Basketball will always be a part of the culture in the city that never sleeps. From the infamous courts at Rucker Park to the hardwood floors of Madison Square Garden, basketball has become a way of life in New York City. New York basketball also has a history of winning, which brought more and more talent to the city. As the sport of basketball increased in popularity, so did the availability of successful programs across the country.
With a lack of incoming talent and the poor recent history of the New York Knicks, basketball in New York was trending downward. Then came Isaiah Washington and the creation of the Jelly Fam.
Jelly Fam: Where are they now?
History of the Jelly Fam
In 2012, inspired by Isiah Thomas‘ finger roll and Michael Jordan‘s free throw line dunk, Washington, along with his friend Ja’Quaye James, invented a new layup move called ‘the jelly.’ The layup consisted of bringing your hand back as if you were going to dunk but then transition into a finger roll. Washington himself describes it as a finger roll with some added spice.
Built off of dominant skill, a confident attitude, and a desire to be the star of the show, the Jelly Fam became huge. Brining in full crowds and celebrities to their high school and street games, the Jelly Fam was on a mission to revitalize New York basketball. Around 2016, the Jelly Fam went viral on social media. Washington and James decided to grow the Jelly Fam by bringing in some of their friends, Sidney “Sid” Wilson, and Jahvon Quinerly. Pedro Marquez, Jordan Walker, and Milicia Reid also joined the Jelly Fam. The new additions to the Jelly Fam had them representing all across the Tri-State area.
Once in the spotlight of the basketball world, what are they up to now?
Where are the “Founding Four” now?
Isaiah Washington
After a storied high school basketball career, Washington committed to the University of Minnesota to play under head coach Richard Pitino, son of Rick Pitino. The Jelly Fam founder played there for two seasons, putting up an average stat line of 6.6 points on 34.7 percent shooting, 2.6 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game. He played in 18.2 minutes per game, only cracking the starting lineup four times.
Following a shaky two-season stint in Minnesota, Washington decided to return home to New York and take on a larger role at Iona College. In his junior year, the 2019-2020 season, he became a perennial starter with 33.3 minutes per game. Before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus, Washington saw a big increase in his stat line with 11.4 points on 40.6 percent shooting, 5.1 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
Washington has recently entered the transfer portal once again. His next destination is unknown.
Ja’Quaye James
In James’ high school senior season in Teaneck, he was arrested after he was involved in a violent altercation with two minors. This understandably made his value drop in the eyes of college scouts. James decided to go play for Navarro College, a junior college in Texas. In his freshman year, the 2018-2019 season, James averaged 11.5 points on 41.9 percent shooting, 4.1 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game. In the 27 games he played in, he started in 19, averaging 7.2 minutes per game.
Following his freshman year, James transferred to Mineral Area College, another junior college in Missouri. From the limited information available, he was a part of the team through at least January 2nd, where he played in a game against Three Rivers College. He is no longer listed on the team’s official roster. It is currently unknown why he is no longer on the roster or where he currently plays or plans to play.
Sid Wilson
After initially committing to St. John’s for the 2017-2018 season, Wilson decided to transfer to go play for the University of Connecticut Huskies. This caused Wilson to be a redshirt for his first year.
In his two seasons at UCONN, he is averaging 4 points on 37.6 percent shooting and 2.3 rebounds per game. Wilson saw a big decline in minutes from his freshman to sophomore season, losing just over seven minutes per game. Cracking the starting lineup six times in his freshman year, he didn’t start at all in his sophomore season.
Wilson has already received two suspensions from the NCAA; one his freshman year and one his sophomore year. Both were for a violation of team rules. Wilson will return to UCONN for his junior season.
Jahvon Quinerly
Following his high school graduation, Quinerly went to go play for Villanova. In his freshman season, the 2018-2019 season, Quinerly had a minor role for the team. Playing in only 9.1 minutes, he averaged 3.2 points on 33.7 percent shooting and 0.9 assists per game. Quinerly was originally going to play for Arizona, but decommitted following the FBI’s investigation into the corruption of the NCAA, where Arizona’s assistant coach was found guilty for giving players ‘benefits.’
Quinerly decided to transfer to the University of Alabama. He was denied a transfer waiver, so he was forced to sit out during the 2019-2020 season. He still has three years of NCAA eligibility left and will make his debut for Alabama in the 2020-2021 season.
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