4-star Jalen Shelley says two schools are standing out

Jalen Shelley bumped up to No. 27 in the recent 2024 On3 150 update. The 6-foot-7 wing averaged 12.0 points and 4.6 rebounds last season at Frisco (TX) Lone Star High.

“I think my game is really versatile,” Shelley told On3. “I’ll play one through four and just guard whoever is needed to be guarded. I watch a lot of Cade Cunningham and Ben Simmons, the big guards type of players. I see how they use their body and their length and how they use all that to be able to play multiple positions.”

Shelley is a former football wide receiver who recently decided to focus just on basketball. That decision changed some things in the eyes of college coaches. On3 caught up with Jalen Shelley to talk recruitment and which programs were prioritizing him.

“Arkansas and LSU,” Shelley said. “Those are the top two, really. I talk to them a lot on a daily basis. I visited Arkansas a couple of weeks ago.”

Shelley talks recruitment

Arkansas: “I saw a practice when I was there, and they pay a lot of attention to detail. Every minute of practice is written down. So I really like that. It’s really intense. It’s loud. They talk and are just really high-level. They say they like my ability to think fast and just play.”

LSU: “They like how I’m good with the ball and how I move well for my size. They said I can just play mentally and think about the game.”

“I took an unofficial visit to Houston in August,” Shelley said. “But they haven’t offered yet. I’m planning to have some (junior year) official visits, but I just haven’t talked to anybody yet.”

Scouting report

The first thing you think of when watching Jalen Shelley is upside. He is a legit 6-foot-7, 6-foot-8 with long arms, wide-set shoulders, and he moves so fluidly. Shelley is a former wide receiver, and you can see that with the way he moves. Shelley has excellent explosion at the basket; he really shows off in transition. The left-hander has a repeatable release on his jump shot. The shot is a bit of a set shot, so you would like to see him develop off movement and off-the-bounce. He is a good straight-line driver to the basket and able to take up so much space with his long strides. Shelley has an upside on the defensive end, given his natural quick-twitch athleticism and long frame. He has given up football to focus fully on basketball. With continued game reps and consistent training, there is a lot of ceiling ready for this one to take.