Finding light in dark tunnel
Family deaths, string of injuries give way to hope for new Cougar
On the sides of his basketball shoes, written in black ink, DeJon Jarreau pays tribute to two important people in his life.
“RIP Grams” with a tiny heart. “RIP YG.” In late October, Jarreau’s world was turned upside down with the deaths of his grandmother, Earline Nelson, a mother-like figure he did not go a day without speaking to, and cousin Theodore Jones, known as Young Greatness in rap circles, just weeks apart in New Orleans.
“These past couple of months have been a real tragedy for me,” said Jarreau, a 6-5 redshirt sophomore guard who transferred to the University of Houston.
While the timing of Jarreau’s personal losses would be difficult under any circumstances, it made for a challenging start to his first season at UH, which continues Sunday as the No. 19 Cougars look to remain unbeaten against Memphis at Fertitta Center.
After playing in the season opener, Jarreau missed the next seven games for an unspecified violation of team rules, a severe finger injury and a bruised knee.
“One thing after another,” UH coach Kelvin Sampson said. “I’m a faith guy, and I just think the good Lord was sending him a message: better appreciate what you have, and you better make sure that you don’t take this for granted and let that influence everything in your life. Sometimes you don’t really appreciate what you have until it’s taken away. It has been tough for him.”
Close to grandmother
A top national recruit out of high school, Jarreau was regarded as a key signee when he, along with close friend and high school teammate Brison Gresham, made the decision to transfer to UH from Massachusetts in April 2017. He is considered the successor to Galen Robinson Jr. at point guard next season.
Off the bench, Jarreau is averaging 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists in about 16 minutes per game for the Cougars (14-0), who are off to the second-best start in school history.
Growing up in New Orleans, Jarreau was a regular at his grandmother’s house.
“Every time I would see her, every time even if it was three times a day, I would kiss her,” he said. “We were very close. To lose her like that, and to get that phone call, just really broke my heart.”
On Oct. 16, Nelson died at age 81. At the time, Jarreau was six hours away getting ready for his first basketball season with the Cougars.
“We couldn’t get him back to New Orleans fast enough,” Sampson said. “Grandmothers are special, special people. Some people are closer to their grandmother than others. Most inner-city kids are extremely, extremely, extremely close to their grandmothers. They usually have an integral role. And I have never seen a kid closer to a grandmother.”
Said Jarreau: “She made me a better person, a better man.”
Jarreau spent several days away from the team. Once he returned, Sampson said, “he was out of it for seven or eight days.”
“Nothing you can do about it but support him,” he added.
Tragedy struck again a few days later when his cousin, a rapper who moved to Houston after Hurricane Katrina, was shot and killed outside a Waffle House in New Orleans.
Getting acclimated
Since the deaths, Jarreau has drawn comfort from his faith. He begins each day with a simple message on Twitter: “Thank God 4 Today.”
While grieving, Jarreau missed most of the season’s first month. Part of his absence was due to a team violation that Sampson declined to specify.
Then, during a practice, Jarreau tore a finger “to the bone” on his left hand in a freak accident going up for a rebound. A few weeks later, as the Cougars prepared for a trip to Oklahoma State, teammate Fabian White Jr. accidentally rolled onto the back of one of Jarreau’s knees. He heard a pop.
“Oh Lord, please don’t be an ACL,” Sampson said. “I think the good Lord sends messages, but we didn’t need to drop the hammer on him.”
It turned out to only be a bruise, and Jarreau returned the next game against LSU. He had 10 points in a victory over Saint Louis, delivering a key block with the game tied in the final minute, and 10 the next game against Utah State. He posted a seasonhigh 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting in a win over NJIT.
“I really needed that game to make me feel comfortable and feel more acclimated with the team,” Jarreau said.
Jarreau credits the support from the team for helping him through a difficult time.
“Coach Sampson had my back,” he said. “My teammates had my bad. The coaching staff had my back. They made me feel better every day. It just made me a better person honestly. I can honestly say I’m good now that I’m back.”