South Mountain Junior College (6-11, 1-8) has had some struggles this season winning games, although the program has lost numerous close contests this season. A major bright spot this season for longtime successful Head Coach Dan Nichols has been the strong play of 6-foot-4 sophomore Jaylen Wesley. Wesley has put up tremendous numbers this junior college season, and has absolutely done all he can this season to keep his team competitive - leading the Arizona Community College Athletic Association (ACCAC) in scoring and rebounding this season. Wesley is having a stellar season, and as a result received his first Division-I offer to his credit.
Wesley is hearing from numerous college programs currently, as a result of his amazing production, which is among the very best in the country. Wesley currently ranks as the #2 overall scorer in the country by the NJCAA - averaging an amazing 27.9 points per/game. Wesley also is among the nation's leaders in rebounding for the NJCAA also, grabbing 10.9 rebounds per/game. Wesley has done all of this, while also averaging 3.1 assists and shooting 49.2% from the field, 47.6% from three-point range and also shooting 86.4% from the free-throw line. These numbers are the best numbers that I believe I have ever seen from an Arizona juco prospect. Yes, I have seen many players average as many points or more than Wesley, but not with as high of a field goal percentage, and especially across the board like Wesley.
Wesley recently received his first Division-I offer from Southern University. I expect many more Division-I college programs to continue to watch him closely the remainder of this junior college season, with many more offers soon on the horizon for him this spring. Once college coaches begin to focus more on their recruiting for next fall, as the season unwinds, Wesley projects to become a hot ticket among college programs looking for transfers to make an impact on their respective teams next year.
Wesley is not new to this type of production, as he was also a star performer at McClintock High School. After desiring to play at the division-I level and not receiving a Division-I offer as a high school prospect, Wesley chose to stay close to home at South Mountain Junior College, which has turned out to be an excellent decision for Wesley, as Head Coach Dan Nichols and his staff have allowed Wesley to play all over the floor and have highlighted his ability to play the game.
Wesley has an excellent body and has always had no problems with physical strength, as he is among the best well-built prospects in the junior college ranks. He possesses a very strong upper body that allows him to overpower his opposition inside the paint for baskets and rebounds. He is a very strong finisher, as a result, and has no problems with physical contact, in fact he relishes it. Where he has really improved since high school is in his ability to make shoots from mid-range and he has become much more consistent from longer ranges on the floor. While watching him in a loss at home this week to Chandler-Gilbert Junior College, Wesley almost brought his team back in the game, after a scoring outburst in the game's second half. Wesley seemed at one point to score every time down the floor, and in a variety of ways - put-backs, mid-range shots, three-pointers and in the open floor. Wesley is a nice all-around package and is fundamentally sound as a player. It will be very interesting to see what position he plays in college, as he does not really have a true position. He is really just a player.
What is exceptional about Wesley also is that he is an excellent student as well, possessing a 3.8 CUM GPA in junior college. Wesley also had a 4.0 GPA in high school, so he is worthy of playing at a high academic institution, which should really benefit his college recruitment as well.
I will continue to watch Wesley closely this season, as well as his college recruitment, and bring you any updates on him as the season progresses.
