(Jalen Washington after winning the Michigan City regional in March 2021)

 

Indiana Basketball Source breaks down Jalen Washington’s (Gary West Side) spring and summer with Meanstreets. After leading the Cougars to the 4A semi-state game, Washington returned to the club circuit for the first time in two years. Here’s a deep dive into his travel season performance.

 

Washington has been atop of the 2022 in-state rankings since his freshman year. Despite that, many Indiana high school basketball fans have not been able to see Washington. He missed most of his freshman year at West Side due to a shoulder injury. Then, right before his sophomore season, Washington tore his ACL. After rehabbing for a year, Washington played well and pushed West Side to one step from the state final.

 

Fresh off a stellar junior year, it looked as if Washington was poised for a huge spring and summer. It did not work out exactly like that, but Washington had his moments. Unfortunately, he also had his rough patches.

 

A knee injury in May robbed Washington of approximately six weeks in May and June. Once he came back in June, his explosiveness was not there. He had no lift in traffic. That was noticeable at the Charlie Hughes Shootout. He is never a freak athlete, but the injury and layoff zapped a lot of his juice for June and early July. However, by the end of the Peach Jam, Washington popped off the floor as he did during the high school year. His conditioning was back, and it showed in his athleticism.

 

Overall, Washington had a solid Peach Jam. Meanstreets made the semi-final of the Peach Jam after playing 14 games in just over two weeks. His advanced metrics at the Peach Jam were solid. He rebounded well and blocked some shots. His scoring improved as the event progressed as others wore down. As noted, his athleticism also continued to progress throughout the event.

 

 

 

Washington posted excellent advanced numbers in 13 games recorded by Indiana Basketball Source – a few overlapped with the Peach Jam stats. Throughout the spring and summer, he started for Meanstreets but only played 21 minutes per contest. Against strong competition, Washington had an eFG% of 62.4 and a true shooting percentage of 66.2. Both are outstanding. His defensive rebounding was much better than his offensive, but Washington made an impact with both.

 

Those numbers are more impressive when a few things like Meanstreets not running much pick and pop action for Washington, especially in July, are considered. That is what Washington does best, so a significant part of his game was not featured. However, he did get some elbow jumpers and some outside shots just inside the three-point line. Also, the three three-point lines at the Peach Jam and the college length led many players to take long two-pointers. Washington did that a handful of times.

 

After the summer, Rivals.com dropped Washington 24 spots in its 2022 national rankings to 50th. That seems like an overzealous move. As with any prospect, there are concerns about Washington, but his numbers were better than many gave him credit for this spring and summer. With that in mind, Washington will look like a top 30 player in a better fitting system rather than a top 50. He can prove that this high school season with Gary West Side and down the road at North Carolina.