National Player of the Year, King Graduate Jordan Floyd Ready for Next Adventure
This is the continuation of a series of Body, Mind & Soul stories that highlights member student-athletes, coaches and administrators of Conference Carolinas.
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. - It’s a time in America for mask wearing and social distancing. It’s a time of civil unrest, evidenced by the Black Lives Matter protest marches around the nation. And it’s a time to lower our expectations and tighten our belts due to an economy in a tailspin. But it’s also a time of personal reflection.
For Jordan Floyd, the COVID-19 pandemic has given him ample time to reflect on a past basketball season suitable for framing. Floyd, who as a senior reeled off 31.9 points per game for the King University Tornado in leading NCAA Division II in scoring, won virtually every individual honor available to him this past season.
The 6-2, 170-pound guard was named Rob Lenz Division II National Player of the Year by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA), first team All-America, the Southeast Region Player of the Year and Conference Carolinas’ Herff Jones Male Athlete of the Year.
He crowned a gilded career by setting conference single-season records for most field goals (327), points (956) and scoring average in 2019-20. Floyd, who ignited a King offense that averaged 91.3 points per game to rank seventh nationally last season, also established new school career marks for points (1,900), scoring average (20.7) and free throws made (431).
It seemed like Floyd could roll out of bed and score 30 points at will. In fact, he accomplished that feat 19 times last season. What’s more, he shattered the 40-point barrier on nine occasions.
“He’s the best college player I have ever coached," said George Pitts, who recently retired as the coach of the Tornado after 14 years at the helm. “Jordan can certainly score and he is extremely hard to guard. He’s just so quick and fast. You get on him, he can fly by you. You back off, he can hit the three-point shot. There were times last season when he was pretty much unstoppable.”
Like the time he erupted for a school-record 47 points against visiting Erskine College Feb. 19, when he buried 15 of 32 field goal attempts and threaded 10 of 10 free throws. Floyd unleashed 34 of his 47 points after intermission in leading King to an exhilarating, 97-95, overtime victory.
Jordan’s path to fame was temporarily derailed in November of 2018. On the heels of being named Conference Carolinas’ Player of the Year his junior season -- he averaged 21.7 points in 2017-2018 - expectations were high entering his senior campaign. However, early in his first game against Carson-Newman in November of 2019, he landed awkwardly on his left foot after a rebound.
“I immediately knew something was wrong,” said Floyd. “They took me to see a doctor and the MRI clearly showed it was broken.”
Fitted for a boot that he would wear for more than six months, the lethal weapon for the Tornado had been silenced for the remainder of the season. While many star players might agonize over personal goals or achieving All-America honors, Floyd could only worry about the effect his absence would have on his team.
“I really had high expectations going into my senior year,” he shared. “When I broke my ankle, I think it demoralized the team. It was tough to watch us play poorly (15-14 overall, 8-10 conference). Not being able to play and go to war with my teammates really killed me.”
It was the first time Jordan had sustained a season-ending injury in his young career and it caused him to do some serious soul searching.
“No doubt, it tested my faith,” said Floyd, a strong student and devout Christian. “But I knew God placed me in this position for a reason. As it turned out, it was a blessing in disguise. Getting hurt made me work harder than ever before."
He lifted weights, did speed work with resistance bands and dove head first into his rehab program.
“Coming back from a lower-body injury is always challenging, so I knew that my work ethic would be critical,” said Jordan, who earned his degree in Exercise Science from King this past spring. “I stuck with it and would not settle for less. I wanted to come out of this as an even better player and I think I did.”
Coach Pitts agreed.
“I know Jordan did a lot of thinking when he was hurt. He almost felt guilty he couldn’t play, that somehow he was responsible for the year we had. When he came back, he felt he had a lot to prove. All that work paid off because he was clearly better when he returned, especially in shooting the three ball.”
Floyd, who transferred to King from Albany State after his freshman year, converted 42.6 percent (107-of-251) of his shots beyond the arc as a senior, a vast improvement from his past seasons when he made 37.3 percent as a junior and 35.2 percent as a sophomore.
What Jordan savored most from his record-shattering year was not the individual accolades. Instead, he was just happy for Pitts’ swan song season.
“I just wanted to send out Coach Pitts with a bang,” said Pitts’ star pupil. “The whole team felt that way. It was great that we had a great record and won the regular season championship.”
Floyd was born and raised in Stone Mountain, Ga. near Atlanta, the oldest of seven children of Corey and Cherri Latimer. Spending time at home during the pandemic, the King legend has also had time to reflect on the history of his hometown and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Stone Mountain lies beneath a giant quartz monzonite dome mountain that features a carving of three Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, a controversial project initially started by the Ku Klux Klan in 1925.
Years later, Martin Luther King, Jr. mentioned the Civil War monument in his famous “I Have A Dream” speech of 1963 with the line “Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.” The carved sculpture returned to the headlines this 4th of July, as hundreds of Black Lives Matter activists marched to the mountain, attracting national media coverage.
“I grew up on the rougher side of town,” said Floyd. "Growing up, I wasn’t that aware of the history. But the last few months have brought a light to it. Black Lives Matter is really big right now. I think all around the country, people are becoming more aware of how people have been treated.
“I was raised by my parents not to judge people by the color of their skin. Not everyone here grew up like that. I was fortunate.”
While MLK had a dream some six decades ago, Jordan Floyd now has a big dream of his own - to some day play basketball in the National Basketball Association.
“Since I was real young, it’s been the main thing on my mind,” he smiled.
The Denver Nuggets scouted some of his games this past season, and Jordan jumped at the chance to play for their summer league team - unfortunately a team that never materialized due to COVID-19.
Nevertheless, Jordan continues to work at adding weight to his undersized frame. He’s lifted weights four times a week and has gained 10 pounds, now tipping the scales at 180.
His agent, Johnny Foster, wasted no time in obtaining Floyd’s first professional contract, however, opting for the Italian League where the 6-2 sharpshooter will join Benfapp Capo d'Orlando (Orlandina Basket) in Sicily for the 2020-21 season. Head Coach Marco Sodini has already informed the American rookie that he will serve as a team co-captain and top scoring option.
“Again, God has put me in this position,” Floyd said. “I took this opportunity with Capo to better myself. Some people play the game for the money. I play for the love of the game. I’m really looking forward to experiencing new people and a new culture.”
He will depart for Sicily at the end of August, with the regular season starting in October.
“I’ve never been outside this country except Jamaica where we took a vacation when I was 12,” said Floyd, who hopes to become an NCAA basketball coach after his playing days are over.
Coach Pitts expects Floyd to thrive on the professional level.
"Jordan is a very confident young man,” Pitts stressed. “He told me on several occasions that he wanted to be known as the best that had ever been at King. I’m happy and proud of him that he gets to play professionally in Italy. His dream is to play in the NBA. If he continues to have the work ethic, goes over there and does well, he might just get that chance. At worst, he’ll be able to make a living playing overseas.”
Perhaps the first word Floyd will learn in Italian is this: Famiglia.
“He really cares about his family,” added Pitts. “He’s told me many times, ‘I’m going to take care of my family.’ That’s one thing he wants to do.”
While his parents and siblings won’t be able to accompany him to Sicily, they can watch all his games through live online streaming.
Despite his barrel full of trophies and a rewriting of the King basketball record book, the National Player of the Year seems to be taking it all in stride.
“I’m just a regular dude who loves his family and wants to make it in basketball,” he said.
Simple enough. With a King diploma in hand, let the adventure begin.
Bob Rose is a longtime sports public relations executive who has worked for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, the NFL Cardinals, Cal, Stanford and other organizations.
