Jalen Clark '17 Recruiting Profile

I am a student before an athlete. I take pride in my academic achievements and I believe that being an exceptional student allows me to be a better basketball player.  

Currently, I am enrolled in the International Business Academy (IBA); IBA is a program that gives students a foundation in international business, and other business practices that will prepare students for post secondary studies. In order to become a part of the IBA, you have to be accepted and maintain a 3.0 or higher GPA.

In addition to my academic achievements, I'm also a member of DECA and have competed in two district competitions one in 2014 and this year in 2015.  I then moved on to compete in this years state competition.

I would consider myself an above average/ good basketball player, who is always looking on ways to improve my game.  I would consider my strengths in basketball are my basketball IQ, my defense, and my shooting ability.  I’ve been told by my coaches that I know the game better than anyone on my team.  I think that not only knowing the game, but understanding the game is key, to a player’s success.  For me my defense is a big part of my game.  I average about 3 to 4 steals a game and I have the ability to cause several offensive turnovers (i.e. traveling, 5 second calls and losing control of the ball), by playing up on my man along with showing a heavy defensive presents.    I believe my shooting ability has improved over the years and I believe that it will continue to improve as I become more confident in my shot, creating my own shots, and following my shots.  I currently average about 6-9 points a game with an averages of 3 to 5 three point shots taken. 

 My weakness is my ball handling skills.   I feel that handling the ball is one of the most important skills to have and I want to get better at handling the ball.  I work on my dribbling and ball control every morning before school, so that I can get better.