able to do it on the floor, and I thought he did a great job of it this year.”
McBrayer said seniors Johnson and Mayberry are still sorting through college options. He said he expects them to take advantage of opportunities, but he isn’t sure when they will announce their decisions.
Bardley feels he proved this past season he could be more of a true point guard who looks to pass first and to shoot second. He is anxious to do the same thing at ECCC, where the team runs a four-out, one-in style that relies on the point guard. New Hope played a similar style that he said suits his game, so he doesn’t feel he will have to make a big transition.
After waiting so long, Bardley believes he is ready.
“I was pretty confident (this day was going to come and) I was going to get a scholarship to go somewhere,” Bardley said. “I felt I showed I was a good point guard who was able to move the ball, to get other players involved, and who had the ability to score when you need to.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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