By: Dylan Lutey, Germantown Friends Jr. Reporter
Photos: Kathy Leister & Lennie Malmgren
PHILADELPHIA – There was a collective excitement and curiosity as eighth grader Jordan Dill checked into the game against Germantown Friends’ neighboring rival, Penn Charter.
After a defensive stop by the Tigers, point guard Jaden Palmer-Waldron brought the ball down which started Dill’s first career offensive possession. After an Amir Staten miss and a Muhsin Muhammad offensive rebound, the ball made its way back to Dill. He then came off a curl and got the ball in his hands. The eighth grader sized up his defender with a couple of dribbles then calmly drained a three.
“Everybody [was] surprised because I tell them every time I wasn’t nervous, you're going out there to have fun, it’s just basketball have fun,” said Dill, commenting on this experience.
Germantown Friends freshman, Jordan Dill #4 - PSD Photo by Kathy Leister
This type of confidence and ability to knock down shots became a common occurrence throughout the rest of the season. Dill ended up playing a pivotal role on last year's team where he found himself starting games after senior point guard Matt Johnson went down with a back injury. He proved to everyone he was going to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come after scoring 24 points against Westtown, 21 points against Academy New Church, and 16 points against George School, all schools containing high major Division 1 prospects.
For the season he went on to average 16 points, four rebounds and two assists. Additionally, he earned Honorable Mention All-Friends League becoming the first eighth grader in Friends League history to do so.
While he enjoyed tons of success in his first varsity basketball season, he wasn’t always the Jordan everyone now knows.
“When I first started I wasn't that good. I wasn't really that good and everyone looked at me like, ‘Oh, he's just good. It’s just natural talent.’ I wasn't like, always good. It came from just working hard each and every day,” he reflects.
When asked about who he would give the most credit to for his development as a basketball player, Jordan responded, “I would say my dad the most because like I told you before, in the beginning, I was thinking about quitting because I wasn't that good. I saw kids better than me. He was just like, ‘just keep working each and every day, it's going to come.’ And I really saw it come in fifth grade because we were just working out every single day and I just got better than the kids that were better than me back then.”
It might come as a surprise to many as to why Dill chose Germantown Friends School, known more for its academics rather than its basketball. He easily could have chosen a school more known for its basketball such as Westtown, which has graduated two players recently in Mo Bamba and Cam Reddish who both went on to become NBA lottery picks and graduated the number one player in the country last year, Dereck Lively who is currently playing for Duke.
On who played a major role in getting him to Germantown Friends Dill explains, “Coach Shawn (Werdt) when I first stepped in, he was just a great coach. I just saw myself there. I could have went to Westtown, I could have went anywhere, but I chose here and it's closer to home.”
While the rigorous academic curriculum may not be Dill’s favorite part, his work ethic and mindset in the classroom are very similar to those on the court.
“It's still challenging, it's my second year and it's high school now. It's way different in middle school,” said Dill. “Especially going home tired and stuff, but that's not an excuse. I’ve got to do the homework. I spend like two and a half to sometimes three hours (on schoolwork) if I have tests and stuff.”
Germantown Friends freshman, Jordan Dill (#11 2022) - PSD Photo by Lennie Malmgren
Heading into his second season after taking the opportunity to rest over the summer while battling growing pains and knee tendonitis, the freshman guard who has received interest from Temple, Drexel, UConn, Towson, and Syracuse is preparing himself to be the primary scorer.
Knowing that teams will be building game plans around stopping him, Dill says his mindset is to “not rush and just be patient with it.”
After losing seniors Ben King, Matt Johnson, Hanif Goins, and Henry Zabierek, not only is Dill going to be asked to carry even more of the scoring load but he has been forced to be a leader on this year’s young team. It's not always easy being a leader and it is far from normal to be one of the main leaders on a team as a freshman, however, that's exactly what Jordan wants to be: far from normal, extraordinary. There is a maturity about him where he knows he needs to have more responsibilities than an average freshman if he wants to separate himself from other basketball players his age.
