Freshman Feature: Jordan Roundtree
11/15/2016 1:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
For some freshmen college students, the University of Missouri is a new experience, a fresh part of the country, an unfamiliar campus or new favorite colors. For freshman guard Jordan Roundtree, Mizzou is none of the above.
"My family bleeds black and gold," Roundtree said. "My dad played basketball here and my uncle and my cousin played football here. I've just always been a Mizzou kid; I grew up going to football games and basketball games."
Jordan's father, Bill, played as a guard for the Mizzou Basketball team from 1982 until 1986, and her cousin, Dedrick Harrington, played football at Mizzou from 2003-06. Surprisingly, the list of Roundtree's Mizzou connections doesn't end here.
"My mom and grandma both went here too," Roundtree said. "Missouri's really home to me. I just love the family atmosphere and the culture."
Roundtree comes to Mizzou from the St. Louis area and attended Kirkwood High School where she was a standout on the court. She averaged 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a senior and eventually led her team to its first appearance in the Missouri State Championship and a Class 5 runner-up finish. Roundtree received First-Team All-State honors and a Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year nomination.
Throughout high school, Roundtree had her sights set on becoming a Tiger, and her dream has turned into a reality as she launches her freshman season at Mizzou. So far, the transition to college has been smooth.
"Getting to know everyone and establishing relationships has gone really well," Roundtree said. "I'm already extremely close with my teammates. I've been learning a lot about basketball and life and myself. It's just been a good learning experience."
Roundtree went on to stress the level of comfort she has with her new teammates, saying: "I'm totally myself around them, and I think that's the biggest thing. Just everything flows and we really get along well."
On the court, Roundtree has been working hard to prepare her game for the next level. Roundtree's game is characterized by her speed, quickness and ability to score from the three-point line and she plans to never stop improving in her time at Mizzou.
"So far, I've learned to go all out 100 percent of the time," Roundtree said. "I've gotten bigger, faster, and stronger, and I've worked on my shot a lot. I just want to be able to make some type of impact, no matter what my role is. I just want to get more confident and be able to learn a lot from Coach (Robin) Pingeton and everyone else. I want to get more accustomed to the game and the pace of this level."
With the 2016-17 season underway, Roundtree has already settled in at Mizzou, her dream school. The place she grew up loving has officially become a home away from home. Now, it's her turn to write her own chapter as a Tiger and continue a renowned family legacy that's near and dear to Mizzou fans and alumni.
