#NSD2020: Jalen Tate

Mike Cawood April 15, 2020

Jalen Tate
6-6 / 175 / G / Gr.Sr.
Pickerington, Ohio (Northern Kentucky / Pickerington Central HS)

Rated the #5 graduate transfer in the nation by NBC Sports, #8 by The Stadium, #10 by CBS Sports and #15 by ESPN.

Was the 2020 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and is a three-time Horizon League All-Defensive Team pick … Helped the Norse to a Horizon League Tournament title in 2020 and regular-season championship in 2019 … Set to graduate from Northern Kentucky in the Spring of 2020 … Spent four seasons at Northern Kentucky, taking a medical redshirt season as a freshman in 2016-17 after playing just eight games prior to a season-ending hand injury … Has scored 950 points in his collegiate career to finish 37th in NKU history (93 games with 82 starts), averaging 10.2 ppg for his career … Has averaged 3.7 rebounds with 285 assists … Finished in the NKU top 20 for career assists, steals and blocked shots … Had two career double-doubles.

Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year (2020)
3x Horizon League All-Defensive Team (2018, 2019, 2020)
All-Horizon League Third Team (2020)
Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List (2020)
Horizon League Tournament MVP and All-Tournament Team (2020)
Horizon League All-Tournament Team (2019)
Horizon League Player of the Week (March 4, 2019)
Horizon League All-Freshman Team (2018)

Junior (2019-20 at Northern Kentucky):
Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and earned Horizon League All-Defensive Team honors for the third straight year … Added third team All-Horizon League honors … Averaged 13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals in helping the Norse to a 23-9 record …Played in 22 games, starting 20 as he missed 10 games due to injury … Named the Horizon League Tournament MVP after putting up 37 points in two games and leading the Norse to the Championship … Turned in a dominant performance in a semifinal win over Green Bay with a 23 points – going 6-of-10 from the floor and 10-of-15 at the line – while adding six rebounds, three assists and two steals in a semifinal win over Green Bay … In the championship versus UIC, had 14 points, four rebounds and four assists In his second game back from the injury, had a career-high eight assists with five rebounds at Missouri … Dropped a career-high 31 points versus IUPUI, while also tacking on six boards, seven assists and a career-best six steals … Prior to his career high, had 24 points (9-of-13) with six rebounds and six assists versus Detroit Mercy …. Posted his second career double-double at Green Bay with 17 points and career-high 12 rebounds … Narrowly missed double-doubles with 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists at Milwaukee and 24 points with nine rebounds in the regular-season finale versus Wright State … Closed the season with three straight strong performances, including 16 points and four steals at Cleveland State, 18 points and three steals at Youngstown State and 24 points with two steals versus Wright State … Was on the Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List … Preseason All-Horizon League First Team.

Sophomore (2018-19 at Northern Kentucky):
Named to Horizon League All-Defensive Team thanks to registering 37 steals and 21 blocks … Showed big improvement over his redshirt freshman season by averaging 13.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game to help the Norse to a 26-9 record and the Horizon League regular-season championship … Shot 53.9 percent (159-of-295) from the field to rank 54th in nation … Led NKU with 17 points behind 7-for-10 shooting, while adding five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal, in the Horizon League Championship game against Wright State … Earned Horizon League All-Tourney team status … Scored a season-high 30 points in the regular-season title-clinching win at Green Bay, making 11-of-19 shots, garnering Horizon League Player of the Week honors when coupled with his performance at Milwaukee where he registered first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds at home versus Milwaukee … Poured in 25 points, including 22 in the first half, and dished out six assists against UIC … Went 8-of-11 from the floor and 2-of-3 from three in the game as well .. Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team.

Redshirt Freshman (2017-18 at Northern Kentucky):
Horizon League All-Freshman Team member is averaging 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game … Horizon League All-Defensive Team member after leading NKU in steals (42) and blocks (19) … Posted 15 points versus James Madison and 14 points against Iona to help NKU to a second-place finish in the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase … Recorded a steal in 26 of NKU’s 32 games, including 12 games with multiple steals.

Freshman (2016-17 at Northern Kentucky):
Received medical redshirt following season-ending hand injury … Started each of the first eight games for the Norse, averaging 4.6 points a contest in 18.8 minutes … Played 36 minutes, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor to score 13 points against Morehead State.

High School:
A 2015 and 2016 all-conference (Ohio Capital Conference) honoree for Pickerington Central HS … Led the Tigers to more than 20-wins and district championship as a senior … Averaged 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists a game during his junior campaign.

Personal:
Son of Jermaine and Jenice Tate … Siblings are Jae’Sean, Jada and Jocci … Father, Jermaine Tate, played for Ohio State and Cincinnati prior to a 13-year professional career overseas … Brother, Jae’Sean Tate, was second team All-Big Ten in 2018 and Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2015 at Ohio State.

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