Prospect Spotlight: Jalen Bryant (2021)
Experience is life’s best teacher. The same goes for John Carroll’s basketball team. The Patriots sported a youthful roster, which came with a ton of learning experiences and losses along the way during the 2018-19 season. During all of the obstacles, 2021 guard Jalen Bryant was a calming presence. Even though he was just a sophomore last season, he was leaned on as a leader of the team. After all, he has spent hours with Immanuel Quickley (Kentucky) and Montez Mathis (Rutgers) as a freshman, so he knew what “the process” of hard work and reaping rewards entailed.
What a difference a year makes. We are only one game into the season, but this John Carroll team showed glimpses of just how good they can be this season. Their 71-58 win over St. John’s Catholic Prep should’ve given some confidence as they head into Reitz Arena on the campus of Loyola (MD) University to face off against a very tough Good Counsel team.
Bryant was the team’s second leading scorer with 10 points, but the 5-foot-10 guard made his presence known in many other areas, especially defensively. St. John’s Prep had a couple of skilled senior guards, but Bryant’s constant ball pressure caused them to turn the ball over on multiple occasions. This part of Bryant’s game is crucial because the Patriots are an uptempo team that likes to make their opponent uncomfortable.
Bryant felt good about the win, but still feels there is much to improve on for this team to reach their potential.
“It looked a lot different from last year,” Bryant said after the win. “We got a lot more guys who can impact the game in different ways. Once we all get our chemistry down and improve on our communication on defense, we’re going to be really tough to stop.”
In a preseason scrimmage against Bishop O’Connell, Bryant torched the nets for 31 points, including seven three-pointers. He’s always been a capable shooter, but the range that Bryant is shooting from doesn’t just come over night.
“Just any time I can get in the gym I was in there,” Bryant continued, “I’d go to the gym with my dad a lot and just shoot or I’ll text Coach Mel at 8 a.m. to get some shots up during the summer. Now before school starts, I make sure I get in and put up a lot of shots.”
The MIAA A Conference is one of the more competitive conferences you’ll find on the east coast. John Carroll experienced what it was like to be a rebuilding team in such a conference but this year, Bryant already notices significant differences.
“I feel like we have more energy. We actually feel like we have a chance and are playing to win. Everyone comes to work hard every day at practice and that makes me feel like we’re going to be all right.”