Jermaine Turner was born on July 29,1974 and is an American-Irish former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his 17-year career playing in the Irish Super League.
37 Facts About Jermaine Turner
1.
2.
Jermaine Turner had stints in Switzerland, Finland, Romania and Spain.
3.
Jermaine Turner helped St Vincent's and Killester win Super League championships.
4.
Jermaine Turner was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 finals weekend after leading St Vincent's to their first title since 1994.
5.
Jermaine Turner initially played football as a wide receiver before turning his attention to basketball heading into his junior year.
6.
Jermaine Turner quickly acquired good dunking skills, but when he tried out for the school team in the fall of his junior year, he failed to make the squad, with the coach noting that there was more to basketball than dunking.
7.
That year, Jermaine Turner trained with Vincent Smith, the brother of NBA star Kenny Smith, after encountering him in a hall just off Queens Boulevard.
8.
Jermaine Turner first played with Orange County Community College but his brash, flash style didn't enamour him to his coach.
9.
Jermaine Turner subsequently dropped out of college and took up a job working for FedEx.
10.
Jermaine Turner earned All-America honors at Dowling and received his bachelor's degree in Sociology.
11.
Jermaine Turner was befriended by a former owner of a BBL team, Bob Wood.
12.
Later that summer, Jermaine Turner received a call from Chester Jets coach Robbie Peers.
13.
Jermaine Turner told Turner that he would sign him if his first choice, former NBA player Loren Meyer, fell through.
14.
Jermaine Turner arrived in Ireland on September 18,2000, to begin his first professional season.
15.
At first, Jermaine Turner didn't know what to make of Ireland.
16.
Jermaine Turner was struck by the locals' hospitality and intrigued by the country's history, but he was initially unimpressed by the amenities and customs.
17.
Jermaine Turner teamed up with fellow American Barnaby Craddock and Canadians Paul Williscroft and Rob Schrurer.
18.
Jermaine Turner was quickly picked up by St Vincent's for the rest of the season.
19.
Jermaine Turner was named Most Valuable Player of the finals weekend.
20.
Jermaine Turner appeared in seven games for Merida, averaging 15.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.
21.
Jermaine Turner later had a two-game stint with Swiss team BBC Nyon in April 2007.
22.
Jermaine Turner subsequently returned to Spain and signed with CB Tijola of the LEB Bronce.
23.
In 2009, Jermaine Turner decided that it was time to make Ireland his and his family's permanent home.
24.
Jermaine Turner subsequently settled down in Dublin and joined Killester.
25.
The win ensured Jermaine Turner's long wait for a cup final medal had come to an end and afterwards he admitted his relief after a performance that yielded 29 points.
26.
In 2012, despite being the proud owner of an Irish passport, Jermaine Turner was still considered as an American under Basketball Ireland and Superleague regulations.
27.
Jermaine Turner remained away from the game and Killester for two seasons.
28.
Jermaine Turner helped Killester come within two points of reaching the Champions Trophy final and earned Men's Premier League 2015 All-Star Third Pick honors.
29.
Jermaine Turner was not only named Player of the Month for February, but garnered Men's Premier League 2016 All-Star First Pick honors.
30.
Jermaine Turner was captivated as a youth by the audacity of Michigan's Fab Five, basketball's first hip-hop stars.
31.
Jermaine Turner was carried off following a knee injury with 3:33 remaining in the third quarter but after intense treatment returned to the action two minutes into the fourth quarter.
32.
On March 18,2017, Jermaine Turner played his final game in the Irish League.
33.
Jermaine Turner was named to the Men's Super League All-Star First Team.
34.
Jermaine Turner's family moved over and joined him that summer after his eldest daughter finished school in Dublin.
35.
Every summer between 2009 and 2016, Jermaine Turner was a guest coach with Pete Strobl's Pittsburgh-based basketball academy The Scoring Factory.
36.
Jermaine Turner joined the staff on a full-time basis in the spring of 2017 following the conclusion of his playing career.
37.
Jermaine Turner was still on the Carnegie Mellon coaching staff as of July 2023.