Back in February, we wrote the following article on 6’4 2022 Jalen Hood-Schifino “A Class Act.” Only an eight grader at the time, we were quite impressed with his size, athleticism, skillset and more importantly his poise and maturity. This past summer, we got to watch Jalen play on the Team Charlotte 17U team coached by Jeff McInnis. Naturally, he didn’t get a “ton of minutes” but always proved he belonged on the court, which is even more important considering he was only in the eight grade. He always took the minutes given to him and made the most of them which is exactly what coach Jeff McInnis wanted in his young player. Coach McInnis was preparing him for the future.
In our opinion, Jalen is going to be a big time player in the North Carolina 2022 class. We have written extensively about his upside and potential, however his poise, maturity and mannerisms on and off the court are even more important. First of all, Jalen is a consummate teammate and point guard. While he is truly physically gifted with his high basketball IQ, excellent ball handling and tremendous court vision, he is one of the most unique players for his age in quite some time. Yes, there are plenty of players that may be more athletic and talented, but when you put the total package together, it’s hard to find a better young man on and off the court.
Watching from a distance and up close, Jalen has a quiet confidence in his game and who he is as a player, but also has a person. He listens intently and is always displaying excellent body language. He will always speak in a soft polite manner and will always answer you with a “yes sir or thank you sir.” 'Rarely will you find a situation where he loses his composure no matter the setting or even playing up three age groups, 'you can always expect the same from Jalen. He’s a team first player and will simply lead by example.'For Jalen Hood-Schifino, he is a true student of the game and sets a great example. In our opinion, he is simply poised and mature beyond his years.