“It's a positive because I can't do what regular freshmen do. I’ve got to mature fast, I can't play around or I can't say, ‘oh, I'm only a freshman. I didn't know that.’ I'm a senior basically, so when I'm a senior it's going to be even easier,” said Dill.
Don’t get it twisted, Dill takes every opportunity he can to play around before practice or before a game. He can often be found having fun with his teammates or doing something to get on one of the coaches’ nerves. There is never a dull moment with Dill and his positive attitude is infectious. However, when it is time to get down to business that’s exactly what he does. After all, the very first two words he uses to describe himself are a “winner” and “competitor.”
Germantown Friends senior Jaden Palmer-Waldron #23 - PSD Photo by Lennie Malmgren
Dill has connected with many different people on the Germantown Friends School campus carrying his charismatic smile everywhere he goes making sure to check in with just about everybody he sees with a fist bump and a “you good?” One person he has developed an especially strong relationship is senior point guard Jaden Palmer-Waldron.
When asked to describe Jordan as a person Palmer-Waldron said, “Jordan is very charismatic and super thoughtful of others. He knows his way around conversations and people and his bright energy is always a delight to be around.”
Although it is a daunting task, Dill is embracing the challenge of becoming a leader and when asked what he is most excited for going into his second season he said, “Probably being a leader. Being a leader because I’ve got to be a leader. My voice has got to be heard.”
As one would expect there are still growing pains as Dill continues to try to be the best leader he can be. That is where this year’s two senior captains Palmer-Waldron and Staten come in to help Dill’s development as a leader.
Jaden who looks at Jordan as a “little brother on and off the court,” is focused on “telling Jordan the truth and developing Jordan into a passing guard in addition to the scoring guard that he already is.”
Dill reflects on the impact the two senior captains have had on his development as a leader: “They were telling me, ‘just calm down, don't yell at everybody just because they take it a different way. Everybody can't take you yelling at them.’ So just like, calm down more when you are talking to certain players.”
Heading into his second season, more people and cameras can be seen at home games in Scattergood Gym bringing the hype surrounding Jordan Dill to another level, but his level of confidence and swagger on the court is also at another level.
Dill also has his old number 4 on the back of his jersey again after forward Muhsin Muhammad transferred to Friends Central. He wears this number to pay tribute to his friend Nasir who died due to gun violence in 6th grade. Nasir is also someone who motivates Dill each and every day to continue to get better.
“We [Nasir and I] would just talk about every day how we're going to the league, go to the same high school, like run high school and stuff like that. And of course my parents too. I say of course my parents, but mainly him (Nasir), he motivates me each and every day just to keep going because I know he wouldn’t let me quit.”
Jordan Dill (#11 2022) - PSD Photos by Lennie Malmgren
Ever since his friend fell victim to Philadelphia’s gun violence like so many have, Dill has become an advocate for stopping this increasingly serious issue. He has partnered with Gary Mills Founder of the brand Shoot Basketballs Not People, who is trying to spread awareness about gun violence and trying to get kids off the streets, to help shoot a documentary titled, “Bad Things Happen in Philadelphia.” Dill’s reasoning for getting involved in this type of work goes beyond the unfortunate death of his friend.
“Kids my age, like 15 and younger, are getting killed for no reason, which is why I decided to shoot that movie. Because I'm a face, not everybody knows me, but like, people know me from basketball and stuff like that. Especially where I come from, it's not a great environment. It's two choices, jail or doing something good with your life. A lot of my friends are in jail or on the streets. For people to see my face in a movie, they can be inspired. They can see I really made it at a young age. It's just like you can do something better than being in the streets, selling drugs. I can basically show other kids they don't have to be in streets for no reason.”
While Jordan continues to navigate his busy school and basketball life in order to ultimately reach the Division 1 level and beyond, he continues to focus on the current moment. While there are high expectations for Dill, the next three and a half years still hold a lot of unknowns for the freshman guard. However, from opposing defenses falling victim to Dill’s unguardable array of moves, to his social justice work off the court in the Philadelphia community, one thing is for certain: no matter where Jordan Dill is, his presence will be felt.