Jace Posey commits to TCU, desires NBA career like dad
HOUSTON (BVM) 鈥� Strake Jesuit College Preparatory senior basketball player Jace Posey has rare jumping ability. This fact cannot be debated as the 6-foot-4 athlete has proven not only on the basketball court with highlight reel dunks but on the track as one of Texas鈥� elite high jumpers. This past spring, Posey recorded of 7 feet, 4.25 inches at the UIL State Track & Field meet, securing a gold medal and breaking an 18-year-old record by 0.25 inches.
鈥淚鈥檝e known [I could jump] since like eighth grade, but I didn鈥檛 realize what I could truly do until my freshman year of high school,鈥� Posey said. 鈥淚 had no idea I could [break the record]. I knew I could get seven, but 7-4 and a quarter was crazy to me. I feel like most of the reason I was able to accomplish that was the crowd and the atmosphere. Everyone was encouraging me, clapping along and it motivated me.鈥�
Of course, Posey鈥檚 elite leaping ability has also helped him in his main sport of basketball. The small forward is ranked as the No. 81 overall player in the Class of 2023 in , making him one of the top players in Texas and the country right now. With his height and bounce, Posey has created quite the name for himself with his spectacular finishes above the rim.
鈥淚 feel like most of the better reactions were at Peach Jam this year in my AAU season,鈥� Posey said. 鈥淚 play with Jaland Lowe and he found me on many plays: lobs, fast break dunks, all that. Just the reaction from the crowd in the moment and looking back on film was fun to watch.鈥�
Jace Posey鈥檚 bounce is TOO easy 馃惏
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext)
Posey was born to jump and in many ways born to play basketball. His father, James, played 12 years in the NBA, winning two championships with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat respectively.
Over his 12 seasons in the league, James averaged 8.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 864 games with 479 starts and was also named to the 1999-2000 NBA all-rookie team as a member of the Denver Nuggets. The former player is currently an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards having previously coached with both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the University of Virginia women鈥檚 basketball team.
鈥淗e has a lot of knowledge about the game. He鈥檚 been in the game a long time, way longer than I鈥檝e been in the game,鈥� Jace said. 鈥淗e just shares bits and pieces of information to help me get better and just seeing behind the scenes of the NBA stuff and the college stuff it goes to show it takes a lot more than just basketball to be great at this sport.
鈥淎ll the good things I hear about him are three and D. He could knock down the three ball and was really aggressive on defense so I try to imitate those in some ways, working on my jump shot with him and always trying to be aggressive on defense.鈥�
With his father teaching him the ropes, Jace has made his own path in his career. Unlike his dad who grew up in Ohio and went to school at in-state Xavier, Jace explored taking his talents across the country. Jace held eight Division I offers from Arizona State, DePaul, George Mason, Memphis, Miami, Texas A&M, TCU and Vanderbilt before breaking it down to two finalists in George Mason and TCU. Ultimately, Jace decided to stay in-state and join the Horned Frogs with his commitment on Sept. 9.
鈥淭hey were my second offer and they reached out way earlier than all the other schools,鈥� Jace said. 鈥淸Assistant] Coach [Duane] Broussard let me know he saw something special in me and from then we kept on building a relationship. I really got to engage with the coaching staff and know them a lot better. I took my visit there, I got to talk some more, talk to some players, see the facility and when it was time to make the decision it wasn鈥檛 hard to make that decision.鈥�
鈥淭CU BABY鈥硷笍鈥硷笍鈥硷笍鈥�
— Jace Posey (@PoseySupreme)
Jace joins a talented program at TCU. Last season, the Horned Frogs finished the year with a 21-13 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, getting bounced in overtime by the No. 2-seed Arizona Wildcats in the second round. This was the second time in the past five seasons that TCU made the March Madness field, having also made the tournament in 2018. With Jace in the fold for the future, the Horned Frogs will look to continue that positive trajectory.
鈥淚鈥檓 hoping to bring a lot of energy, a lot of excitement,鈥� Jace said. 鈥淣ext year when me and Isaiah Manning join the roster, we鈥檙e just hoping to better the team in any way.鈥�
For now, Jace will focus on helping his Fighting Crusaders improve during his senior campaign. Last year, Strake Jesuit finished with a 23-13 record, going 10-5 in district play for a third-place finish. The team was bounced in the first round of the Ci-Fair ISD 6A Regionals to end their season.
Unfortunately for Jace, he wasn鈥檛 able to play in that contest. He hopes this year the story will end differently for both himself and his team.
鈥淚t really sucks,鈥� Jace said. 鈥淏eing on the sideline and seeing my teammates sad after the loss knowing I couldn鈥檛 really do anything on the court, it still hurts me to this day. I just want to do what I can do to stay in the game and win as much as possible. This season, I want to win district with my team, be a good teammate, be a McDonald鈥檚 All-American, play the game the right way and have fun doing it.鈥�
With his next destination now set, Jace will focus on improving his game even more and helping his team in the process. Before heading to TCU, the NBA legacy athlete will be sure to put on a show during his final high school season thanks to his spectacular play and incredible hops.
Does Jace want to make it to the NBA and have a successful career like his father?
鈥淵es sir,鈥� Jace said.
