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Nikolena Samac

Graduate School Success Story: Inside Jerry Higgins' Journey

| By: Danny Gibel, Staff Writer
Jerry Higgins III has enjoyed success not just on the court, but through his work in the Biology Department. 
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- Top-shelf. Professor. Alpha-dawg. 

These are three words Coach Pete Moran used to describe Jerry Higgins III, his graduate-student captain, a title he earned before he even put on a John Carroll jersey. Moran recognized that Higgins stood apart from his team full of younger players. 

"He came into the equation a couple years older than our guys," said Moran. "He came in with a military background from his time at The Citadel. He is different from some of these guys, just from a maturity standpoint."

Higgins is a rarity both on the court and in the classroom. There is no John Carroll student-athlete quite like him and both the basketball program and Biology Department recognize his abilities because Higgins is a significant part of both on-campus bodies. 

Higgins is the subject of the latest installment in the Graduate School Success Stories. The second year graduate student is currently in the midst of one of the most successful regular seasons in the history of the Men's basketball program. 

Before turning heads here in University Heights, Higgins did so during his days as an eighth grader. Back when Higgins was looking at high schools, he briefly crossed paths with Pete Moran at Lake Catholic High School. 

"I remember meeting Jerry when he was going into 9th grade, and he was visiting Lake Catholic," said Moran. "I was teaching [Health and Physical Education] at Lake Catholic at the time. What really stuck out to me was how incredible of a young man he was at such a young age."

The incredible 9th grader that impressed the future head coach of John Carroll basketball went on to play four seasons of varsity basketball at Villa Angela-St. Joseph.  Higgins graduated as the program's winningest player, having been a part of 87 victories. He won four district championships, three regional titles, and two state championships. He was named to the All-Ohio First Team three times and was a two-time member of the AP State Tournament First Team. 

After achieving levels of success that nearly every high school basketball player can only dream about, Higgins received offers from numerous Division I college programs.  That did not stop Moran, knowing he was a long shot, from talking to Higgins about playing at John Carroll. He still attended one of his high school games, where Higgins squared off with a Mentor team that featured a freshman point guard named Luke Chicone. 

Following his graduation from Villa Angela-St. Joseph, Higgins chose The Citadel as his home for the next four years. While Higgins remained there until his graduation date, the idea of returning home to Cleveland and enrolling at John Carroll was thought of early on. 

"I was at the Citadel my freshman year and I met one of my mentors Dr. Cianflocco '72," said Higgins. "He's a graduate from John Carroll and he took me under his wing as a mentee."

Cianflocco's name may sound familiar to members of the John Carroll community. After leading medical care for Blue Streak student-athletes for a little over a decade, Cianflocco began to work exclusively with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He remained with the organization until his retirement in 2016, when the Cavaliers won the NBA Finals. 

Cianflocco guided Higgins, who desired to enter the medical field, during his early years at The Citadel. Higgins' connections to John Carroll became even more prominent as time went on. 

"I found a summer internship here at John Carroll with Dr. Erin Johnson, who is now my advisor," said Higgins. 

The two connected over the summer before Higgins' junior year. Over the course of that summer, Higgins gave some thought to the John Carroll graduate program that offers significant scholarships to graduate students who work as graduate assistants. This program would also allow Higgins to pursue his Master's in Biology. 

Before returning to The Citadel in the fall, Higgins put the idea on the back burner, knowing that he would have two remaining years of eligibility after a knee surgery and COVID-19 cost him the better part of two seasons. 

Upon his graduation from The Citadel, it was clear that John Carroll was where Higgins wanted to be. It was not just about continuing to play the sport he loves, but also about bolstering his application for medical school. Higgins added with a smile that he did not mind being closer to home.

Higgins, just as any new student does, experienced some nerves before starting at John Carroll. However, the anxieties quickly melted away after seeing some familiar faces. 

"When I came back, it was that much easier to reconnect," said Higgins. "It was not like I was meeting a whole new coaching staff. It was a lot of people who knew me and watched me play in the city." 

Some of those people who knew Higgins from his high school days were Chicone, Luke Frazier, Luka Eller, and of course, Moran.

Basketball was far from the main reason for Higgins' enrollment at John Carroll, but it was something he wanted to do while earning his Master's. That takes nearly flawless time management skills, something Higgins developed while at The Citadel. 

Higgins has done so well with balancing his academic and athletic responsibilities that Moran claims he should be a professor of time management at John Carroll.

"To be able to balance what he is balancing right now, most college individuals would not be able to," said Moran. Higgins only misses one practice a week and makes up for the lost time by getting in the gym on his own."

"Jerry is a true scholar athlete. He has played on one of the top JCU basketball teams while conducting antiviral research," said Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Erin Johnson. "If anyone can get a championship ring and a scientific publication, it's Jerry!"

Even though he only misses one practice per week, most of Higgins' time is devoted to his academic pursuits. He is constantly involved in research, in class, or performing duties as a graduate-assistant. 

"It can be a lot, but the people in my program understand and are well-aware that I am an athlete," said Higgins. "They have done a great job with accommodating me needing to miss a Wednesday and the class I am GAing for have a little more flexibility than others. They have been fantastic working with me and making sure that I get the most out of the program."

The next step for Higgins is to graduate in May before moving on to further pursue his ultimate goal, becoming a doctor. 

"From the academic standpoint, I plan to graduate in May. I am in the middle of applying to medical school, so I have been getting interviews to see where I land. I ultimately want to become an orthopedic surgeon." 

Even though Higgins is looking ahead to his future, he finds himself working everyday to keep himself and the rest of his teammates grounded in the present. Higgins said that it is all too easy to get swept up by regular season accolades and the idea of winning an OAC or national championship. 

It was a fatal mistake the Blue Streaks made last season. Higgins is ensuring that it does not happen again, "We kind of did that last year. We wanted that repeat with Mount so badly, but we did not take care of business against Marietta. That has been a big emphasis this year and why we have been able to keep the ball rolling." 

The mindset adopted by the Blue Streaks is to get better with each passing day. Higgins believes if they can accomplish that, then everything else will fall into place over the coming weeks. 

Moran fully trusts Higgins and praises the way he carries himself. He has no concerns with his captain, who he called the team's "most valuable entity."

"I know his commitment to the game, so our communication is far different than any other player," said Moran. "I treat him like a grown man."

Jerry Higgins is a special talent that is not confined to just a research lab or the hardwood. He has his feet planted in both worlds here at John Carroll and is taking full advantage of every opportunity. 

Higgins had this to say about his time as a graduate student in athletics, "I would say my experience being a part of the JCU Graduate Program has been phenomenal. [It has been] super inclusive as far as allowing people of all different types of backgrounds to come and expand their development in different areas. [It] has been able to provide me with transferable tools that I will be able to use after I graduate, and has an environment that is conducive to growing into the person that you want to become.

"As far as athletics, it has allowed me to compete at the highest level of Division III sports in an athletic climate that has a standard towards winning and excellence. Everyone from the trainers and administrations, to the coaches and former alumni all want the athletes to succeed and will do anything to make that happen. It's a true definition of culture and tradition!"

Higgins' aspirations of becoming an orthopedic surgeon will materialize with his master's degree from John Carroll and, as he put it, his basketball goals will take care of themselves.  

Jerry Higgins' has already written quite a story for himself, but his biggest accomplishments are still lying ahead. 
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