Pooh Jeter returns: ‘I’m going to do what I can to help things’
Former University of Portland star Pooh Jeter has been hired to fill a couple of roles in the Trail Blazers organization
Want to hear from somebody who is grateful to be able to live in the City of Roses?
Pooh Jeter is your man.
“It’s amazing to be back home in Portland,” says the former University of Portland point guard, hired recently by the Trail Blazers as a player development coach and to serve as assistant general manager of their G-League team, the Rip City Remix.
Jeter is a Los Angeles native and has played basketball and lived around the world.
“But Portland has always been my second home,” the loquacious Jeter says. “I matured there at an age — 18 to 22 — when you are really trying to figure out life. God sent me to Portland to connect and be around a community of love. That’s from The Bluff to all my family and friends on MLK Boulevard and in the inner city, including people like Damon Stoudamire to my barber Daunte Paschal.
“The community — that’s what I loved so much about it. I got to UP and started building relationships. It was a great feeling of love. Me coming back to Portland, getting back in contact with people, it’s like, I’m home!”
Mind you, it has been 17 years that Jeter has been away. During that time, he played one NBA season (with the Sacramento Kings in 2010-11) but also places such as Ukraine and Israel and Spain and France and Turkey and eight seasons in China, where he must be revered and regarded as the backcourt counterpart to Yao Ming.
“It’s timing,” Jeter says. “If you stay dialed in and committed, things will happen.”
Things have happened. Jeter is back in Rip City after two years with the G-League Ignite, serving as a backup point guard but, much more importantly, as mentor and role model for Scoot Henderson. Now Jeter and Henderson — the No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft and the Blazers’ point guard of the future — are hooked up together again.
Blazer draft pick Scoot Henderson benefitted from Jeter’s tutelage the last two seasons with the G League Ignite
“Once we drafted him, I said, ‘Look at God,’ ” Jeter says. “Now we get to continue this? It was meant to be.”
Jeter is pleased to be able to make Portland home with wife Chyvonne and their two sons, E.J., 8, and Ethan, 4. They are already athletes and sports fans.
“Basketball, baseball, flag football — they do it all,” Pooh says. “They watch it all. When I was with the Ignite, they got to go to practice. E.J. had his own locker. That is one of the things I like with (general manager) Joe Cronin and (coach) Chauncey Billups — they’re big on family. E.J. was allowed to sit on the bench with us during summer league. The Blazers are all about family.”
Things are different now, though, than they were before on The Bluff, and in the city, too.
“The school has changed,” he says. “New buildings. No more Howard Hall. The (Bauccio) Commons is now five-star. As for the city, it’s sad to see what happened during Covid. All the unrest, and a lot of businesses shutting down. I am going to do what I can to help things from my end.”
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Eugene Jeter III, now 39, has been known as “Pooh” almost forever. His grandmother, Ethel White, said he looked like a pooh bear when he was born.
Pooh wound up being a basketball star, but he is not the biggest sports name in his family. Sister Carmelita Jeter is a three-time Olympic medalist who still ranks fourth on the all-time women’s 100-meter world list.
“I taught her how to play basketball even though she is four years older,” Pooh says. “I spent a lot of time in the front yard playing sports. When she started playing, she was so fast. When she was in eighth grade, I remember watching her get a rebound and flying down the court. Her track coach saw it, too, and that was the last year she played basketball.”
The Jeters have two other siblings — brother Demond, 10 years older than Pooh, and younger sister Simone. As youngsters, Pooh and Carmelita shared a room and slept on bunk beds.
“We had a goal and love of something — me basketball, her track and field — and we connected with God even more, and brought that belief in our faith,” Pooh says. “We were able to showcase the holy spirit within us.
“She was a superhero, the fastest woman in the world. To be connected to one of the incredibles? I just wanted to be the little brother. We are so close. She taught me so much about life. She taught me so much about women. Having that type of relationship is everything.”
Jeter has one more thought about his sister.
“She may be faster without a basketball,” he says, “but I am faster with a basketball. I want the world to know that. We haven’t raced. We don’t know who might win.”
Pooh’s Christian faith came from family.
“My parents believe in God,” he says. “My Dad’s mom was always in the church. My great grandpa was a preacher. My mom’s sister and her husband got me dialed in to going to church. They got me the first bible I was actually reading my ninth-grade year.
“Once I got a car, I would go to church and try to find ways to understand the principles I need to be living by. I’m not perfect, but once you dial in to certain scripture to live by, it can be your foundation. You see how much you can show God’s work through your actions.”
Pooh attended Junipero Serra High, a Catholic school in Gardena in suburban LA. As a 5-11, 160-pound point guard, he caught the attention of UP assistant coaches under Michael Holton.
