Who remembers Je’lon Hornbeak? Well for those that don’t remember him, he’s a former Sooner. Playing for the University of Oklahoma Sooners for two years of his college career. After his sophomore year, he decided to transfer from Oklahoma, looking for a “fresh start” somewhere else.
While at OU, Je’lon averaged 5.4 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.8 rebounds per-game and was a valuable part of head coach Lon Kruger’s rebuilding plan in his first few seasons at Oklahoma. Not to mention, he was Buddy Hield’s roomate while in Norman, Oklahoma. When Je’lon decided to transfer it was quite surprising to Sooner nation, with people wondering how they would replace this kid that had so much potential. Luckily, Kruger and his coaching staff found another guy to take his place, as they’ve been a solid top 10 team all season and for a few weeks, the No. 1 team in the nation.
Well, Je’lon is now at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey and doing pretty well. The Monmoth Hawks are now (27-7) on the season after losing in the MAAC Championship game Monday Night to Iona 79-76, a game that was a complete thriller. As a matter of fact, in that game he scored a game high 20 points, off 7-of-7 shooting, 5-of-5 from three while adding in 3 rebounds off the bench. This is much better than his season average of 8.4 points per game, but considering this being his first year eligible to play with the Hawks, he has contributed a lot and will be a huge part of their offense next season. He also averages 3.2 rebounds per game and 1.8 assists.
Monmouth will be playing the waiting game for the rest of the week awaiting the NCAA Selection Committee’s decision on an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. They should get the benefit of the doubt for they have a plethora of road wins, including a huge resume win over No. 14 Notre Dame earlier in the season.
Good story.