Jake Stephens cannot order his next steps.
The professional journey the former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga standout is going to have to take may or may not be ideal. But it’s a journey that, five years ago as a 6-foot-8 senior at Musselman High School, couldn’t be considered more than a dream.
Stephens didn’t have the interest coming out initially and was prepared to go to Shepherd University, a Division II school about 30 minutes away from his hometown of Bunker Hill, West Virginia. But then Dan Earl and Virginia Military Institute came calling, which led to a solid four-year career together. Earl took the UTC job in April of 2022; Stephens joined a week or so later.
Injuries derailed a portion of his lone season with the Mocs and ended a game short of a second consecutive Southern Conference tournament championship, but Stephens was at his best in his return from missing the final 11 games of the regular season, averaging 23 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists while making 56% of his shots and 41% of his 3-point tries in four tournament games.
He finished a five-year college career with 1,943 points, 964 rebounds and 366 assists, making 50% of his shots, 39% of his 624 3-pointers and shooting 80% from the free-throw line.
But questions will remain about Stephens as he continues to get evaluated by professional coaches. Questions about agility, questions about his athleticism and his mobility. His offensive game is certainly professional-ready — perhaps NBA-ready. But can he guard? That’s what he has to prove, first in his postseason games, the Reese’s All-Star game in Houston during Final Four weekend, and now in the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational, which starts Wednesday and goes through the weekend.
Stephens has interviews set up with coaches over the next few days. No doubt they’ll say the same, aforementioned stuff.
“It goes without saying that athleticism is at the top of the board right now, just proving I can defend at a high level and move my feet and jump and get rebounds,” Stephens said. “It’s kind of something that people might say — it’s nothing new — so I’m excited to keep working on it, because I think that’s something that you can get a little better at and I’m always looking for a new challenge.”
His future has been placed in the hands of Michael Siegel of Siegel Sports and Entertainment. The past two years have been a blur for Stephens, who went from one Division I offer that he didn’t receive until October of his senior year, to dozens of calls once he hit the transfer portal, to dozens more call this offseason, with people trying to be the head of his representation.
Stephens is open to whatever options are created. He said early returns are pointing to him competing on a NBA summer league team, but noted he’s “looking forward to learning a lot about himself as a basketball player” as these opportunities are created this summer.
But all the while he doesn’t forget where this journey started.
“It’s crazy to think about, because you grow up dreaming of a signing day where you have all these hats laid out, you pick one and everybody cheers and you unveil the shirt of the college, but that wasn’t what it was for me,” Stephens said. “I had one school that I was going to and I’m thinking that, in a lot of ways, it was a blessing because I needed to go to VMI, to grow and mature and teach myself leadership and all the things I learned there.
“But to really look back and see how far I’ve come and how far that my family has come — because it takes a village — is really special. It just goes to show all the kids out there that will do it — you don’t have to be the biggest, strongest, fastest — but if you’re willing to work, willing to do anything it takes, anything is possible.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.