Blazer broadcaster Michael Holton coached Jeter at the University of Portland
“Two of my assistants were in disagreement about Pooh as a player,” recalls Holton, now radio analyst for Trail Blazer broadcasts. “One thought he was super talented and the other thought he was too small. We were having the conversation in a coaches meeting, and Rich Wold told me, ‘I’m going to show you a video of him playing. You look at it and make a decision.’
“Right away, I realized Pooh’s game was bigger than his size. His ability to lead was special.”
During a recruiting trip to Portland in February of his senior year, Jeter attended a Blazers-Lakers game at the Rose Garden.
“I got the chance to meet one of my mentors to this day, Damon Stoudamire, and coach Mo Cheeks,” Jeter says. “I remember the conversation with Damon. He asked, ‘You gonna come here?’ I said, ‘If I can learn from you.’ He said, ‘You got it,’ and he kept his word.
Former Blazer guard Damon Stoudamire says Jeter “stands for all the good things in basketball”
“I had access to Salim Stoudamire and Ime Udoka and others who believed in me — guys like Erin Cowan and Beano Memory. I could name so many people through the city that I formed relationships with and believed in me.”
Jeter played at UP from 2002-06. He was a three-year starter who averaged 18.5 points as a senior, shooting .458 from the field, .365 from 3-point range and .869 from the foul line. Jeter was a two-time first-team All-WCC selection and graduated with a degree in communications in 2006. He still ranks second on the Pilots’ career scoring list.
“Pooh was very talented,” says Holton, a star guard at UCLA who went on to play seven NBA seasons. “He was able to get anywhere with the dribble. He was a scorer. We all trusted his ability to get baskets and put points on the board.
“But what stood out about Pooh was his leadership personality, both on the floor and in the locker room. He was a guy who elevated the program. People enjoyed being around him. That’s what I remember most about him.”
Despite all the accolades, the Pilots went 54-91 during Jeter’s four years and never made it past the first round of the WCC Tournament.
“We were always missing a piece,” Jeter says. “Maybe it was was my time to showcase myself to the world individually. And I got to learn from Coach Holton, who had been to where I was trying to go to. I loved my time there. I had so many individual accolades, and I worked extremely hard.”
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Jeter went undrafted but played summer league ball with Sacramento. He went to Kings training camp but was waived in the preseason and wound up playing a season in the D League. Jeter averaged 14.4 points and 7.1 assists for the Colorado 14ers and made the D-League All-Star Game.
“I was able to be one of the best point guards in the league,” he says, “and that turned into an international tour.”
Indeed, Jeter spent 12 of the next 13 years playing professionally abroad, beginning in Ukraine in 2007-08. The next season, he played in Spain; the season after that, in Israel and Spain. In 2010-11, he spent the entire season with Sacramento, averaging 4.1 points and 2.6 assists in 13.8 minutes a game. Jeter returned to Spain in 2011-12, then began an eight-year run in China in which he never averaged fewer than 21 points per game.
In 12 seasons of international ball, Pooh averaged 22.4 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting .461 from the field, .405 from 3-point range and .876 from the foul line. Such credentials are hard to beat.
In 2014, Jeter became a naturalized citizen of Ukraine (his naturalized name: Yudzhin Dzheter) and helped its senior national team qualify for the World Cup for the first time since the break-up of the Soviet Union. The Ukrainian team was coached by Mike Fratello, Bob Hill and Joe Wolf. It lost 95-71 to a USA squad featuring Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Anthony Davis and DeMar DeRozan, but went 2-3 and finished sixth in EuroCup standings.
“My friends could not believe I was playing for Ukraine,” Jeter says with a laugh. “Neither could my homies like DeMarcus, Kyrie and DeMar. But it was a great experience.”
Jeter looks at the situation today in Ukraine with sadness.
“A lot of my friends over there had to move away,” he says. “It’s sad to see what Ukraine looks like now. That’s not what it should be. Ukraine is beautiful, Kyiv is beautiful and the people are wonderful. I’m continuing to pray for Ukraine.”
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In 2020-21, the G League Ignite made its debut, with elite NBA prospects earning salaries in a one-year development program outside of the traditional team structure as an alternative to college basketball. League officials wanted to put veterans alongside the youngsters on the team.
The first year, the Ignite’s home base was Walnut Creek, Calif., and the team played only 15 games under coach Brian Shaw. Former Blazer Jarrett Jack was the team’s veteran guard. Ex-Blazers Shareef Abdur-Rahim (G League president) and Rod Strickland (G League program manager) had first asked Jeter, but he declined.
