Player Preview: Redshirt Sophomore Jalen Wilson

Who: Jalen Wilson

Height: 6-foot-8

Weight: 220

Position: Forward

Class: 2019 (RS Sophomore)

Ranking: No. 47

Hometown: Denton, Texas

High School: John H. Guyer HS

Why Kansas: Coming out of John H. Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, Jalen Wilson, the 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward has originally signed a National Letter-of-Intent with Michigan. However, when Head Coach John Beilein opted to make the move to the NBA and take over as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wilson ultimately decided to ask for a release from his NLOI. Not surprisingly, many schools came calling, but Wilson, a four-star prospect, took just two visits, Kansas (5/30/19) and North Carolina (6/3/19) before reaching a final decision. After huddling together with his family and breaking down each visit, Wilson, on June 12, 2019, committed to Kansas.

The Skinny: Wilson, the No. 9 ranked small forward in the 2019 class, was a four-year starter at John H. Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, for coach Grant Long. Furthermore, he was a two-time Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) 6A all-state, all-regional, and District 5-6A co-MVP selections his junior and senior seasons.

Wilson averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists his senior season as the Wildcats were ranked No. 1 or No. 2 throughout the season. As a junior, he averaged 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists per game. Wilson helped the Wildcats to a combined 70-7 record his junior and senior seasons (32-5 as a senior and 38-2 as a junior), advancing to the regional championship game in the Texas state playoffs both seasons. Wilson also played on the Gauntlet AAU circuit in the spring of 2018, averaging 19.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.

During the 2019-20 season, Wilson was s a redshirt after playing in just two regular-season games. Playing in Allen Fieldhouse for the first time (regular season), Wilson broke his ankle vs. UNC Greensboro (11/8). In the first game of his college career, he logged two minutes vs. #4 Duke (11/5).

This past season, Wilson was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer and All-Freshman Teams. In starting 26 of 29 games, Wilson led Kansas and the Big 12 freshmen in rebound average at 7.9 rebounds per game, ranked second in the Big 12 in rebounds (7.9), second in double-doubles (9), and 12th in free throw percentage (63.0).

For Wilson, his six double-doubles in Big 12 play were tied for the most in the conference. He recorded six double-doubles in his last 11 games, including a KU frosh consecutive double-doubled record (4). Wilson ended second on the KU frosh record for rebound average (7.9) and led KU in scoring five times and in rebounds in 18 games.

Additionally, Wilson was third on the team with 58 assists. He posted nine points and nine rebounds vs. Oklahoma (3/11) in the Big 12 Championship. He went for 16 points and 13 rebounds at Texas (2/23) and scored 22 points with 10 boards at Iowa State (2/13).

With a national audience watching, Wilson scored 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in the win vs. No. 8 Creighton (12/8). He posted his first-career double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds in the victory vs. Kentucky (12/1) in the Champions Classic.

Awards: Academic All-Big 12 Second Team [2021], Big 12 All-Newcomer Team [2021], Big 12 All-Freshman Team [2021], Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (2.15.2021)

Bill Self on Jalen Wilson: “I’m very excited about Jalen’s commitment to us,” said Self. “He’s been a Kansas fan for the vast majority of his young life and is certainly a guy who is used to winning after being a part of a great high school program at John H. Guyer High School. He will bring great size, skill, and versatility playing both as a big and a small, but more importantly, he’ll bring incredible toughness. We missed out on the opportunity to sign Jalen the first time around when he committed to Michigan. He’d been up here to campus and was a guy we were very interested in but he made another decision. When Coach (John) Beilein left for the NBA and they asked for the release, that opened up the opportunity for us to try again and to get it right, even though it was the second time around.”

What to expect: After flirting with the NBA, Jalen Wilson ultimately made the decision to return to Kansas for another season. In 31 career games, Wilson has averaged 11.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He's connected on 41.2 percent of his shots from the field, 33.1 percent of his shots from behind the arc, and 63.0 percent of his free throws. With a roster that features the likes of Joseph Yesufu, Christian Braun, Dajuan Harris Jr., Wilson, Remy Martin, Ochai Agbaji, Cam Martin, David McCormack, Jalen Coleman-Lands, and Mitch Lightfoot, along with freshmen Bobby Pettiford, Kyle Cuffe Jr., Zach Clemence, and K.J. Adams, Coach Bill Self has assembled a roster that is absolutely loaded from top-to-bottom. However, if Kansas is going to reach its maximum potential and compete at a National Championship level, Wilson will need to be at his very best this upcoming season. There's absolutely no doubt that he's got the ability to be a difference-maker on both ends of the court, and he showed signs of that last season. When looking at the 2021-22 roster, it would appear that Remy Martin, Christian Braun, Ochai Agbaji, Jalen Wilson, and David McCormack will start off the season as the starting five. All four started last year, so when was the last time a player that started the previous season didn't start again that next season under Self?

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