Bulls In Mix For Dillard HS Junior
Getting that first Division I scholarship offer is a big deal to a high school prospect.
All across the Nation kids put in countless hours of work in the gym to improve their game hoping to one day earn a scholarship offer. When that offer comes from a college in the prospects home state it is often extra special.
Thursday USF head coach Brian Gregory and assistant coach Scott Wagers made a school visit at Dillard High School to see 2020 forward Jalen Haynes and his father. Gregory had something important to tell them.
“He basically told Jalen and his dad that they were offering him and that they really like Jalen,” said Steve Allen a long time friend of the Haynes family. “They’ve been watching him for a while, seeing his progression and were ready to offer him. They wanted to be the first to offer and they were. Jalen was going crazy.”
Allen, a Dillard graduate who played ball there, in college and professionally, has known Haynes and his father for several years. A scheduling conflict prevented Allen from being at Dillard when Gregory and Wagers made their school visit debriefed by Haynes’ father.
“I’ve known Jalen since he was very young,” Allen said. “I don’t even remember his age when I first met him but I’ve been knowing him since he was a young kid. He played with my organization K.T. Kings down here in South Florida. He began to develop, grow and mature as a player. So then I reached out to Kenoe (Jordan), who runs Nightrydas and is a friend of mine, and talked about him and we felt it would be a good fit and Jalen has been with Nightrydas for the past two years.”
The USF staff has been quietly building a relationship with Haynes over time. He attended the Bulls Elite Camp last summer and came up to Tampa for an unofficial visit in the fall to watch the team practice.
Haynes helped Dillard reach the FHSAA 7A championship game then carried over his high level play to the Nike EYBL Atlanta Session where he averaged 9.8 points, five rebounds and made 68 percent of his field goal attempts. His breakout game came against CP3 when he had 24 points (on 13 FGA), six rebounds and two blocks. Weekends like that make college coaches circle a prospects name and phone number in their coach’s packet so they can establish contact.
“Mississippi State offered two days ago and you know they don’t really offer a lot of South Florida guys,” Allen said. “A lot of schools are starting to buzz. Everyday phone calls are happening.”
Allen, who is an assistant coach at Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale) Academy believes that Haynes’ ceiling is very high and that being below the radar for a while was a good thing for Haynes.
“Trust me, a lot of people missed Jalen but the kid can play,” said Allen. “The great thing about him is that he has tons of room to grow. Height wise, size wise and also basketball wise.”
“When I first met Jalen I loved his IQ. He was long and lanky but I loved his IQ so I had him playing point guard for me. He was such a good decision maker and he was doing that for me in the seventh and eighth grade. Basically he’s a big playmaker. He can do it facing the basket or with his back to the basket.”
“I think it was a blessing in disguise that he flew under the radar but I’ve been pushing him for years telling every college coach I know ‘hey watch him, keep an eye on him.’ I think now he has the opportunity and the platform to show his skills and this is just the beginning.”