Tar Heel Nation, let’s give big Jalen Washington room to breathe.
The lead over Georgia Tech had grown to 20 points, 73-53, when an unknown figure got off the UNC bench and checked into the game with 02:22 left on the clock. Jalen Washington has a majestic name to match his 6-foot-10, 220-pound frame, but we didn’t know much about his game at that point. We still don’t. We do know he is an honor student who plays cello and piano.
When he got the ball in the paint, took two dribbles, pivoted and dropped in a short jumper, what was left of the Smith Center crowd cheered loudly. It was Washington’s first action in an organized basketball game since the end of his junior year at Gary West Side Leadership Academy in Indiana.
After the game, questions about him were directed to Hubert Davis, the uber-positive coach who heaped praise on his big kid’s work ethic and attitude in getting ready to play. The media went to his locker for the first time. He had been doused with water by teammates and barely knew what to say. Who could blame him? He had played two minutes and scored two points.
Washington had committed to UNC and accepted his scholarship offer from Davis in July of 2021 and a few weeks later tore the ACL on his right knee that required major surgery and began his long rehabilitation. Washington only started to go full speed in practice last month and missed UNC’s first nine games.
He was one of four newcomers to the program who all carried 4-star ratings in high school, from grad transfer Pete Nance to fellow freshmen Seth Trimble and Tyler Nickel. So because of his size and supposed skill level, he was mentioned by most prognosticators to add to Carolina’s much-needed depth.
That was patently unfair, as was all the attention he got for his 2-plus minutes and 2-point debut. Anyone who has followed sports closely knows how difficult it is to return to form from that kind of surgery, especially someone carrying 82 inches and more than 200 pounds.
Washington said he has been working harder than ever to get back into playing shape and learning a major college system compared to a smallish public high school where he towered over most others on the court.
Some recruiting services listed him among the top 20 recruits of his graduation class, which is impossible as a 4-star. There were many more than 20 players with 5-star status, so Washington has to be one or the other. We need to remember that as we cheer him onto the regular rotation of this season’s team. He may not earn that until he’s a sophomore next year.
What do you say we give him a chance to do it on his own schedule?
Featured image via Todd Melet
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
