Ben Martindale, Contributing Writer
First-year guard Jordan Tillery knew he wanted to be a hooper at a young age. He was introduced to basketball through his older cousins, where he began refining his skills in the rough and tumble environment of the backyard.
It was through these humble beginnings that Tillery discovered his passion for the game and a desire to play at a high level.
“I always wanted to be a [Division 1] basketball player,” Tillery said. “The main goal is the NBA, but I’ve always wanted to be a D1 basketball player.”
Tillery plays a unique brand of basketball, featuring an aggressive style of slashing, playmaking and defense that has shades of NBA talents like the Thompson twins.
“I watched a lot of Paul George and stuff like that, but now it’s more like Amen Thompson and players that get downhill, make plays for others and play defense,” Tillery said.
Tillery is a three-star recruit, top-100 prospect and was a standout athlete at Dr. Phillips and Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, according to 247sports. He also played a season at the legendary IMG Academy, which he said prepared him for D1 basketball before signing with the Rams.
“It helped me more on the mental side honestly,” Tillery said. “I feel like if I’d went into college my 2024 year, I wouldn’t have been ready mentally to go through things that I’m prepared to go through right now.”
Tillery has a team-first mentality and said his main goal is to win a chip.
“Honestly, I don’t have any personal goals, I just want to win an [Atlantic 10] championship and experience March Madness this year,” Tillery said.
Tillery shows an impressive mindset, but his character is only half of what makes him so special. At 6-foot-5 inches, he is an elite athlete with an exciting skillset and an incredibly high ceiling on both ends of the floor.
“Jordan is a super high character guy, he comes from the right places, he’s got the right foundation,” VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. said. “It was pretty apparent asking around what his make-up was, the work ethic, the care about winning, he has all that. He’s someone we want here.”
Former VCU head coach Ryan Odom originally recruited Tillery before taking a coaching job at the University of Virginia.
Tillery’s future at VCU was uncertain for a time as the program transitioned to Martelli Jr. — but a phone call led to the Rams retaining Tillery.
“It goes back to that character piece when we asked around,” Martelli Jr. said. “The other thing is he was somebody that really wanted to be at VCU and that speaks volumes. As a prep school guy, you can field a lot of phone calls if you want to, but he made it very apparent right away that he wanted to be at VCU, that he was excited to be at VCU.”
Tillery looks to have an incredibly bright future ahead at VCU, and the fans want him to be here just as badly as he does.
“We’re ready, hopefully they’re ready,” Tillery said. “Go Rams!”
Tillery will make his official VCU debut when the team takes on Wagner College at the Siegel Center on Nov. 3.