As UNC embraces life after Armando Bacot, a new star is emerging in junior Jalen Washington.
North Carolina’s quest for a big man this offseason was well documented.
High-stakes battles for Jonas Aidoo (Arkansas) and Cliff Omoruyi (Alabama) didn’t go UNC’s way. Nor did late pushes for Julius Halaifonua (Georgetown) and other international bigs. Hubert Davis and his staff ultimately added Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin and Georgia Tech transfer Ty Claude, but size and athleticism limitations for both called the size of their roles into question.
Thus, all eyes turned to junior Jalen Washington. The 6-10 big was a top-25 recruit when he committed to UNC in July of 2021. However, knee injuries derailed his final year of high school and tanked his ranking.
Then, a lengthy recovery kept him from full participation in his first summer in Chapel Hill. Ten games into the ’22-23 campaign, Washington finally made his Tar Heel debut on Dec. 10, 2022.
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“My inner circle, they really just help me out,” he told Heat Check CBB that night. “I still talk to my high school coach pretty much every day. My parents are two of the biggest people in my life. My siblings, everybody’s really big on faith. … I’ve just been praying a lot, just trying to find some positives and motivation.”
That motivation led Washington to continue working, becoming a solid backup to Armando Bacot last season. Yet, coming into the season, he had logged 15 or more minutes in just three career games. Then, an early-October exhibition showcased Washington’s potential in a feature role.
The play above is not all that different from BLOBs that Carolina runs for RJ Davis. Washington finished the scrimmage at Memphis with 17 points (6-of-7 from the field, 2-of-2 from 3), adding six rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes.
The junior then started the regular season slowly, with single-digit outings against Elon and at Kansas. On Friday night, however, he erupted in Carolina’s 107-55 win over American. Washington logged a career-high 18 points, showing off his smooth face-up game, his potential on the screen and roll, and a couple of highlight dunks for good measure.
Indeed, Washington played an integral part in UNC’s blistering second half, which saw them turn a nine-point lead into a 50-plus-point beatdown.
“I felt like it was a combination of getting into the flow of the game and Coach (Hubert) Davis challenging us just to step it up and bring our energy and our intensity up on both ends of the floor,” he told reporters after the game. “And I feel like we took that challenge, and what we asked of us.”
Moreover, Washington may be emerging as a vocal leader for UNC, something needed of him as he moves into veteran status. His animated antics help stoke the competitive fire of his teammates on the court and on the bench, too.
“That’s a little joke that I do: If I get an and-1 or something, just hit my head,” Washington said after Friday’s win. “Just hitting my chest, sometimes I get too hype. That’s just what comes out when I’m playing with a lot of passion.”
That passion is in stark contrast with the quiet, mild-mannered kid who spoke to Heat Check back in December 2022. Two years later, the Tar Heels are feeding off of his energy as they look to find their way back to the Final Four.