- Name
- Derrick Jasper
- Position
- Guard
- Class
- SO
- Hometown (Last School)
- Paso Robles, CA (High)
- Ht
- 6'6"
- Wt
- 213
- Seasons
- 2006-07, 2007-08
- Birthday
- April 13, 1988
Derrick Jasper was born Derrick Lamar Jasper on April 13, 1988, in San Leandro, California to Sue and Shelba Jasper. He has a brother, Tony, and a sister, Jasmine.
Jasper played for two seasons at Kentucky from 2006-2008 before transferring to UNLV. He was selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2007.
Playing for Paso Robles High School in Paso Robles, California, Jasper averaged 21 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists per game. He was ranked in the top 40 in many national recruiting rankings and was a consensus 4-star prospect. He was also the third-ranked point guard in the class of 2006 by Rivals.com, in addition to being ranked as the 25th overall recruit, in early 2005. One of his top honors in AAU basketball was winning the MVP award at the Adidas Super 64 Tournament.
After receiving offers from schools such as Memphis, Washington, and Illinois, he decided to play at Kentucky, verbally committing on September 29, 2005. He joined Jodie Meeks, Perry Stevenson, and Michael Porter in comprising the Wildcats’ 2006 recruiting class when he signed his National Letter of Intent in November.
As a freshman at Kentucky, Jasper was chosen to start as coach Tubby Smith’s point guard. He ultimately started the final 27 games of the 2006–07 season. UK won its first 11 games with Jasper as a starter. He was second on the team and third among SEC freshmen with 2.9 assists per game. Jasper shot .613 from the field.
Over the summer, he had microfracture surgery performed on his left knee and missed the first 10 games of the 2007–08 season. When he returned to action, he was the Wildcats’ sixth man until freshman star Patrick Patterson sat for the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his ankle. After Patterson’s injury, Jasper would take his place in the lineup. His final game with Kentucky would be played in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament vs. the Marquette Golden Eagles. Jasper earned SEC Academic Honor Roll status in 2008.
In May 2008, rumors circulated that Jasper was transferring from Kentucky to a school closer to his Paso Robles, California home. The schools that were named as his possible destinations were UNLV, California and UCLA. This proved to be true when he asked for his release from the team in June. Jasper said, “My transfer is no indication of my experience here; I like the direction they’re headed in – it’s just that I would like to attend a place closer to my home.”
Jasper transferred to UNLV to play for head coach Lon Kruger.
