Jordan Ford Explained

Jordan Ford
Position:Point guard / shooting guard
Height Ft:6
Height In:1
Weight Lbs:175
League:LBA
Team:Dolomiti Energia Trento
Number:5
Birth Date:26 May 1998
Birth Place:Citrus Heights, California, U.S.
High School:Folsom
(Folsom, California)
College:Saint Mary's (2016–2020)
Draft Year:2020
Career Start:2021
Years1:2021
Team1:Agua Caliente Clippers
Years2:2021
Team2:Peristeri
Years3:2021–2022
Team3:Agua Caliente Clippers
Years4:2022–2023
Team4:Stockton Kings
Team5:Sacramento Kings
Years6:2023–2024
Team6:→Stockton Kings
Years7:2024–present
Team7:Dolomiti Energia Trento
Highlights:
  • 2× First-team All-WCC (2019, 2020)

Jordan Matthew Ford (born May 26, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for Dolomiti Energia Trento of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Saint Mary's Gaels.

Early life and high school career

Ford learned the game of chess at the age of four with his father, Cuzear, serving as his teacher. He began beating adults before winning two California state titles and was ranked seventh in the nation in his age bracket. However, he quit playing competitively at the age of eight to focus on basketball.[1] Ford attended Folsom High School, playing under coach Mike Wall. He scored 34 points in a playoff game against Sacramento High School in March 2016. Ford was named The Sacramento Bee player of the year two times.[2] He committed to play for Saint Mary's because he liked the structured offense, spurning offers from Gonzaga, California, Oregon and Oregon State.[3]

College career

As a freshman, Ford considered redshirting, but ultimately came off the bench as a backup to Joe Rahon, who encouraged him to focus on his defense. In the summer of 2017, Ford was diagnosed with epiglottitis and ended up in the hospital, losing the 12 pounds he gained lifting weights. He scored 27 against BYU in the 2018 West Coast Conference (WCC) tournament. Ford had 19 points against Southeastern Louisiana in the first round of the 2018 NIT and made a SportsCenter top-10 play when he took a pass from Emmett Naar and did a double-spin move to complete a layup off the glass.[3] As a sophomore, Ford averaged 11.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 44.3 percent from behind the arc.[4] Ford scored a career-high 35 points on 11-of-17 shooting in a 92–63 win over Utah Valley on November 13, 2018.[5] As a junior, Ford was second in the WCC in scoring with 21.1 points per game to go with 2.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. He helped lead the Gaels to an upset over Gonzaga in the 2019 WCC championship and NCAA tournament appearance, where they fell to Villanova.[6] He was named to the First Team All-WCC.[7]

Coming into his senior season, Ford was named to the Naismith and Wooden Award watchlists. In his senior season opener, he scored 26 points and hit 4-of-8 three-pointers as Saint Mary's defeated Wisconsin 65–63 in overtime.[8] At the conclusion of the regular season, Ford was named to the First Team All-WCC.[9] On March 7, 2020, Ford scored a career-high 42 points in a 89–82 double-overtime win over Pepperdine in the 2020 WCC tournament quarterfinal.[10] He scored 18 points in the WCC tournament semifinal versus BYU and hit a jump shot with 1.4 seconds remaining to give the Gaels a 51–50 win.[11] Ford averaged 21.9 points per game on a team that finished 26–8.[12]

Professional career

Agua Caliente Clippers (2021)

After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Ford signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.[13] He was waived by the Clippers on December 14.

On February 4, 2021, Ford was included in the roster of the Agua Caliente Clippers.[14]

Peristeri (2021)

On March 24, 2021, Ford signed with Greek club Peristeri for the rest of the 2020–21 season.[15]

Return to Agua Caliente (2021–2022)

On September 24, 2021, Ford signed with the Los Angeles Clippers and was waived the same day.[16] On October 27, Ford re-signed with the Agua Caliente Clippers.[17]

Stockton / Sacramento Kings (2022–2024)

On November 3, 2022, Ford was named to the opening night roster for the Stockton Kings.[18]

On September 12, 2023, Ford signed with the Sacramento Kings[19] and, three days later, his deal was converted to a two-way contract.[20]

Dolomiti Energia Trento (2024–present)

