NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State head men's basketball coach Dan Muller has announced the signing of Josh Jefferson to join the Redbirds during the 2018-19 season.
Jefferson, a 6-3 guard, most recently played two seasons at Lake Land College, where he was named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region 24 Team, and to the Great Rivers Athletic Conference First Team.
"We are excited to add Josh to our team," said Muller. "Josh is a dynamic scoring guard with a great feel for the game. He had a terrific sophomore season this year at Lake Land College under Coach Colvin and Coach Earp, and we believe he is just scratching the surface. Josh adds another high-character student-athlete to our team, and I can't wait to get him on campus."
In 2017-18, Jefferson averaged 22.8 points per game, while adding 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest. He converted on 49 percent of his field goal tries (190-of-388), and made 44.8 percent (77-of-172) of his shots from beyond the arc. His three-point percentage ranked 51st in all of NJCAA last season.
As a sophomore, he reached double-figure scoring in all 24 games he played, including 15 times of 20 or more points, and five 30-point games. His season-high came at Wabash Valley on February 3 where he scored 38 points. He hit at least two three-pointers in 21 games during the year, and had 11 games in which he made at least four.
During his freshman season he averaged 18.7 points over 32 games, including making 88-of-185 three-pointers – a percentage of 47.6 – which was the 19th-best percentage and 35th-most three-point makes in the NJCAA. He also went 118-of-129 from the charity stripe, the third-best free throw percentage in the country.
He scored in double-figure 28 times as a freshman, including in each of the last 26 games, with his career-high coming at Rend Lake where he scored 44 points. He had 10 games of at least 20 points during his first collegiate season, scored at least 30 points three times, and 40 or more once.
Jefferson played his prep basketball at New Albany High School, where as a senior he helped lead his squad to the school's first state title since 1973, and to a 27-1 overall record. During his senior season he averaged 12.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game for the Bulldogs.
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