By the time Jerry Easter II began his freshman season at Emmanuel Christian in late November of 2021, he was already on a national boys basketball radar from his junior-high AAU performance.

Now midway through his high school career, exactly where the Warriors' 6-foot-5 sophomore guard takes his game from here remains to be seen.

But the opportunities seem abundant for Easter, who this season averaged 32.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 3.5 steals per game for Emmanuel Christian, which finished 21-4 overall and won its first Toledo Area Athletic Conference championship since 1998.

Easter has been named the 2023 All-Blade player of the year.

Steve Junga

Basketball star Easter will not attend Emmanuel Christian next year

“What I was most proud of,” Easter said, “was winning the TAAC and getting farther than we ever had in the playoffs, even though I wish we would've went further. Getting to play with my brothers, it was a really fun year.”

During the season, Easter tallied 30 or more points in 16 of his 24 games, including 40 or more three times.

“I think Jerry's one of the best players in the country, without a doubt,” Emmanuel coach T.J. Gillespie said. “He brings the attitude to win, and he also is one of the best ball-handlers I've ever seen. He's very strong with the ball.

“We didn't get pressed a lot this year, because of Jerry and his ability to get the ball up and down the floor. That's what he brings to the table that will be relevant wherever he goes and wherever he plays.”

Appreciation for Easter's talent is evident within the TAAC.

“Jerry Easter is a tremendous talent,” longtime Ottawa Hills coach John Lindsay said. “He has a high basketball IQ, great court vision, and an outstanding ability to get to the rim.

“I was really impressed with his composure and poise on the floor throughout the season.”

Steve Junga

Basketball star Jerry Easter transferring to La Lumiere in Indiana

After notching a then school-record 49 points in an 85-38 TAAC win at Northwood on Dec. 22, Easter broke his own school mark on Feb. 6 with a 51-point effort in a 62-59 home win over Hudson Western Reserve, a prep-school team from northeast Ohio that nine days later won at traditional D-I power Cleveland St. Ignatius.

Easter’s 51-point game was motivated by a two-point loss to Cardinal Stritch on Feb. 3.

“I was really mad about that,” Easter said. “I went to the gym the next day and got some shots up with my dad, and we had practice on Sunday. Going into that game on Monday, I knew we were playing a prep school, and I'm used to that.

“I'm used to playing against high-level players. My shots were falling, and I was just feeling it. They started to run different defenses, but luckily my team gave me the ball, and I was hot and just knocking down shots. I was consistent the whole game.”

His coach saw Easter at his best that night.

“The Western Reserve game was pretty crazy,” Gillespie said. “That was a big game for us playing a prep school that plays a national schedule. We knew that Jerry had to play well for us to win the game.

“Not only did he do that, but he broke records. He shot 60 percent from the field while scoring 51 points, which is incredible.”

Exploits like these led to Easter receiving his second straight TAAC player of the year honor, as well as Northwest Ohio D-III district player of the year, first team All-Ohio, and becoming one of seven nominees for the state's Mr. Basketball award.

“I worked on my strength and getting to the hole,” Easter said. “I worked on my shooting. I did a lot of catch-and-shoot, shooting off the dribble, and fading away.

“I also worked on being more vocal, being more of a leader, and getting my teammates in the right spots. I worked on my defense, as well, because defense wins games. And, I worked on being able to take over the games when I needed to.”

Easter bounced back from a season-ending fracture of his right (shooting) wrist in the 14th game of his freshman season. He closed that season having averaged 25.0 points and 10.2 rebounds.

“After my injury last year it was hard sometimes,” Easter said. “I thought I'd be out longer, but luckily I came back quickly. I stayed in the gym and worked. When I took off my cast, it was maybe even stronger than it was before.

“I came back even better, and I was hungry. I took the game really seriously after that. I can't take anything for granted.”

This past season, Easter, who also carries a 4.0 grade-point average, reached his 1,000th career point in just his 34th prep game. He now has 1,124 points (29.6 average) and 324 rebounds (8.5) through two seasons.

Prior to this sophomore-season output, Easter already possessed most of the 24 Division I college scholarship offers he has received.

Included on this list are Ohio State, Michigan State, and Illinois of the Big Ten; Mississippi State, South Carolina, Missouri, and Vanderbilt of the Southeastern Conference; Arizona State, UCLA, USC, and Washington of the Pac-12; Syracuse and Louisville of the Atlantic Coast Conference; Cincinnati and Memphis of the American Athletic Conference, and Toledo, Bowling Green, and Northern Illinois of the Mid-American Conference.

“I see Jerry going as far as he wants to go,” Gillespie said. “He is one of the hardest workers I've ever seen at this level, and he puts it in every day. He can go all the way, honestly, keeping his head together.

“Wherever he goes – high school or college – as long as he's part of a good program that will put him on the floor and trust him, he'll be OK.”

According to 247sports.com, Easter ranks as the No. 37 player nationally in the Class of 2025, No. 9 overall among shooting guards, and as Ohio's No. 2 player.

Easter is in Houston this weekend attending the NCAA men's basketball Final Four, invited as part of a select group of prep players trying out for a USA Basketball team.

Next comes the AAU basketball season (April-July) with the Columbus-based All-Ohio Red team and a schedule that will include tournaments in Atlanta, Phoenix, Dallas, and Memphis. At the end of the 2022-23 school year he can begin official visits to college campuses.

First Published April 1, 2023, 7:12 p.m.