Northwest Indiana, better known as “The Region, has produced some of the best talent in the state of Indiana: Glenn Robinson, Robbie Hummel, Bryce Drew, Delray Brooks, Dan Palombizio, Roger Harden and many more.  Jalen Washington promises to be the next big-thing from “Da Region”.

Jalen is a 6’8” forward that plays for West Side Leadership Academy in Gary, IN.  The city has experienced some difficult times having several high schools close recently but was once one of the largest school systems in Indiana.  The city still has a great deal of pride and Jalen Washington is something they can definitely be proud of.

This 5-star recruit suffered a season ending knee injury early on but that hasn’t slowed down his status as one of the top players in the nation for 2022 as he’s still a consensus top 20 prospect nationally.  West Side head coach Chris Buggs, “Rehab is going well, he’s working very hard to get completely healthy.  It’s a long road but he’s keeping a very positive attitude about his rehab”.  

Jalen has competed in two USA Basketball men’s junior national min-camps most recently was in Colorado Springs in October.  “We did skill work and team work, going through different situational plays and situations in games. Then we got to scrimmage for two days,” Washington said about the most recent camp. “I really just embraced it, going up against guys that are really known to be good players. I just tried to go hard and let them know that I’m a good player, too.”

Jalen had an outstanding summer grassroots season with the Meanstreets EYBL program out of facing some of the top talent in the country.  He currently has offers from: DePaul, Purdue, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois and Xavier.  This list will surely expand once he’s fully-healed and playing again this summer.

“The Region” and more importantly Gary Indiana has a lot to look forward to in the near future from this young man, “Even as a 15-year-old, Washington has already accepted that he is a role model in Gary and continues to represent his hometown with pride and class.” Said Coach Buggs.