On July 26, 2024, Ford signed with Dolomiti Energia Trento of the Lega Basket Serie A.[21]

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Sacramento| 6 || 0 || 3.6 || .571 || .667 || 1.000 || .3 || .3 || .0 || .0 || 2.0|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 6 || 0 || 3.6 || .571 || .667 || 1.000 || .3 || .3 || .0 || .0 || 2.0

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17| style="text-align:left;"| Saint Mary's| 29 || 0 || 5.8 || .389 || .357 || .818 || .6 || .7 || .1 || .0 || 2.4|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18| style="text-align:left;"| Saint Mary's| 36 || 36 || 27.4 || .508 || .443 || .754 || 2.7 || 1.6 || .9 || .1 || 11.1|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19| style="text-align:left;"| Saint Mary's| 34 || 34 || 36.9 || .489 || .412 || .800 || 2.8 || 2.5 || 1.3 || .0 || 21.1|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| Saint Mary's| 34 || 34 || 38.0 || .492 || .411 || .836 || 3.0 || 2.3 || 1.4 || .0 || 21.9|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 133 || 104 || 27.8 || .490 || .416 || .806 || 2.3 || 1.8 || .9 || .0 || 14.5

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Bennett . Brian . Jordan Ford and Saint Mary's may be in line for their best season yet. Here's why . December 9, 2019 . . October 8, 2019.
  2. News: Stites . Brian . Former Chess Champion Now The King Of Saint Mary's Backcourt . December 9, 2019 . CBS . December 20, 2017.
  3. News: Kroichick . Rom . St. Mary's Jordan Ford taking spin in spotlight . December 9, 2019 . . March 18, 2019.
  4. News: Johnson . Raphielle . WCC Conference Preview: Can anyone threaten Gonzaga? . December 9, 2019 . . November 2, 2018.
  5. News: Ford scores 35 points, Saint Mary's beats Utah Valley 92–63 . December 9, 2019 . . Associated Press.
  6. News: Land . Sam . Three Saint Mary's players who Badger fans need to know . December 9, 2019 . Badgers Wire . November 4, 2019.
  7. News: WCC Announces 2018–19 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team. March 5, 2019. West Coast Conference. March 5, 2019.
  8. News: Ford, No. 18 St. Mary's ready for weary Winthrop . December 9, 2019 . . November 11, 2019.
  9. WCC Announces 2019–20 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team . West Coast Conference . March 3, 2020 . March 3, 2020.
  10. News: Ford has 42, Ross 43 as Saint Mary's trips Pepp in 2 OT . March 9, 2020 . . . March 8, 2020.
  11. News: Saint Mary's slips past No. 14 BYU 51–50 in WCC semifinal . March 10, 2020 . . . March 10, 2020.
  12. News: Sung . Elaine . The 2020 NCAA tournament that could have been: Midwest region . March 25, 2020 . . March 16, 2020.
  13. News: Swanson . Miriam . Clippers deal for Luke Kennard, trading away Landry Shamet and Rodney McGruder . November 19, 2020 . . November 18, 2020.
  14. Web site: Agua Caliente Clippers announce roster for 2021 NBA G League season. February 4, 2021. NBA.com. February 4, 2021.
  15. News: Lupo . Nicola . March 24, 2021 . Jordan Ford signs with Peristeri . Sportando . March 30, 2021.
  16. Web site: Luke. Adams. Clippers Sign, Waive Jordan Ford. HoopsRumors.com. September 24, 2021. September 24, 2021.
  17. Web site: Agua Caliente Clippers announce training camp roster for 2021–22 NBA G League season. NBA.com. October 27, 2021. October 31, 2021.
  18. Web site: Stockton Kings Announce 2022-23 Opening Night Roster. oursportscentral.com. November 3, 2022. November 3, 2022.
  19. Web site: Sacramento Kings Announce Roster Moves. NBA.com. September 12, 2023. September 12, 2023.
  20. Web site: Sacramento Kings Convert Jordan Ford To Two-way Contract. NBA.com. September 15, 2023. September 15, 2023.
  21. Web site: Dolomiti Energia Trentino, in regia arriva Jordan Ford. AquilaBasket.it. July 26, 2024. July 26, 2024. Italian.