The Darwin Salties have today announced American import guard Jerron Jamerson (194-G-92, college: Goshen) as their inaugural player signing for the upcoming 2022 NBL1 North season.
Jamerson is no stranger to Darwin, having played four seasons in the Darwin Basketball Association (DBA) Men's League since 2016. He has also played three seasons in the Queensland system across the QBL and NBL1, most recently with the Mackay Meteors in 2021.
Originally from South Bend, Indiana, Jamerson graduated from Washington High School in 2010 and played his first two years of college basketball for Owens Community College. He transferred to Goshen College in 2012, where during his two-year career as a Maple Leaf averaged 16 points per game. He totalled 964 points, 280 rebounds and 84 blocks. During his junior year he finished 11th in the Crossroads League in scoring and was named to the All-Crossroads League Newcomer Team. The following year he received All-Crossroads League Honorable Mention.
After graduating from Goshen College, Jamerson's first pro stint came in the Premier Basketball League for the Danville Riverhawks during the 2014-15 season. He returned to the Riverhawks for the 2015-16 season before joining the Moncton Miracles of the Canadian NBL in January 2016. In 11 games for Moncton, he averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
In August 2016, Jamerson moved to Australia to play in Darwin. He joined the Ansett Blues that played in the DBA Men's League Championship Season. He averaged a league-leading 34 points per game and had a 74-point performance during the season. He scored a team-high 27 points in the grand final to lead Ansett to the championship. He returned to Ansett in 2017 and averaged 40 points per game. He then moved to Queensland in 2018 and played for the North Gold Coast Seahawks in the QBL, where he averaged 23 points per game.
He played for multiple teams in 2019, first having a short stint in the Big V Division One for the Shepparton Gators before returning to Darwin to play for Razzle Storm. In June, he left Razzle to join the USC Rip City in the QBL. After averaging 22 points per game in 10 games for USC, he returned to Razzle and helped them win the championship.
In 2020, Jamerson was set to play for the Mackay Meteors in the inaugural NBL1 North season, but the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He subsequently returned to the DBA later in the year and won the league MVP with the Tracy Village Jets. In 2021, he made his debut for Mackay and helped the team reach the best-of-three grand final series, where they defeated the Cairns Marlins 2-0 to win the NBL1 North championship. Jamerson was named Grand Final MVP after scoring a team-high 23 points in Game 1 and a game-high 24 points in Game 2.
With the Darwin Salties entering the NBL1 North in 2022, Jamerson's Darwin connection makes him the perfect inaugural marquee signing.
Head coach Matt Flinn said of Jamerson: "What struck me most about Jerron besides his great versatility as a player, competitive spirit and his willingness to get better each day as a pro, was his passion for the city of Darwin."
The Salties' first game is due to be played, at home, at the Darwin Basketball Stadium in April.
