Junior guard Jalen Dalcourt had a long and unconventional journey to San Jose, but the Spartan are sure glad to have him. The Lafayette, Louisiana, product was a stud at the high school level at Lafayette High School before making stints at Tallahassee Community College and Iowa Western Community College.
In Louisiana, the 6-foot-2 Dalcourt squared off regularly with friend and now Spartan teammate Seneca Knight. As a senior, he averaged 27 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game. He then moved on to the collegiate level where he played with another future teammate in Richard Washington at Tallahassee CC in Florida. In his lone season, he averaged 11.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
Dalcourt made one last stop on the way to San Jose, at Iowa Western CC, where he played his sophomore season. That season, he averaged 10.6 points and shot the ball at a 40.2 percent clip from the field and 37 percent efficiency from 3-point range. In one notable performance against North Central Missouri College, Dalcourt dropped a career-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting with four triples.
Dalcourt will look to bring his experience and skill set to the South Bay and help the Spartans achieve big things in 2020-21. Get to know more about him in our newcomer Q&A below!
Q: What age did you begin playing basketball and what is it about the game that you love the most?
JALEN: I was five years old when I started playing ball. I love just being able to compete at a high level and see myself grow as a player.
Q: Who is your favorite NBA player?
JALEN: My favorite two players are James Harden and Kobe Bryant.
Q: Who is your all-time favorite music artist?
JALEN: Jaydayoungan and Lil Durk.
Q: Do you have a pregame hype song?
JALEN: Yeah I have a few. "Purge" by Jaydayoungan, "3 Head Goat" by Lil Durk and "BST" by Polo G.
Q: What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
JALEN: "Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard." That is something I live my life by.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most when restrictions are lifted due to COVID-19?
JALEN: Just being able to work out consistently and being able to experience California, being as this is my first time here.
Q: If you could play any other sport, which would it be?
JALEN: Football. I think I could be a pretty good receiver.
Q: Do you have any hidden talents?
JALEN: I'm a comedian.
Q: If you were stuck on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?
JALEN: My family, a gym and my shoes. These things are the most important things that I cannot live without.
Q: Why did you choose San Jose State?
JALEN: I felt like this is a place that I could come in and make a big impact. It was also a chance to be with one of my old teammates with in JUCO (Richard) and my brother that I grew up with (Seneca).