Former Yale forward E.J. Jarvis had yet to speak with new Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudamire as of Friday. But he was already intrigued by the former Boston Celtics assistant coach and NBA veteran.
“Anytime you have someone with the experience level, not just coaching in the league but also playing in the league, that speaks for itself,” Jarvis said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “What kid wouldn’t want to be associated with a guy who coached and played in the NBA?”
After going into the transfer portal March 16, Jarvis has been a sought-after prospect with an array of suitors. As of Friday, Jarvis said that he had been contacted – either directly or through someone in his inner circle – by about 50 schools, including Tech. Sunday night, he posted on social media that he had included the Yellow Jackets in his top eight, along with Cal, Florida, Georgetown, Miami, Northwestern, Notre Dame and VCU. Jarvis is from Washington.
A 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward, Jarvis was a second-team all-conference selection in the Ivy League, averaging 11.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 55% from the field. Jarvis has a soft scoring touch around the basket, handles the ball well and is effective both in the post and facing the basket.
Speaking Friday, Jarvis said he knew of Tech’s strong academic reputation and that the Jackets won the 2021 ACC championship. He said he had a couple conversations with an assistant coach, although Stoudamire has since made the decision to not retain any of the coaching staff.
“He was just telling me about the program, their play style, what they want to do, all that type of stuff,” Jarvis said.
Regarding the style of play, Jarvis offered a look into what possible design Stoudamire may have.
“He was just saying how coach Stoudamire came from the NBA,” Jarvis said. “We all know the NBA is a little bit more spaced out, a little bit more ‘five out’ and they said maybe they’re trying to look at that a little bit and sort of tweak it for the college level.”
With a game suited to play both at the basket and on the perimeter, Jarvis could be a fit. While 3-point shooting was not a big part of his game this past season, Jarvis made 13 of 32 tries from behind the arc.
In three starts against high-major competition – Butler, Kentucky and Vanderbilt – Jarvis averaged 11.3 points, seven rebounds and shot 47% from the field.
Ivy League rules require that Jarvis transfer as the conference does not permit graduate students to compete. Jarvis is on track to graduate this semester with a year of eligibility remaining, as Ivy League schools withheld from competition in the 2020-21 year.
Jarvis said he was looking for a “not just a great basketball program, but a great school” and a chance to earn a spot.
“Not come in and immediately be given a spot, but I want a chance to earn my keep at the school, which I think is a really important thing,” he said. “Whether it be the leading scorer, leading rebounder, a leader on the team, the glue guy, just filling whatever void they need to help the team win. I like to think I’m a very team-oriented person.”
A chance to win was important. In three seasons at Yale, the Bulldogs either won or shared the regular-season title or won the conference tournament (or both) each year.
“I would love to go 4-for-4,” he said.
Top 8 🙏🏽 @TiptonEdits pic.twitter.com/58d31g7gjr
— EJ “Edge” Jarvis (@J4RV15_) March 26, 2023
The process has been a whirlwind for Jarvis, who experienced nothing like the rush that he has encountered in the last several days. In high school, Jarvis committed to Yale in the summer before his senior year before the summer travel season. He described his recruitment out of the portal as hectic and “definitely pretty crazy.”
On top of trying to keep track of dozens of teams and coaches, he wasn’t even sure if he had received actual scholarship offers or not.
“Some coaches will call you and be like, ‘Hey, we’re interested,’ and some coaches will call you and be like, ‘Hey, we need what you have,’” Jarvis said. “With high school, it was a little bit more clear whether it was an offer or not. With the chaos of the transfer portal, I’m not 100% sure. Again, that’s not just with Georgia Tech. But it’s actually with a good amount of schools.”
Two players in the portal have been reported to have set up campus visits with Tech – former Florida guard Kowacie Reeves from Westside High in Macon and former Pitt forward John Hugley. Whether Jarvis will follow remains to be seen. He intends to be methodical in his decision making, he said.
“I can’t lie,” he said. “That’s probably the Yale showing up in me.”
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