Michael Jordan's Son Headed to Illinois

For Jeffrey Jordan, it must be difficult to have any aspirations to play professional basketball. As the son of arguably the best player in NBA history, Jeffrey faces infinite expectations that aren't tremendously likely to be met. But his critics are not stopping the 18-year old Jordan, who will be headed to the University of Illinois in the fall. Since he has been surrounded by basketball his whole life, Jordan has drawn the interest of several colleges looking for a guard. He announced Friday that he will attempt to join the Illini basketball team as a walk-on, making his decision after giving consideration to attending Valparaiso. "After I worked out at Illinois, (met) with the coaching staff and the players, and toured the campus with my mom, I just felt more comfortable with U of I," Jeffrey said in a news conference.

Jeffrey Jordan was a three-year starter at Loyola Academy and was twice voted as an All Catholic League player. Illinois coach Bruce Weber had nothing bust positive things to say about his new recruit. "He's made great strides over the last year as a player and is an excellent student who should be a great fit here at the University of Illinois," Weber said via an e-mail correspondence. He also called the young Jordan "competitive" and "passionate about basketball."

Jordan's intent to attend the University of Illinois is not binding. Since he is not an official recruit and he will not be attending on any athletic scholarship, Jeffrey could choose to leave the school whenever he pleases (or not attend at all). If the University of Illinois decides that they do not have a need for him on the court, the second coming of Jordan make look elsewhere to play at the collegiate level.

No Division-1 colleges showed much interest in granting Jeffrey a scholarship to play for them. This mainly stems from concerns about the teenage athlete's physical maturity- and especially his height. The younger Jordan is only 6' 2'', a far cry from his father, who entered college at a much more versatile height of 6'5''. Michael was tall enough and had the ability to play any position on the floor. He was over-sized for a guard, but undersized as a forward. Fortunately, Michael had incredible jumping ability, allowing him to not only defend the league's best guards, but also to rebound over the NBA's most dominant centers and power forwards. Jeffrey will struggle to earn a spot at the college level, especially if he has stopped growing, because coaches are predisposed to wanting taller players. Critics say those three measly inches may stand in the way of Jeffrey's dreams to get to the NBA- but those critics have never stopped him before.

Source: Yahoo! Sports