G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim predicts Jeter will be a success in whatever role the Blazers put him
“I didn’t know what it was all about,” says Jeter, who spent his off-seasons working with youth groups in the L.A. area. “My job on this earth is to be a messenger and servant, to share my experiences and make sure the next ones coming up are better than me. (Abdur-Rahim and Strickland) saw that, and heard from people talking about my story.”
That season, Bobby Brown — Jeter’s “best friend” — and Amir Johnson were among the Ignite squad members, “and I was able to see its benefits. When Shaw took the Clippers job and Jason Hart became the Ignite coach, they asked again if I wanted to do this. I said, ‘For sure.’ ”
The next two seasons — the first in Walnut Creek, the last in Las Vegas — the veteran guard was Jeter. His prize pupil was Henderson, who came in at 17 as the youngest player in the league.
Jeter, more than twice Henderson’s age, backed up the prodigy. In 2021-22, Henderson averaged 14.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists and shot .456 from the field, .174 from 3-point range and .778 from the line in 24.5 minutes a game. Jeter averaged 9.7 points, 3.2 assists and shot .463, .454 and .875 in his 22.6 minutes. Henderson often played off the ball with Jaden Hardy running the point.
“I’ll never forget our first workout in September,” Jeter says. “I’m looking at these young men and I’m thinking, ‘Dang, they can play.’ I’m seeing Scoot shooting and dunking, and I go over and I’m like, ‘How old are you?’ He says, ’17.’ I say, ‘I’m 20 years older than you.’ But we hit it off, off and on the court.”
Abdur-Rahim had worked in the Sacramento front office under Geoff Petrie and Wayne Cooper during Jeter’s one NBA season.
“I knew what type of guy Pooh was, and had followed his career,” Abdur-Rahim says. “Pooh and Jason are both L.A. guys who knew each other well. What we tried to do with the Ignite was pair young guys with really good, experienced guys who could serve as mentors. They have done everything in their careers and are willing to share with the younger guys. We thought Pooh would be perfect, and he ended up even better than we thought.”
Jeter and Henderson lived in adjacent apartments.
“I’m thinking, ‘I got to keep my eye on this one,’ ” Jeter says. “I told him, ‘You need anything, knock on my door.’ We had that kind of relationship. We just clicked. It’s amazing how things work. Being a player/coach is a perfect balance between draft prospects and experienced players. Normally, you don’t see experienced players on G League teams, but the Ignite is showing it works.
“You’re like an in-his-prime Mike Tyson. You’re trying to take people out.”
“Scoot was able to learn so much about being a pro on and off the court. The Ignite did a great job with that. What people need to know, people in the G League are looking out for each other. The veterans are taking our youngest to the side and telling them things that can help them grow. They are getting the answers to the test.”
Last season, Henderson blossomed while running the point exclusively, averaging 16.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.5 assists while shooting .429, .275 and .764 in 30.7 minutes. Jeter averaged 7.4 points and 2.0 assists while shooting .444, .449 and .929 in 17.3 minutes. Most important was his work in helping develop Henderson’s game and mindset.
“Scoot and I developed a trust,” Jeter says. “I told him, ‘I’m here to make sure you get your game right. When you leave the Ignite, this is when we let go of our hands and you have to figure it out.’
“What I’m happiest about Scoot has nothing to do about basketball. Imagine a 17-year-old who could not speak in a room when he got to the (G) league. Now he is taking a mic and controlling a room. That says a lot of great things about him having the attitude, ‘I don’t know; teach me.’ Now he is able to public speak.”
In terms of basketball, Henderson still has much to learn. Jeter believes he couldn’t be in better hands than those of Blazer coaches Billups and Scott Brooks, both veteran point guards in the NBA.
“I told Scoot, ‘You’re like an in-his-prime Mike Tyson. You’re trying to take people out,’ ” Jeter says. “I’m impressed with how ferocious he is. He is a real competitor. He has this thing to him that he knows he can do some powerful things on the basketball court.
“People compare him to Russell Westbrook and Derek Rose. I see Jason Williams at Duke in him. I see Eric Bledsoe. He has the potential to be the next real-deal point guard in the NBA. But he has to listen to Chauncey and Scott, to learn from people who have been in the NBA and have the knowledge that he doesn’t have. He has to take it one day at a time and have his ears open. He is very serious when it comes to basketball. I pray he stays healthy.”
Says Abdur-Rahim: “I knew from my own career that you learn so much from guys who came before me. Pooh was a point guard who can talk Scoot through the dynamics of the position and teach him how to be a professional and how to run a team. That’s the basketball part of it. The relationship part of it, they developed that on their own. That’s the thing you love to see. I never said to Pooh, ‘Try to spend some time with Scoot.’ He did it, and really with all those guys with the Ignite.”
