The pirouette, pivot, crossover, step-through or pass-faked finish by Joshua Jefferson gave Dedan Thomas chills on the sideline of the basketball court at which he was coaching. So much so that Thomas text messaged Jefferson’s father, Ben, shortly thereafter – suggesting his son had special talents worthy of continued intensified training.
The elder Jefferson was all aboard so long as Thomas heeded one request.
“I don’t want his back to the basket,” he told Thomas. “He’s got to face the basket. … Make him do everything your guards do.”
That he has for a decade since.
Jefferson was 11 or 12 when he wowed the former UNLV guard with a move in a matchup he can’t quite remember and the will and focus he doesn’t forget. Now a chiseled 6-foot-9-inch forward with a floor general’s feel and a big man’s base, the Liberty graduate is poised to be picked either Tuesday or Wednesday in the NBA draft.
Steeled by two seasons at Saint Mary’s and burnished by two more at Iowa State, Jefferson bucked the three-star tag with which he was assigned throughout his recruitment. Through faith in God, support from his family and the willingness to hunt every edge he could find, he’s on the cusp of his lifelong dream.
Said Cyclones coach T.J. Otzelberger, once the coach at UNLV: “You can see with him he wants to get better and we saw from a development standpoint the opportunity to put the ball in his hands … (and) essentially play him as a 6-9 point guard. … He sees the game a step ahead. Just a bright young man.”
Forged in gymnasiums across the Las Vegas Valley, Jefferson gets his aptitude and workmanlike approach to sport and school from his father, Ben and his mother, Michele, married 35 years. His dad, a former NFL lineman from whom he inherits his 6-9 frame, mentored juvenile delinquents for 25 years. His mom ran a call center for 25 years and works for a mechanical construction company.
Older brothers Cameron (34) and Noah (28) followed dad’s footsteps on the football field, playing collegiately (Cameron at UNLV and Arkansas, Noah at USC and Florida Atlantic) and modeling for Joshua the work ethic he carries on the court. And in his apartment. Stationed this year in his Ames, Iowa abode was a portable infrared sauna, key for recovery — along with his Normatec compression boots.
The bits of baby fat with which he left Liberty have since been molded into lean, dense muscle he applies from the elbows, the mid and low posts.
“He’s trying to eliminate risk on every front to give himself the best chance for his future,” Otzelberger said.
Family centers Jefferson, still going strong with his high school sweetheart, valuing community away from the court and fostering it by hosting and cooking for the Cyclones. A holiday feast this season included a ham, ribs, macaroni and cheese and candied yams by way of recipes and methods he learned from his parents in Las Vegas.
Teammates only. No coaches allowed.
Quiet by nature and into science fiction, a calmer and hobby he shares with his dad, he leads by example, except for when doesn’t. The equity he’s had to be vocal and demanding is built through trust, respect and connection. Otzelberger touted the leadership chops that helped Jefferson’s Patriots win a state title.
“It was evident who the leader of the team was whenever he spoke,” said Kevin Soares, Jefferson’s coach with the Patriots. “Kids listened. Whatever he said, it went. A lot of times, I kind of spoke through him if I needed someone to get the message through to the kids.”
His brothers starred on the Liberty gridiron and Jefferson too played football at first but eschewed it in part for the desert heat and in part because it took too long to score. A broken arm sustained in second grade led to a broken heart because he couldn’t play basketball.
“We had to make him leave the gym because he didn’t want to leave,” his mother said — and he still doesn’t some 15 years later.
Sensing Jefferson’s passion and skill, a mutual friend introduced the Jeffersons to Thomas, whom Joshua credited at the NBA Combine last month in Chicago for honing his guard-like vision and skills. To a group of reporters, Jefferson, who averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 47.1% and 34.5% from 3-point range last season, explained: “He kind of told me ‘I would never train you like a big.’ So, had me been doing guard skills since I was a kid. Being able to pass inside zones and finding shooters, all those helped me groom my game.”
As his skills developed, so did Jefferson’s frame amid a precocious feel, Thomas said, first with his West Coast Basketball program and later as the centerpiece at Liberty. Jefferson resisted overtures to play for Bishop Gorman, his parents said, remaining loyal to the Patriots community. His recruitment evolved — and included interest from several Division I programs, including UNLV — and their program did too, peaking with the title his senior season alongside Dedan Thomas Jr., among his best friends and now a point guard at Houston.
Said Thomas Jr., a former Rebel and Jefferson’s onetime pick-and-roll partner: “He’s always been an NBA player to me. I’ve always just seen how smart he was. He was super overlooked all the time, but he kept his head down and kept working. His confidence was always at an all-time high. Always believed in who he was.”
Even from the sideline at Saint Mary’s, nestled in a nook outside the San Francisco Bay, where Jefferson’s passing and play from posts made him a target for former coach Randy Bennett. Jefferson played sparingly his freshman season and knew he would transfer his sophomore season, per his parents, committing himself to conditioning and defense, takeaways from two seasons playing with for the Gaels.
“I need tougher competition,” he told his parents, though a starter during his sophomore season. “If I want to be the best, I’ve got to play against the best.”
Thus, Jefferson was Big 12-bound.
Otzelberger had recruited Jefferson during his tenure with UNLV and rekindled their relationship when he saw him in the transfer portal. His layered pitch included education, actions and sets that maximize – and showcase – Jefferson’s skills, strength training and conditioning plus an impromptu breakfast in the Bay.
“Everything went to another level,” Ben Jefferson said.
Jefferson tightened his diet in Ames, eating food that’s “nasty,” his father joked, but with maximum nutritional value, abandoning his favorite treats altogether. Otzelberger installed him as a starter his junior in a free-flowing offense, empowering him toward the end of the year to make decisions with the ball in his hands.
Averages of 13 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.4 steals while shooting 52% and 31% from 3-point range preceded offseason conversations with Otzelberger about how he could best be positioned to play in the NBA. Otzelberger said Jefferson pours over game tape, mining it for nuanced advantages applied throughout his senior season during which he was Iowa State’s focal point offensively.
He registered two triple-doubles last year, becoming the first Cyclone with more than one on his way to All-American honors. He also graduated with cum laude honors, his degree arriving in the mail this month with a decree to his parents: leave it unopened.
He can do that when he’s home for NBA Summer League.
“Playing in the Big 12, which is the best league, I believe that that physicality and that speed just helps you translate the game to the next level,” Jefferson told reporters last month. “Just being able to have to guard so many good people every single night, there’s really not a tough night. And playing in tough environments is important. So, all those skills help you prepare for the next level.”
So did all those workouts with the elder Thomas, his close-knit circle and sense of self.
“Here we are, 10, 12, 15 years later,” Thomas said, “and he has a chance to be really good, 10, 12-year pro if he keeps getting better, stays healthy and takes care of himself. He has a chance to change his life and his family’s lives.”
Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.
