Utah MBB picks up JUCO transfer Jordan Kellier from Williston State
Following the recent departures of sophomore Both Gach and incoming freshman Caleb Lohner, Utah was left with two basketball scholarships available to fill out the 2020-21 roster.
One of those scholarships is no longer available as Williston State wing Jordan Kellier announced his commitment to the Utes on Twitter this afternoon.
Kellier, who hails from Jamaica, will be immediately eligible to play for Utah this upcoming season and have three years of eligibility remaining, according to Adam Zagoria of the New York Times. Apart from Utah, Kellier was looking at Eastern Illinois, Prairie View A&M and Alabama State, but once the Utes came calling it was pretty much a done deal.
“I was hearing from a few schools, but I kind of shut it down once I found out that Utah was the place for me to be,” Kellier told Zagoria. “Just by how they recruited me, I felt like it was a great situation for me.”
While his list of available schools may not seem impressive, Kellier was recently cleared as an academic qualifier, meaning that he's immediately eligible this season. Because of the late notice, most Power 5 programs already have their full rosters so he was limited in choices.
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Regardless, the Utes, including starting point guard Rylan Jones, appear to be happy to have Kellier on board.
Last season, Kellier — a 6-foot-6 lefty — averaged 17.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He started 19 of the 21 games he played for the Tetons, shooting 44.6% from the field, 27.3% from beyond the arc. He also added 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Initially this is a good fit for the Utes with Kellier, but realistically not much should be expected from him this season.
He showcases high potential but will probably need a season to adjust to Pac-12 basketball, as well as getting his body ready to compete day-in and day-out. He very well could take this season to redshirt before stepping into the role of sharpshooter Alpohnso Plummer, who will be a senior this upcoming season.
Utah is still looking to add to its 2020 class with one more scholarship available. Kellier joins a trio of guards in Pelle Larsson, Ian Martinez and Mason Falslev in the 2020 class.
