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Paul Jesperson began his career at Virginia, but after two quick years, the 6-foot-6 guard has opted to change locations.
On Tuesday morning, Jesperson’s intentions went public and the Wisconsin-native is headed to the Missouri Valley Conference where he will play for head coach Ben Jacobson and the Northern Iowa Panthers. Jesperson is a great pickup, especially here in mid-June.
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After struggling to get any sort of rhythm going at Virginia, Jesperson’s decision to transfer certainly didn’t come as any shock. Jesperson didn’t play much as a freshman and although he did see an increase in his minutes as a sophomore, it didn’t do much to jog his thought process overall. As a sophomore, Jesperson averaged 4.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in just over 25 minutes of action per game.
Per NCAA rules, Jesperson will be forced to sit out the 2013-14 season barring a waiver. He will be able to hit the court and play the following season and will have two years of eligibility remaining.
At 6-foot-6, Jesperson has great size and he should be able to fit in well within the Panthers’ rotation once he can play again. As a former top 100 recruit, you know that Jesperson is a true talent. He was ranked as the 89th best prospect within the class of 2011 by ESPN coming out of high school.
Once Jesperson gets eligible to take the court, he could surely be an instant contributor and impact performer for Northern Iowa. If he can find his niche in the Missouri Valley Conference and meet the hype that he had coming out of high school, it will be interesting to see just how much Jesperson can emerge at UNI.
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
