Chipola Community College (Fla.) bolstered
its roster with the off-season signing of South Carolina transfer Jamal
Gregory.
He's known for uber-athletic finishes,
relentless slashing, and dazzling hops which only rarified dunkers can
simulate.
At South Carolina, the 21-year-old Gregory was seldomly-used. Only drawing attention for a highlight reel dunk and mustering just few meaningful minutes on a consistent basis, Gregory averaged a meager 1.7 PPG in 20 games.
He was ultimately dismissed from the team
following a property damage incident, which led to a March arrest alongside
then-teammate Eric Cobb.
Buoyed by hyper-competitive juices,
multi-layered defensive ability, and a knack for knifing to the rim, Gregory is
seeking a fresh start in Marianna, Fla.
It was the two-man foundation of Gregory and Kobie
Eubanks (now a sophomore at Texas A & M)
which spearheaded Elev8 Prep to a 26-4 record and a berth in the
National Prep Championship Tournament two years ago.
Gregory averaged 20PPG, establishing himself
as one of the nation's most unheralded unsigned recruits at the time. He worked tirelessly to open up a respectable mid-range game, the component of his game sorely lacking at the initial time of his recruitment.
Now, following an exasperating experience at South
Carolina, where he never saw eyeball-to-eyeball with the high-strung Frank
Martin, Gregory will seek immediate contributions at Chipola.
Chipola's roster has been thoroughly cleansed
this off-season. The squad returns backup point guard Teavon Ashmeade
and Eric Turner, who averaged 11.2 points as a freshman last
season.
They lose a considerable amount of offensive
firepower with Antwain Johnson (15.9 PPG), Patrick
Rooks (16.2 PPG) departing.
This opens the door for the
left-handed Gregory, known for perilous spurt-ability when he's fully engaged.
"He can play at a high level, obviously
he's already tasted a little bit of it from the SEC," head coach Bret
Campbell said.
"He's got a background of being around
high level players. We're expecting a lot out of him this year. He can not only
make a difference on the offensive end, his defensive instincts I think will be
a critical part of our success."
