Syracuse basketball guard Jalen Carey proved that he belongs after a thrilling performance vs Georgetown on Saturday that delivered a major win.
Being a young player on one of the top schools in the entire country is tough. That is the first world problem that Syracuse basketball guard Jalen Carey is dealing with in 2018.
Not only is he transitioning from high school to the division one college basketball level, but he’s being asked to be a major cog in the Orange’s chase for another national championship. Currently plays the fifth most minutes among all Syracuse players (20.8 minutes per game).
Through the first nine games of this season we’ve seen good and bad things from the youngster, as expected.
He’s averaging under seven points per contest, 42 percent from the field, and 33 percent from downtown. The most troubling stat is that he leads the team in turnovers (2.3 per game per ESPN Stats and Information).
Young players often don’t value possessions like they should and have the mentality that if they turn the ball over, oh well we’ll get them on the next one.
So obviously Jalen has a long way to go to earn his stripes on this team, but he went a long way towards accomplishing that feat on Saturday vs Georgetown.
If you’re a box score watcher, you probably would’ve missed the impact that Jalen had on the outcome of the game.
Heck he finished with only three points on a 1-for-4 shooting performance, but that three pointer was a huge momentum shift at the end of the game. Not only did he contribute offensively but he also ran down the other side of the court a few moments later for a momentous block with his 6-foot-3 168 pound frame.
Tyus Battle noticed his impact and discussed it after the game:
"“He did a great job. Made some great passes and hit that big three at the end of the game. He’s really been earning his stripes out here these last couple of games.”"
It’s important for young players to “earn their stripes”, sometimes though players try to prove themselves to their teammates by doing too much, Jalen seemed to do just enough in this game.
I spoke with him one-on-one after the game and asked if this was a prove it moment for not only himself but his teammates:
"“It definitely was a prove it moment for myself and to my teammates. My teammates know I belong here, I don’t feel like I have to prove anything to our guys. They know what I’m capable of, but to show them that I don’t give up on possessions and possessions mean something to me. To get that block on the other end was huge and was a big moment in the game.”"
The good thing about Carey is he won’t be a one-and-done player, because of the current setup of the Orange roster, he won’t garner enough minutes to make that kind of impact to grab NBA scouts. But that’s a good thing, he’s got a lot to work on and he has only scratched the surface of what he can provide as a young player for this team. All I know is he’s going to be a super fun player to watch grow over the years.