FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (April 9, 2021) – A big week for the Northern Arizona men's basketball team was punctuated by the addition of Jalen Cone, a 5-10 guard out of Virginia Tech, which was formerly announced by head coach
Shane Burcar on Friday.
"Jalen brings in a hunger to win; he has something to prove," Burcar said. "He's an elite shooter and he has the foresight to come here and be a factor in getting to the NCAA Tournament. He wants to leave a legacy here with his teammates. When we got off the phone with him, we said we had to get him because he wants to be a part of something bigger than himself."
Cone, who recently completed his sophomore season with the Hokies and will have three years of eligibility remaining, committed to Northern Arizona over a final list that included Oklahoma State, Indiana, Penn State, Nebraska, Buffalo and Iowa State.
Coming out of Walkertown High School in North Carolina, Cone was a four-star prospect and ranked as the No. 8 point guard in the nation by 247Sports.com. The outlet had him as a top 100 prospect, as did ESPN, who ranked him 53rd in the Class of 2020.
The Frank Spencer Award winner – given to the top player in Northwest North Carolina – Cone averaged 25.7 points and 6.6 assists per game as a prep senior before heading off to Virginia Tech, where he played 47 games the last two seasons.
Cone averaged 8.4 points across two seasons, and proved to be an exceptional shooter particularly behind the arc where he connected at a 41.1 percent clip. According to kenpom.com, Cone held an effective field goal percentage of 50.4 and a true shooting percentage of 52.2 this past season.
The Walkertown, N.C. native played in all 32 games as a true freshman, drawing three starts, and led the ACC in three-point percentage at 45.7 percent, which placed him seventh in the country. His scoring saw a bump from 8.0 points in 2019-20 to 9.2 this past season, despite Cone battling a foot injury that limited him to just 15 games.
Cone still found ways to light it up during his sophomore campaign, particularly during a six-game stretch from mid-December through mid-January where he averaged 17.2 points in just under 22 minutes per game while shooting 43.3 percent from long range. He averaged over four threes made per contest during that span, which included games versus Miami, Louisville, Notre Dame and Duke.
It is that experience in the ACC, which will be pivotal in helping the Lumberjacks take the next steps as a program.
"No stage will be too big for him," Burcar said. "Let's rewind to December where we had five guys playing their first collegiate basketball game on the road at Arizona. Now with someone like Jalen coming in, he'll be a calming factor for us. Down the stretch, we have someone who can make shots and make his teammates better and again, it's all about winning with Jalen."
Cone recorded 19 double-digit scoring games as a Hokie with a high of 23 on the road at RV/No. 25 Louisville this past January.
Cone, who was also a member of the ACC Men's Basketball All-Academic Team, is the third transfer announced by the Lumberjacks this week following
Mason Stark (Chandler, Ariz./Northern State) and
Justus Rainwater (Enumclaw, Wash./Florida Gulf Coast).
The three transfers join incoming freshman
Jayden Jackson (Milwaukee, Wis./Whitefish Bay HS), who was signed his NLI in November, to comprise an exciting recruiting class ahead of the 2021-22 season.
"We're building a team and a program where every year, and we're going to keep growing," Burcar said. "I told Jalen, I'm so happy for you that you committed to NAU because you want to be here. Each of our four new guys want to be here. We have high-character guys in our locker room and the guys who are coming in fit that."
To stay up to date with the NAU men's basketball team, follow the Lumberjacks on
Twitter and
Instagram.
