WFNY Cleveland Sports Awards Roll On
June 29, 2011Tribe Tidbits
June 29, 2011Former Ohio State swingman Chris Jent will be returning to his old stomping grounds as Cleveland’s Fox 8’s John Telich and Doug Lesmerises of The Plain Dealer reported yesterday evening that the Cavaliers assistant will step in along side Thad Matta with the Buckeyes for the 2011-12 season.
Known as the man who primarily worked with LeBron James in Cleveland, Jent spent the bulk of the last 12 months working with power forward JJ Hickson as the two parties attempted to improve his ability to confidently shoot jumpshots.
Speculation was that Jent would soon be tasked with helping recently drafted power forward Tristan Thompson improve his offensive game; Thompson shot below 50 percent from the foul line as a freshman at the University of Texas.
Jent, 41, was the last remaining assistant coach who had also worked under Mike Brown during his tenure with the Cavaliers and was a fan favorite in Cleveland after helping the aforementioned James improve his skills away from the basket – the two-time MVP saw his effective field goal percentage increase season-over-season over his final four years in Cleveland. With Jent, James developed what the two men considered to be a “calmer” shot, working primarily on mechanics and body control.
While at Ohio State, Jent played for four seasons, starting his senior year where the team reached the NCAA regional finals. He had worked under Matta during the 2005-06 season as a volunteer while completing his undergraduate coursework.
Stepping in for the recently departed Brandon Miller, Jent’s hiring brings instant credibility to a role that was filled by a man who many felt would be a head coach in the near future. Ohio state law madates that a two-week period transpire prior to announcing a hiring; it will be at this time when the school is expected to introduce Jent.
The Cavaliers refrain from commenting on this report until The Ohio State University makes their official announcement.
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Photo: Chris Russell | The Columbus Dispatch
2 Comments
Huge loss for the Cavaliers. They will definitely miss him.
I do have to give Jent props though for not jumping ship (like seemingly everyone else) and following LeBron to Miami.
Those sure were some epic battles between OSU and Indiana back in the days.
JJ, Treg Lee, Perry Carter, Mark Baker, and Jammal Brown (off the top of my head) versus Damon Bailey and the boys. Jent was a great 6th amn.