Recruiting Update – Jalen Atkins (2025 Barlow)

Jed Tai November 20, 2024 @ 04:56 PM

It's hard to believe this will be the final year of prep basketball for [player_tooltip player_id='1276625' first='Jalen' last='Atkins'], but here we are. It's been some kind of run for the 6-foot-2 point guard ever since he stepped foot on the campus of Barlow High School and he's all ready to finish things out with a bang. Atkins had a very active summer, playing club basketball and working out on his own, refining his game and reshaping parts of it to prepare himself for not only the 2024-25 season ahead but also whatever college basketball opportunity awaits him afterward.   It all started right after the Bruins finished last season at state as Atkins suited up for some different squads on the club basketball circuit. "It was my last year at AAU, and I got to play with a bunch of really good high-level players and on a bunch of different programs and I had a blast," Atkins said. "I got to play, finish out with my guys, so it was a good experience. I feel like I've played a lot of basketball and I had some great memories and great experiences."   One of Atkins' goals was to continue polishing his game. Everyone knows that he can score - 1430 career points in high school certainly reflects that - but the senior knew his present and future would depend on him continuing to develop and he felt he did that this off-season.   "I really just feel like, for me, it was just honing in on the skills of being a point guard," Atkins said. "I showed that I could, you know, handle the ball, knock shots down, space the floor, and just control the tempo of the game and just play at my pace. Obviously, everybody knows I play at my pace and just run the game from a point guard standpoint."   The other hope was to capture the attention of college coaches and elevate his recruitment. This fall he took an official visit to Eastern Washington where he picked up a scholarshp offer and he also recently received one from Eastern Arizona. He notes that he's also been talking to Sacramento State and Utah Valley. He was in the audience when teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1387877' first='Brayden' last='Barron'] signed his papers to attend Portland State and his hope is he will be joining in the fun later on this season.   "I'm just kind of keeping myself open, you know what I mean," Atkins said. "I don't want to go somewhere where, you know, I'm not sure about. So, I'm just waiting for a place to call home and, you know, everything like that."   The focus is currently on this upcoming year, one where there will be plenty of eyes watching the Bruins. "Yeah, obviously, you know, we have a lot of expectations but we've got everything to prove," Atkins said. "I mean, we've been here and done it, and the only thing we haven't done is win a state championship, so there's expectations. But, we've got to earn everything we get so we're going to come in hungry, just as hungry as as freshmen would."   And for him individually? "Just to kill, just to dominate - I mean, that's all it is as I've done everything else," Atkins said. "Just kill from beginning to end of the year. I think consistency is what I'm striving for this year."   Atkins currently ranks as the #4 player in the recently updated PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2025 rankings.

It's hard to believe this will be the final year of prep basketball for Jalen Atkins Jalen Atkins 6'2" | CG/PG Barlow | 2025 State OR , but here we are. It's been some kind of run for the 6-foot-2 point guard ever since he stepped foot on the campus of Barlow High School and he's all ready to finish things out with a bang. Atkins had a very active summer, playing club basketball and working out on his own, refining his game and reshaping parts of it to prepare himself for not only the 2024-25 season ahead but also whatever college basketball opportunity awaits him afterward.