Jolliffe, a Fayetteville, North Carolina native, began playing basketball as a freshman at Jack Britt High School. He told HBCU Buzz in an exclusive interview that he dislocated his shoulder and from there did not really take playing seriously. “I was pretty much just a bench warmer,” he says. It wasn’t until the summer before his senior year that he realized his true talent and began crafting his skill. During his senior year of high school, Jolliffe was named team captain of his high school varsity men’s basketball team and went on to lead the Buccaneers to the mid-south conference in 2010. Jolliffe was also recognized as the 8th leading scorer in Cumberland county North Carolina during this time.
After graduating high school with no offers on the table for college ball, the sharpshooter enrolled at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, North Carolina. While at Sandhills, Jolliffe had an excellent season, leading his team to win the National Championship while averaging 15 points per game. He later went on to receive the National Player of the Week award after scoring a record 35 points within 19 minutes of action. After two years at Sandhills, Jolliffe transferred to Bluefield College where he was a redshirt player so that he could work on sharpening his skills.
While studying at Bluefield, Jolliffe received a 2-year scholarship to Saint Augustine’s University. He accepted the scholarship and got to business on the court and in the classroom. Jolliffe went on to average 18 points per game and was nominated for CIAA player of the year, receiving the title of 2nd runner up. Jolliffe graduated with a degree in sports management from SAU in 2013.
After college, Joliffe played semi-pro basketball in Cary, N.C., but wanted more. He reached out to some of his contacts and after years of training and hard work, his dedication finally paid off.
Jolliffe recently received and accepted a contract deal to play professional basketball in Bucharest, Romania. Follow his journey on Instagram @raheem_jollifee3!
We salute this young man and wish him well in all of his future endeavors!
Falcon Pride!
