Jalen Suggs

Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Suggs started playing basketball as soon as he could walk. His father, Larry, drove him to many basketball camps, and at age seven, Suggs flew to Dallas without his family to attend a camp.[1] In seventh grade, he played three games of junior varsity basketball for Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis before moving to the varsity team. Suggs was a starter at the varsity level as an eighth-grader, averaging 17.5 points, 4.4 steals and four assists per game.[2]

As a freshman at Minnehaha Academy, Suggs averaged 21.5 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game. He scored 22 points, including 15 in the second half, to win the Class 2A state championship over Crosby-Ironton High School.[3] Suggs was named to the MaxPreps Freshman All-American first team.[4] In his sophomore season, he averaged 16 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, leading his team to another Class 2A state title.[5] Suggs earned Associated Press (AP) All-State first team and MaxPreps Sophomore All-American second team honors.[6]

As a junior, he averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game, winning a third straight Class 2A state championship. Suggs was named to the AP All-State first team and MaxPreps Junior All-American third team.[7] As a senior, he averaged 23.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, five assists and 3.9 steals per game.[8] His season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic one day after he won a section title, and he was unable to help Minnehaha defend its state championship. He left as his school's all-time leading scorer, with 2,945 career points.[9] Suggs earned MaxPreps All-American first team and Minnesota Mr. Basketball honors,[10][11] and was named Minnesota AP Player of the Year.[12] He was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit, but all three games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

In addition to basketball, Suggs played the quarterback position for SMB, a cooperative football team representing Minnehaha Academy and two other schools. He led his team to a Class 4A state championship as a junior in 2018. In his senior season, Suggs helped SMB finish as Class 4A runners-up and was named Minnesota Mr. Football.[14] In his senior year, he was recognized as MaxPreps Athlete of the Year for his success in basketball and football. He became the first athlete in Minnesota history to win the state's Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football awards in the same season.[8]

Recruiting

On January 3, 2020, Suggs committed to play college basketball for Gonzaga University, choosing the Bulldogs over offers from Florida, Florida State, Iowa State and Minnesota. He became the highest ranked player to commit to the program. Suggs was a consensus five-star recruit, with ESPN considering him the fifth-best player and the second-best point guard behind Cade Cunningham in the 2020 class. In football, Suggs was considered a four-star dual-threat quarterback by ESPN but is not expected to play the sport in college.[15]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jalen Suggs PG / SG	Saint Paul, MN	Minnehaha Academy (MN)	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jan 3, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 11  247Sports: 13  ESPN: 6
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Gonzaga 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020. "2020 Gonzaga Bulldogs Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.

In his college debut on November 25, 2020, Suggs scored 24 points in a 102–90 win over Kansas.[16] In his second game, against Auburn, he scored 12 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists en route to a victory.[17] On December 2, in a game against West Virginia, he came down with an apparent foot injury but returned later in the game. He ended the game with 4 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and Gonzaga won once again.[18] 17 days later he led the Bulldogs with a career high 27 points against #3 ranked Iowa, he also had 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, and 3 steals.[19]

Suggs won a gold medal with the United States at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Formosa, Argentina. In four games, he averaged 7.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.[20] At the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Argentina, Suggs averaged 8.7 points and 3.3 steals per game and won another gold medal. He joined the United States at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Heraklion, Greece, averaging 9.6 points per game and helping his team win the gold medal. Suggs scored 15 points, his best mark in the tournament, in the final versus Mali.[21]

Suggs' second cousin is NFL player Terrell Suggs, a two-time Super Bowl champion. Suggs is also a cousin of Eddie Jones, a three-time NBA All-Star.[21] He has several other cousins that have played NCAA Division I basketball.[22]

• Gonzaga Bulldogs bio
• USA Basketball bio