Recruiting Update: Jalen Brown (2019 Jefferson HS/Eastern Arizona JC)
For those whose high school careers may not have turned out the way they had hoped for one reason or another from a college recruiting perspective, junior college has given some the opportunity to re-start things. That certainly has been…
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Continue ReadingFor those whose high school careers may not have turned out the way they had hoped for one reason or another from a college recruiting perspective, junior college has given some the opportunity to re-start things. That certainly has been the case for Jalen Brown. After graduating from Jefferson High School the ultra-athletic 6-foot-3 guard moved on to Eastern Arizona College and it’s been a move that has paid off. Brown has seem his game blossom at the college level and he’s picked up some college scholarship offers as a result.
“My freshman year was really fun I really enjoyed playing with everyone on the team we are all really close,” Brown said. “Coach L (Lietzke) is a great coach. We played fast and the offense was really fun. High school is in the past – I’m just happy I was able to show people what I was capable of and got some of the recognition I knew I deserved.”
Statistically, Brown certianly delivered. He averaged a team-high 17.8 points for the Gila Monsters, while also tallying 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He was deadly from long range, hitting threes at a 42.6 percent clip which ranked in the top five in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference. While Brown has always had the athleticism and skills to be an impact wing, he believes this past season was one where he really learned to put it all together.
“College basketball is just different it’s way faster and help defense is quicker,” Brown said. “So I just feel like my understanding of the game got way better and my confidence is a lot higher.”
Although he’s only played one year at the JC level, there’s no doubt that college programs were paying close attention. And as a full academic qualifier with the ability to leave immediately and be eligible at a four-year school, Brown has been getting extra love. He’s already picked up two Division I scholarship offers from Montana State and North Alabama and has also been talking with Idaho State and Youngstown State.
The level of interest is definitely music to Brown’s ears and he’s highly considering going ahead and moving on for next fall. The current climate has been challenging though as he’s unable to make campus visits or host coaches at Eastern Arizona until later in April at the earliest. To that end, he’s been trying his best to do things like online campus tours and relying on his conversations with the coaches recruiting him to get an idea of what he might get into.
“It’s just crazy all this virus stuff going on,” Brown said. “So I’m just trying to make the best decision possible.”
Like fellow PIL alumn Darius Guinn recently did by committing to Bryant, Brown admits that while he would like to take some campus visits he could very well also make a commitment sight unseen. He hasn’t set any timetable on when he might make a decision. Brown ranked as the #10 player in the final PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2019 rankings.