CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – After winning the NAIA national championship with Freed Hardman last season, JJ Wheat has decided to transfer to play for the South Alabama Jaguars.
Wheat played a major role in Freed Hardman’s national championship journey last year, averaging 13.3 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 2.0 assists per game and shooting 40% from beyond the arc.
The 6-foot sophomore guard will now get the opportunity to play Division-I basketball for the Jaguars, who are coming off a 2023-24 campaign where they compiled a record of 16-16, including an 8-10 record within the Sun Belt Conference. South Alabama is coached by Richie Riley, who became the third coach in program history to reach 100 career wins last season.
Before his college career, Wheat was a star at Clarksville High School, where he was named district and region MVP twice, as well as going to back-to-back state tournaments.