When asked to mention a few words that his biography would contain, Effingham County High senior power forward Jakeenan Gant lists “humble, soft spoken, talented, godly, athletic, gentleman.” He is right on each one, especially the part about being humble and soft spoken. When speaking with Gant, it’s hard to believe you are talking to the top basketball player in Georgia. The 6’8”, 200-pounder was named 5A Player of the Year by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and has been one of the most sought-after high school players in the country. The impressive list of colleges in pursuit of Gant included defending national champion Louisville. And you’d never know it by talking to him.
Gant began playing basketball when he was in the fourth grade. He signed up to play in the local recreation league and soon realized he was a pretty good player. A year later, playing for the Effingham County All Star team in Vidalia, Gant threw down the first dunk of his career. “I was already about six feet tall. I got a steal and took off for the basket. I dunked one-handed and the crowd went wild. Everyone was shocked, even my coaches,” he says. Several thousand dunks later, Gant is the best high school player in the state and now has an appearance in the Final Four of the state playoffs under his belt.
Gant is a smart, athletic player whose strengths include – quite obviously – playing above the rim and flying all over the court. Scout.com describes Gant as follows: “He’s a fantastic straight-up leaper who maximizes his bounce by working hard to pull down rebounds and block shots. Few finish as emphatically above the rim, as Gant is a supreme dunker in traffic and will be dynamite on the break for Missouri.”
This season, Gant will have to use all of his talents and then some in an effort to lead the Rebels on another run through the playoffs. The only starter returning from last year’s Final Four squad, Gant knows he will be called upon to lead his team on and off the court. “It’s going to take some time for us to develop this year. We’ll be very good at the end of the season. I know I’m going to have to lead. I need to score, rebound, and do everything I can,” he says. Gant averaged over 17 points, nine rebounds, and six blocks per game last year. He would like to improve on those numbers this year and he hopes the improvements in his stat line will translate into more wins. “My main goal this season is to win. That’s it.”
Throughout his career, Gant has received a number of prestigious awards. There is the aforementioned 5A Player of the Year from the AJC. WTOC also named him Player of the Week twice, for the week of January 16, 2012, and February 4, 2013; Region 2-4A All-Region (2010-2011 and 2011-2012), Region 3-5A All-Region (2012-2013); Region 3-5A Most Valuable Player (2013); and DeMasi Sports Report Athlete of the Week (2012). Gant is also a member of Effingham County’s 1,000 point club, a milestone he reached in 2012. Yet of all the awards he has received and playoff games he has played in, the biggest on-court moment for Gant was his first triple-double, which he notched as a sophomore against Greenbrier. He scored 18 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and blocked 12 shots that night. “I don’t know what made that game so special. I was active all night and I just played hard. I guess I was just feeling it,” he says.
Another special moment for Gant came when he presented his grandfather, Sam Gant, with his plaque when he was inducted into the Effingham County High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Sam Gant played just about everything he could, but made the Hall of Fame as a football player. “He was a really good player,” says Jakeenan Gant. “He was very happy when he was inducted into the Hall. When I presented him his plaque, he was speechless. He had no words.”
Colleges throughout the country badly wanted Jakeenan Gant. Louisville came after him hard. He never met head coach Rick Pitino but he spoke with him a couple of times. Georgia came calling. So did Florida, Florida State, Alabama, and Georgia Tech. Gant eventually decided upon Missouri because he felt at home with the Tigers when he visited. He was very comfortable in Missouri’s scheme and will get the opportunity to start right away. “It felt like a big family up there so I chose them,” he says.
For several years, Gant has found himself in the spotlight and under a microscope. He shrugs off the attention and remains focused on those things that are important to him: his faith, basketball, academics, and his family. He refuses to look too far into the future and instead concentrates on the tasks at hand. And right now, that means helping his Effingham County Rebels remain one of the best high school teams in the state.
Throughout his high school years, Jakeenan Gant has chosen to play basketball and nothing else. Football coaches salivate over players with Gant’s size and athleticism. There isn’t a football coach in the country who wouldn’t want an athletic 6’8” wide receiver in his offense. Gant says the football coaches at Effingham County asked him to play but he never did. “I played in middle school but I didn’t like it. It’s too hot out there,” he laughs.
Favorites:
• Subject: Sociology
• NBA team: Brooklyn Nets
• NBA player: Kevin Durant
• Sport you wish you could play: Tennis
• Place to travel: China
• Person to meet: Kobe Bryant
• Superpower: Fly
• Inspiration: My grandfather, Sam Gant
Player Spotlight/Coastal Georgia/December 2013
Jakeenan Gant
Effingham County High School
Springfield, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Photography By: Tina Helmly Photography
Rebels’ Gant headed to Missouri
