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Trey Jemison is returning home.
After spending the first two years of his college basketball career at Clemson, the Homewood and Hoover native announced May 14 that he would be returning to the Birmingham area to play at UAB.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Jemison said. “I’m super excited. To be so close to home, that’s the best part. I love Birmingham, I love Homewood and Hoover. Being back around all these people that have known me is a great feeling.”
Jemison chose UAB over the likes of Samford, Georgia Southern, Troy, Tennessee Tech and Louisiana.
As a sophomore at Homewood, Jemison helped lead the Patriots to the 2016 Class 6A state title, the first in the program’s history. He transferred to Hoover for his senior season, where he helped the Bucs to a 7A regional final appearance. That season, he averaged 19 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks per game and was named all-state honorable mention.
Jemison will be one of many new faces on the Southside, as new head coach and UAB alum Andy Kennedy has taken over the program and remade the roster.
“We are excited that Trey has chosen to return home and be a part of this program,” Kennedy said in a release. “He will immediately give us a huge presence in the paint with his abilities on both ends of the court. Trey had a tremendous high school career in this city and the two years he spent in the ACC [have] prepared him to make an immediate impact for Blazer basketball.”
The 7-foot center shot 49% from the floor last season for Clemson, playing in 30 of the team’s 31 games. He posted career highs of 10 points against Alabama A&M and seven rebounds against Notre Dame. He said the biggest lesson he learned from Clemson coach Brad Brownell is the mentality to continue working hard, no matter what.
“Now that I come back to UAB, I’m going to bring the mindset of we’re working hard, but it’s not enough,” Jemison said. “That’s what’s going to help us get better.”
Jemison said Kennedy recruited him out of high school while Kennedy was in the midst of his 12-year tenure at Ole Miss. Jemison also knows a handful of players on UAB’s current roster, along with Phillip Pearson, one of the program’s assistant coaches.
Once Jemison enrolls at UAB, he will apply for immediate eligibility to play during the 2020-21 season. That decision from the NCAA could go either way. But he believes that the pieces are in place for UAB to be competitive right away. The Blazers last qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
“It would mean so much to me,” Jemison said. “I feel like we can be something huge in Birmingham if we do the right things.”
There’s an added bonus of returning home for Jemison as well. He will get to see his sister Kayla’s senior volleyball and track seasons at Hoover High.
“My sister was really excited,” he said. “We’re really close. She was excited to see me back in the city, and I’m excited to see her play volleyball and run track.”