Jeff Jordan to rejoin Illinois basketball team

Published Oct. 17, 2009 6:52 a.m. ET

foxsports

Junior reserve guard Jeff Jordan, son of Michael Jordan, will rejoin the Illinois team after leaving following last season to focus on school. "Jeff recently indicated his interest in coming back to the team," coach Bruce Weber said Friday night as the Illini officially opened practice. "After meeting with him and discussing the situation, we are pleased to give him this opportunity." The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Jordan was given a scholarship before the 2009 spring semester. In all, he appeared in 59 games, totaling 58 points, 42 assists and 24 rebounds. A defensive specialist, the oldest son of Michael Jordan averaged 8.4 minutes as a sophomore after playing 5.3 minutes per game as a true freshman. "He has obviously missed a great deal of time away from the program the last six months, and he has a lot of work ahead of him," Weber added. "There are conditions Jeff must meet to fully earn his way back. At this time, his focus needs to be on his academic work and catching up to his teammates in practice. Jeff is a determined young man, and he has expressed to us that he is willing to make the total commitment necessary for a successful return." Jordan starred in high school at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, a Chicago suburb, but wasn't heavily recruited. He chose to walk on at Illinois rather than accept a scholarship from Valparaiso. Illinois, which won 24 games last season and reached the NCAA tournament, opens the regular season Nov. 13 against Southern Illinois-Ewardsville.