CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – West Creek boys basketball’s Jordan Ham has chosen to take his talents to Fisk University to continue his athletic and academic career.

“The process actually started during my sophomore year,” Ham said. “My family sent me to a camp in Nashville and one of the coaches up there who is the assistant coach at Fisk, Coach Acklin (Russel), basically just liked how I played. After the camp, he pulled me and my dad to the side and gave me his number. Once our relationship got better, I told him I was interested in the university and he told me he was interested in me. That’s kind of how that went.”

The 6′-4″ left-handed shooting forward averaged 12 points and eight rebounds per game during his senior campaign.

Without the morale and financial support of his family, Ham doesn’t believe his dream of one day playing basketball at the collegiate level would’ve come to fruition.

“I wouldn’t be able to be anywhere near where I am right now without my parents,” Ham said. “I come from Baltimore and up there with my mother I couldn’t really do anything because she was always working. When my dad retired from the Army, that gave me the chance to come down here and do more things. My dad and my stepmom were always there to give me more time, resources and provide for me.”

Ham is also grateful for one of his role models on the court and someone he views as a mentor.

“Coach Terry Boykin is probably the best coach that I’ve ever had,” Ham said. “He’s also like a father figure to me. He basically saw me come up from the dirt. Going into high school, I kind of just thought basketball was going to keep me in shape for football. It wasn’t until he pulled me aside and told me that I could do it that I really started to put in the work and now its paid off.”

Ham will get an opportunity that most can only dream of and that’s to play for a former NBA great like Kenny Anderson.

Ham is anxious to be able to pick the brain of the former second-overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft.

“I admire him very much,” Ham said. “He’s somebody that I look forward to learning from for the next four years. He’s an NBA All-Star and I don’t really see any reason why I shouldn’t listen to him. He knows what he’s talking about and has played at every level. I just want to listen and take in everything that I can, so I can improve myself. Not only as a basketball player, but also as a man.”

Throughout his Coyote career, the mainstay at head coach for Ham has been Russell Malone. Ham says he couldn’t imagine taking the floor for anyone else while finishing out his high school playing days.

“He’s a good man,” Ham said. “He really taught me a lot about other aspects of the game that I don’t think I could get anywhere else like being a leader and being a man. It was more than just basketball with him. He would pull me aside sometimes before games and just ask me how I was doing upstairs. I feel like he cares more about his players’ mental health than he does about their physical ability to play the game.”

When he reflects back on his time at West Creek, Ham says it’s the faculty and staff that he will remember the most.

“From my point of view, I’d have to say the principals because they’re more interactive with the students than anywhere else,” Ham said. “I’d always find myself having casual conversations and getting to know them like Ms. Young. I can call her mom right now. They’re not just there to discipline you, but they actually care about you. It’s just the relationships that they strive to have with their students that I appreciate.”

Ham will now look to build more lifelong bonds while carving out his own niche in the fall at Fisk University.