Originally published in 2017
When it comes to UCONN basketball, Jerome Dyson is still a household name in Storrs. Over the course of his career as a Husky hero, two things stood out to fans from 2006-2010: his smooth style of play and his kicks on court. Because UCONN reigns as a Nike sponsored school, he blessed the hardwood with a wide range of rarities from the likes of King James and His Airness.
In this installment of March Madness Memories, we dive into the mind of a footwear force who’s style of play and eye for heat made him one to watch during Tourney Time.
Air Jordan 18
Jerome Dyson “Wow I remember those. That pair was actually one of my favorites. I loved those sneakers because they were extremely comfortable and they had a great color scheme. One of my favorite features of that shoe was the magnetic button on the tail of it which allowed me to hide my shoe strings inside.“
Air Jordan 20
Jerome Dyson “I had two pairs of those and later found out they were a special edition. I would put the 20s on the same level as the 18s in regards to the comfort level. You don’t even have to tie them for them to be comfortable. I could play an entire game without tying them and have no issues.”
Jordan 6 Rings
Jerome Dyson “Oh man! I got lucky with those and yes these are also one of my favorites. I remember wearing those when we played against Georgetown. Here’s the thing, when it came to the bigger games we knew we would be on TV so we always brought the heat out for the televised games. It was a big deal for us. We always wanted to wear the fresh joints that everybody wished they could get.”
Nike Air Force 25
Jerome Dyson “I remember those. I had this really dope red and white pair. With those, one part of the shoe was red and it gradually faded to white. You won’t believe some of the sneakers people would send me. If they were dope, I would rock them. I couldn’t afford to get the sneakers I wanted growing up, so being approached by people that wanted me to wear their sneakers was a blessing.”
Air Jordan 12
Jerome Dyson: “The 12s are a legendary shoe. Right now, I’m wearing the black and red ones. They’re a hot commodity shoe that you can’t go wrong with.”
Nike Air Max LeBron VII “Red Carpet”
Jerome Dyson “I think I got those before my junior year. I know this because I tore my meniscus in a pair of LeBrons and after that happened, I decided to never wear a pair of LeBrons again. I initially purchased those just because they caught my eye and at the time I didn’t even care if the color of the sneakers matched my uniform. I just wanted to wear a different pair of shoes for each game and I wanted to wear a shoe that was popular. Ultimately, I went through 14 pairs of sneakers each season. [Laughs] With the pain and punishment that I put on sneakers, I could only wear a pair for a maximum of three or four games.”
Jerome Dyson currently plays overseas for the Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Premier League. Keep up with more March Madness Memories on Nice Kicks by clicking here.
Lead image by Andy Lyons/Getty Images via Zimbio
