Jerome talks summer, his future

At the end of it, four-star guard Ty Jerome didn't have anything else to prove this summer. But that doesn't take away from what an impressive ride it was for the Rivals150 standout and how well he played.

Now, he's turning his attention to the start of his senior season and officially signing his letter of intent to play at the University of Virginia.

Jerome, a standout at New Rochelle (NY) Iona Prep and with the PSA Cardinals on Nike's EYBL circuit, turned a lot of heads throughout 2015, more than six months after he committed to Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers.

His stock has never been higher and yet, it probably couldn't matter less to the Empire State native as he gets set for his final high school season.

"It was an unreal experience to be honest," he told CavsCorner this week. "Traveling around and getting the opportunities I had. It started at NBPA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, which was awesome, and then I got to go to LA for the Nike Basketball Academy and interact and learn from so many pros. And then to come back from Peach Jam and go to Chicago and play against so many great players in the Global Challenge representing the United States, that was just awesome. It was a great way to end the live period."

That's why Jerome decided to take the last weekend of July off and rest. In essence, he had already done everything he wanted to do this summer.

"Yeah, my body was a little tired and my heel was hurting me," he recalled. "I just didn't have anything else to show. I'm not playing for any coaches or anything. Coach Bennett has seen me, he knows what I can do. That's all that really matters. I'm not really into the rankings or anything else, ya know. Coach Bennett saw me play and saw me developing and those are the biggest things."

Over the course of the summer, Jerome said he felt like his game really took a few steps forward.

"I think the biggest thing I improved on was being more aggressive as time went on," he said. "I felt like I was taking more shots and making more plays, not being afraid to make mistakes. I was playing with more of an edge and with more of a killer instinct."

There are a lot of things that will stick with him about the past few months, like playing on a team at Top 100 camp alongside future teammate Kyle Guy or working with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant out on the west coast.

"Definitely being there that week at Top 100 with Kyle," he said, "and going to Nike Basketball Academy and being there, doing yoga on the beach with LeBron and hearing Kobe talk up close, watching film with different guys. Those are great experiences that you can't get anywhere else."

After a little period of rest, it'll soon be time to fire it back up again and try to close out his high school career with a title. That's where Jerome, who is up to 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, says his focus is now.

"As a team, the goal is simple: We need to win a state championship," he said. "It's my fourth year playing varsity and we haven't won a state championship yet. And my school hasn't in this division, either. So I think that would be big. And for myself, I want to lead my team there and I want to be efficient, ya know, be 50-40-90 guy (shooting percentages from the field, from beyond the arc, and from the free-throw line).

"I just want to keep developing," Jerome added, "stay aggressive, work on what I know I need to work on, and hopefully make the Jordan Brand game and just get better and prepare for college."

His transition to the college game was made a little easier recently when he and Guy's hard work to get fellow four-star Rivals150 standout Mamadi Diakite to join the Wahoos paid off. But it wasn't a decision that came as a surprise.

"I visited last, what, like last Labor Day, and he was on the visit too and he sounded like a commit then," Jerome recalled with a laugh. "I knew then, like 90 percent, he was going to commit too. But that's great for our team and great for us because he's a really great guy.

"We just kept working him and made sure that UVa was on his mind at all times," he added. "And then at Top 100 Camp, he just kept saying 'we' whenever he was with me and Kyle. I spoke to him the day he committed and we caught up with him recently. I can't wait to get there with all of the guys."

Jerome has also kept in touch with Bennett and assistant coach Ron Sanchez in advance of the early signing period in a couple of months.

"I would say we speak once a week," he said. "We try to stay in touch. Coach Bennett called me before he left for vacation so I'm sure we'll talk soon now that he's back."

In advance of signing with UVa in November, Jerome and the other 2016 commits are planning to come back to Charlottesville to take their official visits during the weekend of September 11-13. They're hopeful they won't be alone.

"Hopefully Braxton (Blackwell) will take his official visit that weekend too," Jerome said. "Should be a great time either way."

That trip will be just another milestone that means Jerome is closer to finally coming to Charlottesville for good and beginning his UVa career, where he'll wear the same No. 11 that he's been wearing "since [he] was a little kid."

As you might imagine, he's excited.

"I just can't wait," Jerome said. "I think about it constantly. It's always on my mind. I can't wait to make it official and get out there and compete, to wear that jersey and play for ACC titles and Final Fours and national championships. It's going to be a great opportunity to go there and learn and develop and be a part of something big."

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