Former Darwin Basketball League star Jerron Jamerson can’t wait for Mackay Meteors v Cairns Marlins NBL1 North Grand Finals Series
He is a born entertainer. And that is why a former Darwin Basketball League star will thrive under the spotlight of the 2021 NBL1 Grand Final Series.
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HE is a born entertainer.
And that is why Jerron Jamerson will thrive under the spotlight of the 2021 NBL1 Grand Final Series starting on Friday night.
At 29, the star American believes he’s still got time on his side as he chases his NBL dream.
And he has a golden opportunity to continue impressing professional coaches and scouts, with his Mackay Meteors outfit set to host the first game against Cairns Marlins.
The series will go to a third game on Sunday, if necessary.
Playing in this series has capped a big rise through the ranks in Australia for the skilful playmaker, who made an instant impression at Ansett, helping the team to a Darwin Basketball League title in his first season Down Under back in 2016.
“All I can do is keep chipping away at it (being picked up by an NBL team),” Jamerson, averaging 19 points per game, said.
“It (not being picked up) doesn’t disappoint me or make me work any less hard.
“I’m one of the leading scorers in this league, and now I’ve got an opportunity to win a championship as one of the leaders in my team.
“Maybe if I was an Australian citizen it’d be easier for me. But I know eventually it’ll happen.”
Like he did while playing in Darwin, Jamerson has been a massive hit in Mackay with the way he revs up big home attendances with his raw emotion.
He thrives on the big moments in big games.
“That’s the great thing about being coached by Joel Khalu – he lets me be myself on the court, as well as my teammates,” Jamerson said.
“We were down after the first half (against University of Sunshine Coast in the semi-final before winning 106-91) but the crowd got us back into it. The place was absolutely screaming.
“For this series we can’t ask for a better scenario – we get the best crowds in this league.”
The battle between Jamerson and his opposite for Cairns, Deba George, will be an enthralling one.
George is also a former star of the DBL, lighting up the 2017 Championship final with 35 points in Essington’s 100-81 win over Uni Rebels.
“Deba knows how to get it done. He’s a great leader and person,” Jamerson said.
Jamerson – who last played in Darwin in the 2020 Championship season and helped Tracy Village finish runner-up to Eagles – said him and his teammates would not lack any motivation for the NBL1 grand-final series.
“We all have the same mindset. We all have something to prove and we have the same underdog mentality,” he said.
Mackay finished the regular season in second and Cairns fifth, which is why the Meteors will host this series.
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FOR all of his talents, Jamerson freely admits he’s had to work hard on some flaws in his game.
He believes those faults have been ironed out at some brutal Mackay Meteors training sessions under uncompromising coach Joel Khalu.
And that is why he has gone on to average 19 points per game, helping the Meteors qualify for the 2021 NBL1 Grand Final Series.
“In the past I think I had a lot of pre-determined moves. If I was driving to the basket, it was just what I did and the opposition knew about it,” Jamerson said.
“But now if I’m shooting bad I’ve got a lot more patience.
“My temperament has improved, which has helped me with my shooting.” And that improvement has shown on the stats sheet with Jamerson shooting at 32.35 per cent beyond the three-point arc.
“I’m less affected when things don’t go my way now compared to before,” he said.
“Playing more basketball, the older you get the wiser you also get.
“Going up against (former Ansett teammate) Freddy Webb and with how hard he defends against me – that’s really helped me more than anything.
“Everyone in this team works extremely hard, so when game day comes around it’s like ‘this is easy compared to practice’.”
Jamerson said Meteors teammate Emmanuel Malou has set a work ethic which everyone on the team is aspiring towards.
The 27-year-old (averaging 19.31 points at 54.29 per cent from the field and 7.50 rebounds per game) was rewarded for his outstanding season after being signed by Adelaide 36ers in July for the 2021-22 NBL season.
“Me and Manny have been on a similar journey – he never got what he deserved, and he’s only just got it (NBL contract) now,” Jamerson said.
“I can’t put into words how hard he’s had to work.”
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DON’T be fooled by the numbers – Freddy Webb belongs at NBL1 level.
The talented Ansett junior is averaging 4.37 points, and just over one assist and rebound per game for the Mackay Meteors.
But he has shot at a respectable 37.5 per cent, and has played a big role in helping his team qualify for the 2021 NBL1 Grand Final series, starting against Cairns Marlins on Friday night.
His hard work on and off the ball has been noticed all around the country.
“You just have to hear the NBL1 commentators – they all love Freddy,” Ansett coach and Webb’s former mentor Steve Toohey said.
“They love the intensity he brings in defence – he’s always playing great defence.
“Freddy is playing against better-calibre players and he’s learning a lot.
“He’ll only keep getting better at that level next year.”
Ansett president Paul Rowse echoed Toohey’s comments. “I’ve been watching all of Freddy’s NBL1 games,” he said of the 21-year-old who won a Darwin title in 2016 alongside his now-Mackay teammate Jerron Jamerson.
“In the semi-final the commentators at one stage were disappointed he didn’t match up on their (University of Sunshine Coast’s) best player.
“They said ‘Freddy should be on him’, and then he did an excellent job.”
Webb was a playmaker at Ansett. Jamerson now has the role at the Meteors.
But Rowse has not been surprised at the way the Darwin talent (pictured above, left) has adapted to his new role under Meteors coach Joel Khalu. “We relied on Freddy (as a scorer),” Rowse said.
“But he’s always been a little hard worker. He’s always been tenacious and not afraid to get in amongst it. And now he’s playing that role very well.”
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FREDDY Webb climbed Darwin Basketball’s stairway to heaven and was a premiership winner with Ansett – now he’s just as happy raising hell on courts all around Queensland.
Webb was a matchwinner in his playmaking role at Ansett before joining Mackay for the 2021 NBL1 North season.
His role is a different one now, but – ever the team man – the skilled guard has adapted in a star-studded outfit.
Every time the 21-year-old steps on to the timber, his instructions are simple: make the opposition point guard’s life hell.
Webb, mainly playing a ball-distributing role while harassing his opposing team’s top guard as much as possible in the limited game time he gets, has helped the Meteors qualify for the 2021 NBL1 North Grand Final Series against Cairns Marlins, starting in Mackay on Friday night.
While Webb has not put up massive numbers (averaging 4.37 points a game this year), which his former Ansett teammates were accustomed to seeing, he has greatly impressed coach Joel Khalu, helping the Meteors finish the regular season in second spot.
“My role now is to come on and create a lot of pressure, and make life hell for the opposition’s best guard,” Webb said.
“Offensively, it’s about me getting our players in the best positions to score points. I like setting up my teammates.”
One of those is 2016 DBA Championship-winning peer at Ansett, Jerron Jamerson.
The American, who has had previous top-league experience in Queensland and Victoria, has been a revelation at the Meteors, averaging 19 points per game.
“Jerron brings passion and energy,” Webb said.
“He’s an emotional player and we feed off his energy. He’s as strong as an ox, and marking up against him at training has made me a better player.
“Without a doubt (he can still play in the NBL), or definitely make an NBL team better at a training camp.”
Webb and Jamerson want to follow in the footsteps of Emmanuel Malou, the star swingman who was signed by Adelaide 36ers in July.
“Manny is in a league of his own – he’s the best player I’ve ever played with,” Webb said.
“He’s 6”9’ but has a great shot and is a nightmare match-up for other guards.”
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