One of the impactful guards in college basketball in the 2022-23 season was Jalen Hood-Schifino. He had such a great year that just after his freshman season in college he decided to declare himself for the 2023 NBA Draft. Earlier, he had attended two different high schools before spending his last couple of years at Montverde Academy in Florida. Coming out of high school, Jalen was rated as a 5-star prospect by numerous grading websites such as Scout, Rivals and 247Sports while ESPN rated him 91/100. In fact, for the 2022 class, he was ranked as the highest incoming recruit to the Big Ten.
Montverde Academy is on another level when it comes to high school athletics. As a matter of fact, they compete at a national level as opposed to the state level. Although they have great programs for other sports as well, their basketball program is the best in the business and was also awarded as the best basketball program of the decade by USA Today in 2017. Hence, it was no surprise when Hood-Schifino mentioned that Montverde made him prepare in advance for college level basketball.
Which college did Jalen Hood-Schifino go to?
When Jalen was in his sophomore year at high school, he was playing at Combine Academy in Lincolnton, North Carolina. During this time, Jalen committed to play for the University of Pittsburgh. Being a native of the same city, it was considered to be a big deal for the Pittsburgh Panthers to have recruited him. Unfortunately for the Panthers, he changed his decision and later accepted to play at Indiana for the Hoosiers.
At Indiana, Jalen was actually 1 of 2 point guards on the floor for a few games and the pair alternated the position between them. Later in the season, when Xavier Johnson got injured, Hood-Schifino made the position his. When the season was all said and done, he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Jalen Hood-Schifino at Indiana
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | STP | BPG | PPG |
| 2022-23 | Indiana | 32 | .417 | .333 | .776 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 13.5 |
What are Jalen Hood-Schifino’s Strengths
When thinking about the strengths that Jalen brings to his game, the first thing that comes to mind is his excellent command over the pick and roll. He runs that offense intelligently and uses the screen to his advantage. With a good mid-range pull-up shot, it is a big part of his game. Moreover, he is a great passer who is constantly aware of the positioning of his teammates. Even though he favors the right side, he is a pretty decent shooter from the left as well. He plays a patient game and is very rarely rushed. That ability allows him to hesitate and then suddenly burst into the open space. Over to the defensive end, he is an excellent 1v1 guard who can match up against the bigger players also. He has quick hands to deflect passes and get steals.
What are Jalen Hood-Schifino’s Areas of Improvement?
Being a guard in the NBA today requires a certain level of skill from behind the arc. This is part of Jalen’s game that has improved over the course of the year, but in general, it is still not up to the mark. Add to that the consistency factor and decision-making while shooting, and we can see that more effort is required to fine tune his game. If he plays as a number 1, then ball handling skills although good still needs some amount of work. Against the bigger defenders he does show some signs of struggle. All in all, Jalen Hood-Schifino looks like a good prospect for the NBA provided he can iron out some of the flaws in his way.
FAQs
A. Jalen Hood-Schifino can play either as a point guard or off the ball on the wing. At 6 foot 6 inches, he is one of the tallest point guards in basketball.
A. Over the course of four years of high school, Jalen Hood-Schifino went to three different schools starting with Northside Christian Academy, then Combine Academy both in North Carolina and finally to Montverde Academy in Florida.
A. Jalen Hood-Schifino has a younger sister by the name of Ava Hood. She is nearly 10 years younger than Jalen, but the both of them share a very close bond.
