Jabez Blaylock transferred to Northeast Lauderdale prior to his season year after being a standout at Newton.

He quickly became acclimated to the team, filling in as the Trojans’ “sixth man,” or first player off the bench, throughout the 2021-22 season, finishing with 10.5 points, nine rebounds and two blocks per game. The strong effort earned him a scholarship offer from Copiah-Lincoln Community College, which Blaylock accepted.

Friday afternoon, Blaylock made his decision official as he was surrounded by family, coaches and teammates at a school that quickly became a home for him, and Blaylock said he was grateful to have made the impact he made at Northeast Lauderdale in a short amount of time.

“They took me in as a family and helped me and provided for me,” Blaylock said. “I became one of their own.”

Northeast Lauderdale basketball coach Lewis Lightsey said Blaylock did a good job in adjusting to not only his role on the court but also off the court as a leader.

“He worked very hard and had great determination,” Lightsey said. “He’s tall and long — and maybe not physically big, but he was able to get under the basket and be a really great shot blocker. For us, he was also a great offensive rebounder, and he scored a majority of his points for us in that regard. He’s also a really great kid with that big smile, and everyone on campus likes him. He would also spend time with the younger players, especially at his position by showing them how to do certain things.”

Blaylock said he hopes Co-Lin is another step in a long basketball career, and he’s eager to get to Wesson and continue to improve as a player.

“I’ve been dream about this since I was a little kid,” Blaylock said. “I want to go pro and make it to the NBA one day and provide for my family. I like Co-Lin’s campus, the coaches, the gym, all of it was amazing.”