Crispus Attucks and G3 All-Indy forward Jalen Hooks is playing in the Pangos All-American Camp this week. Indiana Basketball Source caught up with the 2023 prospect after his first camp game to see how it was going, what he was learning, and how his recruitment was developing.

The Pangos All-American Camp boasts former participates as James Harden, Ben Simmons, De’Aaron Fox, Anthony Davis, John Wall, Bradley Beal, and many others. This week Indiana is represented by Hooks and Xavier Booker. It will be a great learning experience for both as many of the top 2022 prospects in the country are playing.

“Everybody on every team can play and go hard the whole time,” Hooks said of his first impression of the camp. “The coaches are coaching at a high level.”

Playing against mostly older opponents is not an easy situation for Hooks and Booker. They are jumping into a situation that is not common for them. At the Pangos All-American Camp, Hooks and Booker cannot excel off physical gifts alone.

“Being away from home when I came to camp, I realized I wasn’t going to be such a standout. So, I had to do something to make me stand out through energy and heart.”

“I think I need to crash the boards harder and play even harder.”

It is going to be a busy June for Hooks. The recruiting calendar is back to a normal year for D1 programs. Hooks is planning visits to Marquette, Illinois, Missouri, and Cincinnati after the camp with prospects back on college campuses. That will cause him to miss Purdue-Fort Wayne’s team camp with his Attucks squad.

He plans to visit Indiana on June 22, as long as everything gets ironed out for the trip.

The rising junior has scholarship offers from Butler, Tulane, Georgia, IUPUI, LSU, Illinois, and Xavier. He visited Butler and Xavier last week. That is when Butler extended an offer to Hooks. He said he hears from Kentucky, Kansas, Indiana, Purdue, and Texas Tech as well.

It is still a bit early in the process, but Hooks is starting to analyze the schools recruiting him.

“When I went on my two visits (Butler and Xavier) last week, at the end of the visits, we talked about playstyle and how I would fit into it. When I get on the phone with coaches, I ask them where they would put me in the offense.”

Hooks and Crispus Attucks are playing a loaded June schedule. They are in the Grand Park league every Tuesday. This week, the Tigers are going to Purdue-Fort Wayne, Miami of Ohio, and Xavier for team camp events.

With a high school schedule like that and events like the Pangos All-American Camp, Hooks will continue to be tested and pushed to take his game to the next tier.