Florida basketball: Jason Jitoboh never got to tap into his full potential
By Will Thomas
Florida basketball has a track record for putting bigs into the league and developing them at a high level. Sure, it’s been about 15 years and we’re two coaches removed, but names like Al Horford and Joakim Noah still ring true in Gainesville.
Not to forget guys like John Egbunu and Kevarrius Hayes who had great college careers and of course, Colin Castleton, who will likely find his way to an NBA or G-League roster.
But one guy who never got the chance to tap into his full potential is Jason Jitoboh. The 6’11”-300 pound senior from Nigeria was a 3-star recruit out of high school and was a top ten player in the state of Tennessee where he played his high school ball.
He was never a quick, agile guy who could bend around you in the paint and make flashy finishes. But at 300 pounds, nobody expected him to be. He has the size and the strength to bully his way to the basket and lay it in at will.
But he never got his shot to take off and show everyone what he can do. With Castleton taking up minutes and production, Jitoboh has never averaged as much as 11 minutes per game in his career.
Last season was his best year production-wise, where he scored 4.1 points and grabbed 2.4 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game. But his year was derailed when he suffered an eye injury against Tennessee.
He detached a muscle that made his eye go left and right, and had a damaged retina. He had to get surgery and lay on his stomach in a dark room for 50 minutes every hour, and had to sleep face down with a hole for his face because he couldn’t sleep on his side.
He was out for the rest of last season, and still only has about 50% vision in his injured eye. But even when he was able to come back, he was watching Colin Castleton lead the team in points and rebounds, and only got in when Colin needed a break.
Now, with Castleton’s injury, we’re left with a Jason that doesn’t have the game experience he needs to make an impact. Between his injury and location on the depth chart, he never got the chance to refine his skills and technique.
As Florida basketball season starts to wind down, look for Jitoboh to settle in a bit, and become a bigger part of the scoring. With the Gators’ struggles to score from the perimeter, paint scoring is a must.
Hopefully, we’re able to see Jitoboh turn into the player we all hoped he would be.
Keep up with Florida basketball at Hail Florida Hail.