The transition from a high school senior to a college freshman is never an easy one, especially for a student-athlete. But, for Oswego State freshman guard Jeremiah Sparks, the transition could not have gone smoother.
Sparks was a star at Jordan-Elbridge High School. In his senior season, he averaged 29.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, four assists and 2.3 steals per game. He also scored 640 points his senior season, which was the most in a single season in Jordan-Elbridge history. The most notable achievement for Sparks, was that it only took two seasons for him to score 1,000 points.
Heading into his freshman year at Oswego State, Sparks was uncertain of how things would go but knew this was the place he wanted to play college basketball.
“Coming from Jordan-Elbridge, we are a really small school playing at Class B, so it wasn’t very good competition,” Sparks said. “Coming here, the competition is better.”
Playing time was also a question for Sparks as a freshman, as most first-year players often struggle to see the court. Sparks, however, kept a positive mindset.
“[Head] coach [Jason Leone] told me when I decided to come here that I probably would not play much as a freshman, because it is really hard,” Sparks said. “So, you have to have a lot of confidence. I took that as my determination and made it my drive.”
It did not take long for Sparks to get going, as he found himself in the starting lineup in Oswego State’s opening game against Ithaca College. Sparks finished the game with 15 points, shooting 7-12 from the floor.
Just three games later, Sparks had his breakout game vs. Nazareth College, where he finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds. That game followed another impressive performance vs. St. Lawrence University, where he finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
What is most impressive is that these were not even Sparks best games this season. Against Moravian College, Sparks erupted for a season high 32-points, shooting 10-17 from the field, 4-7 from the 3-point line and 8-8 from the free-throw line. Sparks nearly matched that performance 13 days later with a 31-point, 13-rebound performance against SUNY Cortland, a game Oswego State won by just two points.
Sparks currently leads the team in points, averaging 14.9 points per game. Some other notable stats from him include 6.2 rebounds per game, a 48.1 field goal percentage and a 81.3 free-throw percentage.
The game of Sparks has not gone unnoticed. Leone had nothing but good things to say about the freshman.
“By nature, he is an incredibly gifted athlete, so he is able to get to places on the court better than a normal freshman would,” Leone said. “The way that he moves in the game, and the way he is able to get by people is uncharacteristic of a normal freshman.”
Sparks knows he has strengths as a player, but like every other person that plays basketball, he knows there is plenty of room for improvement in his game.
“My strength is getting to the basket,” Sparks said. “I am more of a driver than a shooter, but this summer I worked on my jump shot a lot, so I can be a double-threat player. I am kind of a liability on defense, so I have been working on that mostly. If I can get my defense up to par with the rest of the team, I think we could make a run for it.”
As a freshman, Sparks has looked toward certain players to act as leaders and as most freshman would say, leadership starts with senior class.
“Our seniors are great,” Sparks said. “They come to practice with a good attitude, effort and enthusiasm every day. I don’t think I have ever seen them with their heads down or with a bad attitude. They are really a good example to lead off of.”
A leader is something Sparks hopes to be one day. As he continues his development through the Oswego State program, every year he will be looked at more and more as a leader of the team. Sparks has had success this year, no doubt, but it has also been a learning experience for him, which is something that will help him out in the long run.
“Any time you play early on in your career, you’re getting more of an experience on the court with the ups and downs,” Leone said. “What I am hopeful for is that he will pass those things along to others. Right now, he is leading us in scoring, but on the nights where he doesn’t do certain things well, he is not playing a ton of minutes. So, as he gets older, his mistakes will kind of be magnified, so I am hopeful that he will grow past some of the things he doesn’t get just yet.”
The sky is the limit for Sparks as he continues his freshman campaign, and the future of the Oswego State men’s basketball program is very bright.
“We are very fortunate to have him,” Leone said. “He’s got a chance to be an incredibly special player here, if he decides to work in the offseason, which I think he will. He is really a gifted young man.”
Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian
