Not a day goes by that Jordyn Kee does not think of his late father John, who passed away in July 2020.

Almost four years later, Kee’s motivation to honor the memory of his dad remains.

Wednesday’s commitment to Georgia was just the latest step in that journey. Young Kee is determined to make his dad proud.

“It means a lot. As far as my dad passing, he was my best friend. He traveled with me, he was my coach, he was my mentor, he was my best friend,” Kee said. “Losing him in 2020 was very big on me as far as how it impacted my life and my family’s life. I just try to continue to push for my family and just motivate them, keep them up in high spirits, just knowing that he’s always in our hearts.”

Kee takes his dedication to his father’s memory extremely seriously.

That dedication includes getting up for 5 a.m. workouts, following proper dietary regimens, and doing whatever he can to become the best version of himself he can be, as player and as person.

“He definitely tries to put his best foot forward in memory of his father, who he was really close with and helped him throughout his basketball career,” said Jay White, Kee’s coach at Quality Education Academy. “Everything he does, he does it for him and is doing it for a good reason. I’m really proud of him.”

Undoubtedly Kee’s dad, who played collegiately at Stetson and St. Cloud State before a professional career overseas, would be as well.

“Yes, sir, absolutely,” added Kee, who said his dad’s work ethic left a profound impact.

“My dad would come home exhausted from work. Me, as a kid, I would tell him, let’s be in the gym. We’d be in the gym until 1 in the morning just working out,” Kee said. “He’d take me to my workouts in the morning. I’ve just had to keep pushing for him, never stop. He always put that in me. He’s super proud. I can feel it.”

White, who also trains new Bulldog Dakota Leffew, said Kee works as hard as any player he’s been around.

“He puts a lot of time into it. There are days he’s waking me up to go to the gym. He’s someone who really tries to perfect his craft,” White said. “He’s a good teammate. That’s the biggest thing with him–being a good teammate and being a good leader. When the going gets tough, he knows how to keep guys level-headed.”

Just 18, Kee reclassifies to play for the Bulldogs.

“I started talking to Georgia, and they believed in me,” said Kee, who will arrive on campus next week.

“He can really score, and he can really shoot it. He played in the No. 1 high school league in the country, the NIBC, and shot about 40 percent from the three,” White said. “He was one of the best shooters in the conference; he could definitely fill it up, but as the point guard, he also knows how to get other guys the ball.”

White said Kee will fit into Athens well.

“Georgia's getting a guy with a lot of energy who really loves the game of basketball,” he said. “He’s a big relationship-type of kid. I think the Georgia fans will really like his personality.”