Senior swimmer Kelly McGowan is writing a series of profile stories on some of UIC's International student-athletes. This is the fourth edition of Flames From Afar.

Jordan Blount is a junior forward on the UIC Men's Basketball Team from Cork, Ireland. Blount comes from a large, athletic family with five brothers and one sister, all of whom played basketball, including his father. His mother was a boxer, along with his older brother, John, who is a three-time All-Ireland boxing champion.
 
At the age of 15, Blount decided to move across Europe to play basketball and study in just about every country until he was 19. While playing and studying, he grew fluent to Spanish as most of his time was spent in Spain, and is now able to speak Spanish, English, and his native language, Irish.
 
At 19, Blount decided to move to the US to continue his basketball career. He always knew he wanted to leave his home country to pursue his dreams, but thought he would stay in Europe for many years, "basketball in Ireland just isn't popular like it is in other countries". Blount eventually decided to move to the US so he could get a good education and further his basketball abilities. He got offers from many high-major colleges but chose UIC because he immediately clicked well with the team and coaching staff on his recruiting trip, "I decided to go with my gut feeling," says Blount.
 
Throughout his 12 years of being an athlete, Blount has received numerous awards. He was recognized as the best basketball player in Ireland and was awarded the U16 National Basketball Player of the Year when he was just 14. Blount was also the overall scoring leader in the 2015 European Championships. His season-high last year as a sophomore was scoring 27 points in one game against Illinois State University, and he hopes to break that record next season as a senior. He was one of only two UIC basketball players to start in all 36 games last season and was ranked second on the team with 84 assists.
 
According to Blount, he had no problems adjusting to the American culture, "I have an extrovert personality and I am very interactive with the people around me." Although he got along well with everyone and had no problems with the language barrier, he did mention that school in the US was harder than in Europe, "the student-athlete schedule is very demanding, being on the road and practicing all the time, it is hard to stay up to date," but luckily, UIC student-athletes are given the help they need when it comes to staying organized and on top of their school work while traveling for games.
 
The biggest difference between the US and Ireland, according to Blount, is the hype level in Division I sports, "America centers around sports, music, and politics. It is very different from Ireland in that sense". Since Ireland is not known for its athletics, Blount always knew he wanted to leave his home country to continue his basketball career.
 
Blount currently works in the Marketing Office in the Athletic Department, where he has his own special series of interviewing other UIC student-athletes, called "The Flames Beat with JB". He also helps with promotional ideas and setting up the music for pre-games.
 
Blount plans on graduating next year with an education psychology degree and going pro, moving back to Europe to continue his legacy. After his basketball career ends, his dream is to create his own scholarship fund to help children from his home country. He would like to develop youth programs and give children the opportunity to study abroad like he did. 

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