Jalen Carey, a 2018 combo guard from Immaculate Conception in New Jersey, is one of the names that is heating up in the 2018 class. In the past week, he has picked up 7 offers from big name programs. Florida is among those who have recently offered. Carey recently talked with GatorCountry.com about his game and his recruitment.
Carey is a player who stays in attack mode. He has great quickness in the open floor and is confident in his ability to get to the rim.
“I just like getting out in the open court,” Carey said. “I’m a quick guard and I feel that it is hard to stop me when I’m going full steam ahead. My main strength is being able to get to the basket and having the ability to finish tough plays.”
Versatility is important at the next level and Carey realizes that. He has been working on adding more versatility to his game.
“Over this past high school season I’ve been working on catching and shooting, as well as my jump shot,” he said. ‘I know at the next level I’m not going to be able to just go to the basket every time, I have to learn when to shoot and when to drive so that’s what I have been working on with my coaches.”
The Florida Gators are one of the most recent to offer Carey. The Gators visited Carey April 18th and offered him this past Thursday.
“Florida is a great school,” Carey said. “They always seem to have great guards over there. Coach [Darris] Nichols came to see me and spoke very highly of me and I really appreciated that. It’s been great starting a relationship with the coaching staff.
The talented guard likes the style of play of Florida. He believes that his abilities would work well in the Florida system.
“I like the way Coach White runs his system,” he said. “He lets his guards play in the open court and that matches my game really well. I like the way they defend and that the guards play tough.”
A school with a great focus on academics will be a priority for Carey. An opportunity to see playing time early is another big factor for Carey.
“I’m not going to be playing basketball my whole life so I want to go somewhere where the education is just as good as the basketball,” Carey said. “I want to be at a place where my family feels comfortable with me being at. I’d like to go somewhere with the opportunity to play right away and that can help get me to the next level.”
There are no leaders for Carey right now as he is just enjoying the process and focusing on getting better.
“I don’t really have any favorites right now or a dream school so I’m just looking for the best fit for me in terms of academics and basketball,” Carey said. “I’m just enjoying the recruiting process right now. Seton Hall and Uconn probably contact me the most though.”
Carey plays for the NJ Playaz in the EYBL who left Hampton with a 2-2 record. Carey had a good weekend as he averaged 13.2 points per game. Carey is focused on getting better and leading his team to more wins this weekend in Indianapolis.