Future Bright for Connecticut Freshman
Anthony Jernigan has played basketball since he could walk but it wasn’t until he set foot on the high school floor that every part of his game was scrutinized and criticized. In spite of all this, anyone who has seen the mercurial point guard play can see why he is so highly regarded.
He leads a very young East Hartford team, filled with underclassmen, and yet does not defer to any other, playing with his commanding yet humble presence. He is in charge of the offense but is the ultimate teammate. He can get to the basket on anyone, but once he’s there often dishes to open teammates for an easy bucket.
While East Hartford (4-2) has struggled at times during games, Jernigan has been a constant. His poise has been the most impressive part of his game. He is averaging nearly 18 points and seven assists per game.
“Anthony has played against older players his whole life, I think the poise and confidence that you see is a result of having older brothers who have pushed him as well as playing in a thousand pick-up games since a young age. He is a quiet and very confident player,” East Hartford coach Anthony Menard said.
Menard is used to dealing with star players. He coached UConn sophomore guard Doug Wiggins, who starred at East Hartford before picking UConn over St. John’s. So does Menard feel pressure to coach these young stars?
“The only pressure I feel is to help every kid in my program to succeed as a person, student, and player,” Menard said. “They all know that, and I am sure deep down Anthony understands what is at stake.”
“There are times in practice or in school where I am sure he wishes that I would give him a break, but he also knows that is not going to happen. As a high school coach, it is my responsibility to help him succeed in all areas of his life. I want him to achieve his potential and I will do everything I can to assist him in the process of becoming a successful player and young man. With Doug it was the same way. Doug bought into everything that we did. He never questioned what we were trying to do. Doug will still come back to EHHS during breaks and have me work him out for 45 minutes. The bottom line is that you have to be fair with kids, care about them, and hold them accountable for their actions. At the end of the day as a coach, you do your best. Pressure is something that others create.”
Jernigan’s strengths are easy to see. He can get to the rim, he is an excellent passer, and his understanding of the game is outstanding. The knock is that he is not a great outside shooter. Yet, in a recent game, a 12-point victory over Berlin, Jernigan nailed four three-pointers.
“Anthony does not have a classic looking jump shot and the knock on him before he arrived at EHHS was that he couldn’t shoot,” Menard said. “The bottom line is that because he is so quick and able to get to the basket that he never had to shoot the outside shot in the past. The same knock was on Dougie when he first arrived here. We work on footwork everyday and it is a staple of what we do in our program. Secondly we shoot a lot of threes in practice and encourage all of our players to do so.”
“In the Berlin game, (6-foot-5 sophomore) Jakarri (Jakarri McCallop) hit a big three for us and he may be our best shooter from the outside. People are shocked this year that AJ has made shots from the outside, in fact he leads our team in three-pointers made for the season. His shot will never look ‘classic’ but we have no problem with him taking the three and he will have no problem making it for us. AJ plays so much basketball, it is his life, so just by continually shooting and focusing on the fundamentals, he will get better.”
So what have other teams done to try to stop, or at least contain Jernigan?
“Teams are playing a sagging defense, and they are very aware of where is on the floor,” Menard said. “But he still has the ability to go where he wants with the ball and finish against bigger players. He needs to make better decisions, and that is something that we always talk about with him.”
Menard also added there is no special treatment for his special freshman.
“We remind him everyday that he is a freshman who needs a lot of work to get better,” Menard said. “He, like all of our freshmen in the past are assigned duties, such has carrying the ball bag or uniforms to away games. I am tougher on him than anyone in practice and he handles it very well. He is a great teammate, who is humble but very confident. But most importantly, he wants me to coach him and he wants to get better.”
If you have never seen Jernigan play, think of a young version of Steve Nash, but quicker.
“We constantly talk to him about playing like Steve Nash,” Menard said. “Drive to the basket, make two defenders play one and kick to the open man. If we draw help from the other players’ big, drop the ball down low. If the wing player helps, kick the ball out for the three. He is perfect for our offense, but his decision-making has to improve like all freshmen and he has a long way to go with it. We are asking him to run the offense as a freshman, which is he doing very well considering his lack of experience on the high school level.”
What the future holds for Jernigan, nobody knows for certain. Menard said he will try to keep things simple so Jernigan, like all his players stay on track.
“Anthony is a tough minded kid on the basketball court,” Menard said. “We want him still to be a kid, enjoy high school basketball. We never talk about the future, others may. Our entire focus with him, like all of our players is doing well in school, acting the right way on and off the floor, and getting better every day. If he sticks to the plan, then good things will happen. He has great teammates who are good players and students as well, so he understands what our expectations are. Like all kids, he will have bumps in the road and make mistakes, but as long as he learns from them then it will all work out.”
Anthony Jernigan
Jakarri McCallop