Recruiting Report: Jalen Speer (2020)

A year after making it to the Class 4A state semifinal, P.K. Yonge fell one game short this season. The Blue Wave (24-5) lost to state semifinalist University Christian. Leading the way for P.K. Yonge was 2020 guard Jalen Speer who averaged a team-best 20 PPG. The 6'0", 168-pounder increased his numbers from his junior season when he averaged 14.3 PPG. "My junior season at PK was pretty successful from an individual standpoint but I definitely wanted to win more and as a competitor that gets to you," Speer told Prep Hoops. "My numbers increased in every category from last year and we also had more wins than last year, but sadly we lost in the regional final against University Christian. "There wasn’t just one thing that stood out this year about me. I think everything in my game grew a lot this year. If I had to say something, then it would be my mentality towards the game, a switch clicked in my head this year that brought out a different side of me." No offers have come yet for Speer but he's drawn interest from College of Charleston, Georgia Southern, Dayton, Georgia State, Southeastern Louisiana, Bethune-Cookman and FGCU. He says that Georgia Southern and Georgia State show the most interest on a day to day basis. This summer, Speer is playing for Team Knight. "We have a great group of guys that all could play at a high level," he said. "The coaches have really pushed me to embrace the point guard role that I’m getting really comfortable in." In terms of his top strengths, Speer pointed to his shooting ability, quickness and his tight handles. He says there is always room to improve his handles further and his finish at the rim. A natural scorer and leader, Speer has gotten stronger and continues to make plays on his own and for his teammates. Look for the July live period to be crucial for him with Team Knight. Speer is in for a banner senior season where he can continue to be the top piece for an always contending Blue Wave unit. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">2020 PK Yonge G Jalen Speer beats the buzzer with this 3 fresh off a timeout. The celebration ensues after this game winner. The Blue Wave beat Miami Rebels 63-60 in a thriller. <a href="https://twitter.com/PKYBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PKYBasketball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/rawerecruits?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rawerecruits</a> <a href="https://t.co/4L0TpbFmjN">pic.twitter.com/4L0TpbFmjN</a></p> &mdash; ᴊᴀᴋᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴘᴇʀ (@JakePerper) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakePerper/status/1010292789962268673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Photo credit: HoopSeen