SWFL Hoops: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us today Jernell. So what made ya decide your college future so early?
Jernell: So I can work on my grades, plus I feel I can get a lot of playing time, or maybe even start my freshman year and the coaches there are real cool coaches
SWFL Hoops: Have you visited the Liberty campus yet?
Jernell: Not yet, but I probably will after basketball season is over
SWFL Hoops: Which Liberty coach first contacted you? And when?
Jernell: It was Coach (Jason) Eaker, he called me the first week that school started this year.
SWFL Hoops: Tell me a little about your relationship with Coach Eaker?
Jernell: We are close, he is a nice coach, we email each other a lot. We are like kobe and phil jackson
SWFL Hoops: What other schools contacted you?
Jernell: Penn St and College of Charleston called my coach but I got a lot of letters from college of charleston, and the Jacksonville coach emails me sometimes.
SWFL Hoops: Any other schools offer?
Jernell: No
SWFL Hoops: So did the fact no other schools had offered play into your decision?
Jernell: No
SWFL Hoops: Was Coach Layers (Liberty head coach Dale Layers) visit down here his first time seeing you? And did they offer in person when he was here?
Jernell: He told me he saw me at nationals. When he came down here we had open gym after open gym was over he told crowder they are offering me a full ride
SWFL Hoops: How would you describe Coach Layer?
Jernell: He seemed like a pretty cool coach when I met him
SWFL Hoops: Have you talked to him much since?
Jernell: Not really, I've just been talking to Coach Eaker alot.
SWFL Hoops: What has he told you about the position they want you to play and/or how they'll use you?
Jernell: He told me I'll play point guard and shooting guard.
SWFL Hoops: Has he told you things they would like you to work on at all over the next yearr and a half?
Jernell: No, he told me when I go to their camp they were going to teach me new things and work with me on some stuff
SWFL Hoops: When is their camp?
Jernell: This summer
SWFL Hoops: So what are the things you want to improve on personally to get yourself ready for Liberty?
Jernell: Going to my right more, my shot selection, and defense.
SWFL Hoops: How much of a plus has it been to have two guys with a lot of basketball coaching background, like Asst Coach (John) Siers and Head Coach (Brien) Crowder at Immokalee now?
Jernell: It's been a big plus because they have tought me a lot of things on and off the court
SWFL Hoops: So are you looking forward to the cold weather/snow in VA?
Jernell: Yes, I can't wait to see some snow. The first thing I am going to do is dive in the snow!
SWFL Hoops: Have u ever seen snow?
Jernell: No, that's why I can't wait to see it
SWFL Hoops: You talk to anyone about living in it?
Jernell: No not yet
SWFL Hoops: And have u reached out to Joel Vander Pol at all about how it is up there overall? (Joel is a redshirt freshman at Liberty and graduated from Evangelical Christian School of Ft Myers in 2009)
Jernell: No not yet but I plan to soon
SWFL Hoops: So are you still going to play travel ball this yr?
Jernell: Yes
SWFL Hoops: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us and we look forward to following your progression.
Jernell: Your welcome and thank you.
Immokalee High School junior guard Jernell Hughes has gotten off to a more than solid start this season, averaging around 22 points per game and has the Indians surprising some folks, sitting at around the .500 mark entering the second half of the season. On Saturday night, Hughes made a decision that will affect the next 5 years of his life, verbally committing to accept a full athletic scholarship to play his collegiate basketball for the Liberty University Flames. Liberty is an NCAA Division 1 school located in Virginia, and competes in the Big South Conference. Liberty first took notice of Hughes this past summer at the AAU National Championship tournament held in Orlando, while playing with the SWFL Select 16-Under team. They followed him from there and made contact this fall and Hughes has kept in contact with the Liberty coaches since then. Flames head coach, Dale Layer, made a trip down to Naples to watch Hughes workout individually at his school on September 29th, and after validating what his assistants had been so excited about, he offered him the scholarship thereafter. The school name may sound familiar to local hoops fans, probably because it is the same school 2009 Evangelical Christian School graduate Joel Vander Pol signed to play for, and he is currently redshirting this season. With the redshirt year, Vander Pol will be there with Hughes for his first three seasons, giving him a local guy to show him the ropes.
SWFLHoops.com caught up today with Hughes. Jernell is currently ranked #3 in our class of 2011 rankings, and after his verbal commitment on Saturday we wanted to get some more info about his decision, what led to it, what he is looking forward to, and more in this edition of "One on One."
"One on One" with Liberty Commit Jernell Hughes
Aaron Seybert
SWFLHoops.com
January 10, 2010
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