Mayfield star makes a stop in Duke City
Saterfield playing in Joe Armijo Classic at Academy this week
Wherever the well-traveled Jorell Saterfield wakes up in the world — Alamogordo, Las Cruces, Kentucky, Seattle or, eventually, Hattiesburg, Miss. — the routine, more or less, rarely changes.
The thrice-daily workouts usually begin at 5 a.m. By the end of an average day, close to 1,000 jump shots have been launched off his fingers. He is a prototypical gym rat in every sense of the word.
And while he is well traveled, he has also come full circle. Sort of.
He began his high school playing days in Las Cruces, and will end them in Las Cruces with the Mayfield Trojans as one of New Mexico’s two Division I signees. The Chicago-born 6-foot-4 shooting guard with the smooth shooting stroke recently signed with Southern Mississippi.
Saterfield chose Southern Miss over Chicago State and New Mexico State, he said.
“Doc (Sadler, Southern Miss’ coach) came to the house for a home visit, and he showed me a lot of support and love,” the extremely friendly Saterfield, 17, said. “Their offense fits me perfectly.”
The Trojans and Saterfield are in Albuquerque this week for the Joe Armijo Classic at Albuquerque Academy. Saterfield had 22 points in the Trojans’ 71-59 loss Thursday afternoon to Manzano.
“It’s easy for him right now,” said Saterfield’s father, Joe, adding, “He’s a happy kid. The most special thing about him is, win or lose, he’s always happy.”
Saterfield moved back to Las Cruces from Seattle during the offseason. He played for Class 3A state champion Garfield last spring. Garfield beat Rainier Beach, the school where he played as a sophomore, in the final.
And it was that offseason, the one following his sophomore season, where Saterfield first began to draw attention from colleges with his club team.
“It changed my life,” he said. “I knew I could play, and I knew I’d get an opportunity at the next level. And a lot of kids don’t get that opportunity.”
From the time he was 10, Saterfield often was playing up in age group because of his skill set, his father said. For the Trojans, Saterfield will have to balance the team’s need to have him score with its need to have him facilitate for others.
“It’s a lot of responsibility,” Saterfield said. “I carry a lot of weight (on my shoulders), but I look at it this way: it’s a big challenge for me. I know I can go (off), but if I can make my teammates go, that’s the main goal.”
Joe Saterfied said it was his construction job that brought the family back to southern New Mexico. Former NBA standout Brandon Roy was coaching Garfield, but was granted a sabbatical for a year for personal reasons, according to the Seattle Times. Six expected varsity returnees this season, including Saterfield, transferred out of the program.
The family has a history of moves. Saterfield’s older brother Joe, then a sophomore, won a state title at Centennial in 2015. He started his prep career at Tularosa and then continued at Alamogordo.
In February 2016, both brothers were deemed ineligible by the New Mexico Activities Association, as questions of the validity of their physical address came into question. The NMAA, a Journal story reported nearly three years ago, was ready to declare Jorell — then a freshman — eligible but not Joe, so the family moved to Kentucky instead.
Both were supposed to play for Oñate in the 2015-16 season, and Jorell did, in fact, play briefly that season with the Knights next to current Aggie Johnny McCants.
Now, Jorell hopes he can lead Mayfield into the state tournament in March. He already has a 50-point game this season, against Hobbs.
“It was magic,” he said. “The best moment ever. That was the most points I ever scored. I was just going and going and going.”