Jalen Suggs

Jalen Rashon Suggs (born June 3, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Listed at 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) and 210 pounds (95 kg), he plays the point guard and shooting guard positions. Suggs was a consensus five-star recruit. At the high school level, he competed for Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis and was named MaxPreps Athlete of the Year in his senior year for his success in basketball and football.

Jalen Suggs
No. 1 – Gonzaga Bulldogs
PositionPoint guard / Shooting guard
LeagueWest Coast Conference
Personal information
Born (2001-06-03) June 3, 2001
Saint Paul, Minnesota
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolMinnehaha Academy
(Minneapolis, Minnesota)
CollegeGonzaga (2020–present)
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
2019 GreeceTeam
FIBA Under-17 World Cup
2018 ArgentinaTeam
FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship
2017 ArgentinaTeam

Early life and career

Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Suggs started playing basketball as soon as he could walk. His father, Larry, drove him to many basketball camps, and at age seven, Suggs flew to Dallas without his family to attend a camp.[1] In seventh grade, he played three games of junior varsity basketball for Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis before moving to the varsity team. Suggs was a starter at the varsity level as an eighth-grader, averaging 17.5 points, 4.4 steals and four assists per game.[2]

High school career

As a freshman at Minnehaha Academy, Suggs averaged 21.5 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game. He scored 22 points, including 15 in the second half, to win the Class 2A state championship over Crosby-Ironton High School.[3] Suggs was named to the MaxPreps Freshman All-American first team.[4] In his sophomore season, he averaged 16 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, leading his team to another Class 2A state title.[5] Suggs earned Associated Press (AP) All-State first team and MaxPreps Sophomore All-American second team honors.[6]

As a junior, he averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game, winning a third straight Class 2A state championship. Suggs was named to the AP All-State first team and MaxPreps Junior All-American third team.[7] As a senior, he averaged 23.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, five rebounds and 3.9 steals per game.[8] His season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic one day after he won a section title, and he was unable to help Minnehaha defend its state championship. He left as his school's all-time leading scorer, with 2,945 career points.[9] Suggs earned MaxPreps All-American first team and Minnesota Mr. Basketball honors,[10][11] and was named Minnesota AP Player of the Year.[12] He was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit, but all three games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

In addition to basketball, Suggs played the quarterback position for SMB, a cooperative football team representing Minnehaha Academy and two other schools. He led his team to a Class 4A state championship as a junior in 2018. In his senior season, Suggs helped SMB finish as Class 4A runners-up and was named Minnesota Mr. Football.[14] In his senior year, he was recognized as MaxPreps Athlete of the Year for his success in basketball and football. He became the first athlete in Minnesota history to win the state's Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football awards in the same season.[8]

Recruiting

On January 3, 2020, Suggs committed to play college basketball for Gonzaga University, choosing the Bulldogs over offers from Florida, Florida State, Iowa State and Minnesota. He became the highest ranked player to commit to the program. Suggs was a consensus five-star recruit, with ESPN considering him the fifth-best player and the second-best point guard behind Cade Cunningham in the 2020 class. In football, Suggs was considered a four-star dual-threat quarterback by ESPN but is not expected to play the sport in college.[15]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jalen Suggs
PG		 Minneapolis, MN Minnehaha Academy (MN) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jan 3, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 10  247Sports: 10  ESPN: 5
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Gonzaga 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  • "2020 Gonzaga Bulldogs Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 30, 2020.

    National team career

    Suggs won a gold medal with the United States at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Formosa, Argentina. In four games, he averaged 7.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.[16] At the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Argentina, Suggs averaged 8.7 points and 3.3 steals per game and won another gold medal. He joined the United States at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Heraklion, Greece, averaging 9.6 points per game and helping his team win the gold medal. Suggs scored 15 points, his best mark in the tournament, in the final versus Mali.[17]

    Personal life

    Suggs' second cousin is NFL player Terrell Suggs, a two-time Super Bowl champion. Suggs is also a cousin of Eddie Jones, a three-time NBA All-Star.[17] He has several other cousins that have played NCAA Division I basketball.[18]

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    References
    1. Moore, CJ (May 7, 2019). "Jalen Suggs is a top-10 2020 basketball recruit … who is also a four-star QB prospect". The Athletic. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
    2. Rule, Heater (January 23, 2016). "Minnehaha Academy eighth-graders anchor winning varsity". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
    3. Frederick, Jace (March 25, 2017). "State boys basketball: Minnehaha Academy holds on to win Class 2A title". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
    4. "2016-17 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Freshman All-American Team". MaxPreps. April 18, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
    5. Paulsen, Jim (March 24, 2018). "Minnehaha Academy, driven by larger purpose, defends 2A title with victory over Caledonia". MN Basketball Hub. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
    6. "2018 Minnesota AP All-State boys basketball team". Associated Press. April 3, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
    7. "2019 Minnesota AP all-state boys basketball teams". Associated Press. April 1, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
    8. Meehan, Jim (May 26, 2020). "Gonzaga commit Jalen Suggs named MaxPreps male athlete of the year". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
    9. Klauda, Paul (June 18, 2020). "Without a title in hand this year, Jalen Suggs leaves with plenty to smile about". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
    10. Divens, Jordan (March 25, 2020). "MaxPreps 2019-20 High School Boys Basketball All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
    11. Paulsen, Jim (March 18, 2020). "Mr. Football winner Jalen Suggs named Minnesota Mr. Basketball, too". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
    12. "Minnehaha's Jalen Suggs named Minnesota AP Player of Year". Associated Press. March 26, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
    13. Jordan, Jason (March 12, 2019). "McDonald's All American Game Cancelled Amid COVID-19 Concerns". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
    14. Paulsen, Jim (December 8, 2019). "Jalen Suggs wins Mr. Football". MN Football Hub. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
    15. Borzello, Jeff (January 3, 2020). "Jalen Suggs commits to Gonzaga, says overseas 'very serious' option". ESPN. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
    16. Daniels, Evan (June 1, 2017). "USA: Jalen Suggs shines on day one". 247Sports. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
    17. Drumwright, Steve (June 17, 2019). "Two-Sport Star Jalen Suggs Has Eye On Basketball For Now As A U19 World Cup Team Hopeful". USA Basketball. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
    18. Paulsen, Jim (February 27, 2017). "For Minnehaha Academy's Jalen Suggs, athletic excellence is all relative". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
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