Jellum Headed to Duquesne
Across the world, basketball has been gaining more and more attention throughout the years, with a lot of NBA stars, such as Jokic, Embiid, and Shai, being born outside of the United States.
For Frederik Jellum, basketball was not his first passion. He started out playing the popular sport in Denmark, handball. As Covid came around he began to pick up a basketball and develop his skills at local courts.
Since then Jellum has made a name for himself in the basketball world, winning championships both in the United States and Denmark, while also putting himself up against the best competition to further his skill.
Growing up in Denmark basketball is not very popular. He was a very good handball player before picking up a basketball during Covid and playing pick up with his friends.
He said, “I was lucky to live next to an outdoor court with a nice pickup culture,” and he spent most of his day there when weather permitted.
He describes the basketball culture in Denmark as “a small, close-knit community where almost everyone knows each other” which helped him to fall in love with the sport.
By the end of the 2020 Summer, Jellum was selected to take part in Denmark’s U15 National Team Camp. This is where he first started to play organized games and realized his true potential in the sport.
During the beginning of his basketball career he played for a professional team in Denmark called the Vaerlose Blue Hawks. He averaged 6 points in his first season and he progressed as a player a ton.
He then went on to play for Denmark's U18 National team during the 2023 summer. “I injured both of my ankles in training camp so I didn’t get much playing time” which sidelined him for that summer.
Last summer he was selected for the U20 National Team and he played in the Nordic Championships in Europe.
He described his role on that team as “off the ball, making the right cuts, hitting my shots and playing defense.” The opportunity for him to play for his home country felt like “a great experience because you learn to play a different role than what you are used to.”
Once Jellum made it to the states, he was playing for a high school in New York and found a ton of success there. This prompted Cushing Academy Head Coach James Cormier to take notice and recruit him to the Penguins.
The play in America was much different than his time in Europe. He described it as “Everyone [being] much more athletic while also being bigger” with a mix of the “physicality allowed by the refs.”
Jellum size and athleticism are highlights of his game. He is an extremely productive player that can have a huge impact on both ends of the floor.
Offensively he has very nice touch around the rim and can draw many fouls throughout a game. Defensively he blocks shots and makes it very difficult for opponents to score at the rim.
He says since coming to America he has “gotten more comfortable in [his] drives to the basket” which has helped him to provide more for his Cushing team.
This past season at Cushing helped Jellum mature a ton. His defense was a staple of his game before coming abroad and he “found [himself] struggling in a new system here” which ended up leading to “a reduction in playing time that I wasn’t prepared for and I have learned a lot about myself.”
Playing abroad in high school is a very unique situation in itself but it can be very valuable in terms of getting kids to the division 1 level. He says Cushing and living in America “Both are different from what I grew up in, so this new perspective has matured me, both as a student and as an athlete.”
When Duquesne came knocking on the door for the 6-9 forward he was all in to learn more. He says “On my visit, I could imagine myself being a part of the team and it just felt right” also adding “ I have a high level of trust in Coach Dru and his staff to put me in situations where I will eventually succeed.”
There are many success stories of players coming to America to play prep school basketball and ultimately playing at the next level, but Jellums is different. He had not played basketball until Covid happened and the strides he has made are impressive.
His advice to the next generation of players going to play abroad is “Be ready to compete and don’t give up when you hit adversity.” This has been pivotal in his success and the amount he has learned and he will look to apply these concepts next year which should lead him to success on the floor.
Frederik Jellum