Stoudamire, about to begin his first season as head coach at Georgia Tech, spent 13 seasons as a point guard in the NBA. He has watched Henderson play enough to have an opinion on his future.
“I really like him,” Stoudamire says. “I hate to use the word potential, because being in the G-league, he is already ahead of the curve in terms of experience for a young guy. Once he learns the nuances of the NBA game, he will be fine. He is strong, athletic, a downhill guy. He is what the NBA looks like nowadays. He is that combo guard can play with the ball and play without it. I’m looking forward to watching his growth.”
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In the summers after his seasons in Europe for about five years, Jeter joined with personal trainer Devin Williams for training sessions at Serra High. They would invite the youth in the area to train with them. For free.
“Dev also had a facility in Carson and a spot in Torrance,” Jeter says. “Every Monday through Friday at 7 a.m. we’d be in the gym somewhere. The kids benefitted, but so did I. You know the saying ‘iron sharpens iron’? It’s true. I got to stay young.”
Jeter also hosted free summer camps in the Gardena area, with hundreds of youths attending and players such as DeRozan, Harden and Paul Pierce instructing. Jeter has a two-day camp coming up on Aug. 19 and 20.
“A lot of the kids in the community won’t be pro players,” he says. “I have to make sure they can transition into their next chapter in life. We play basketball, but we also have a sit-down education. We bring in experts to talk financial literacy, mental wellness, social media, knowing your rights, fashion and so on. We want them to find something outside of basketball. We want them to make it in life.”
This is the Pooh Jeter that so many people admire.
“Pooh stands for all the good things in basketball,” Stoudamire says. “He considers me a mentor, but he does a great job of mentorship himself. He did a really good job with the Ignite. I would think he enjoyed being around those young guys, helping them and sharing his experiences and knowledge. He is one of the good guys. I am really happy for all the trajectory in his life and career.”
Jeter isn’t sure how he will divide his time between work with the Blazers and the Remix next season.
“We are about to figure that out,” he says. “I am in contact with Joe, with Danny Connors (the Remix GM) and (assistant Blazer GMs) Mike Schmitz, Andrae Patterson and Sergi Oliva. We will balance things out. (Remix coach) Jim Moran is getting everything ready, and I will be involved. We will figure out a way for me to handle both. It’s a new situation for both me and the Blazers.
“I know I will be working with the point guards, so I will have Scoot in my group. I will learn from coach (Steve) Hetzel. I am so happy they thought of me to be a part of this. Chauncey and Joe have an incredible plan. I can’t wait to execute it.”
Holton says he feels fortunate to be in the city where Jeter will start his post-playing career.
“When he was in town interviewing, he reached out to me, which speaks to something about him that is unique to any player I’ve coached,” Holton says. “He has never come to town and not reached out. The maturity and care and concern about staying connected and communicating is something I have appreciated about him. He was reaching out for some mentorship, not for networking, not for, ‘Can you talk to somebody for me?’ I said, ‘Pooh, just be you, and you will be happy where you land. Always look to add value before you look to be valuable.’ ”
Holton attended summer league and interviewed a few of the Blazer rookies, including Henderson, for a video series for Blazer Broadcasting. Holton’s final question to Scoot: “Who is the toughest player you’ve guarded?”
“Pooh Jeter after practice,” was Henderson’s response. “He would give me the business and teach at the same time.”
“Yeah, I used to do that to Pooh,” Holton says with a laugh. “I don’t know Pooh the assistant GM, but Pooh the player development coach will be fine.”
Abdur-Rahim believes Jeter will be a success in whatever role the Blazers use him.
“Pooh is first-class, beyond what you would expect,” Abdur-Rahim says. “It is hard to put it in words. He’s a special guy, the way he carries himself, and he has been that way forever. His work ethic, his humility, his perspective, is unique. I saw him at the beginning of his pro career, and later on he was the same guy. I think the world of him.
“You will see it when they come through Portland. We talked about the opportunity in Portland. I thought it would be like what Petrie and Cooper did to give me a start after my playing career was over. You don’t get opportunities like that. Pooh knows the city; he played college there. Whatever he wants to do, coaching or front office, he will succeed.”
Jeter isn’t sure yet whether coaching or a front-office position most interests him.
“When you pray and God presents things, things work out,” he says. “I’m happy I have this time with Portland to see which one it is. I love coaching and developing, but I also love front-office work. I am happy Portland gave me this opportunity. Maybe I will have a lot on my plate, but I am OK with that.”
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