Jalen Gant has been named a 2nd Team NJCAA All-American. Gant led the Pirates in scoring for the 2017-18 season averaging 21.3 points per game. He also pulled down 9.5 rebounds per game in his sophomore season. On top of earning All-American status, Gant has recently signed a national letter of intent to play for Missouri Western State University.
"I was really excited to be named an All-American; ever since I got up to North Central my two major goals where to make it to the National Tournament as a team and to be named an All-American. I would like to thank my teammates for pushing me every day in practice and never letting me settle. I would also like to thank my parents and coaches for believing in me and always being there for me. I am very excited about my opportunity to go and play for Coach Wicks at Missouri Western. They made it feel like a family atmosphere and made me feel welcome from the very beginning and it is somewhere that I can succeed at not only athletically but also academically," said Gant.
Coach Esry had these comments about his top player's recent accolade and university commitment. "Congratulations to Jalen on being named an All-American and committing to play at Missouri Western. When we recruited Jalen two years ago we knew that he had the potential to become a really special player for us and he exceeded all expectations. Jalen put in the work every day and wanted to get better. He was a great teammate and leader as well and is going to be someone very tough to replace in our program. Jalen is one of three players in our program's history to be named an All-American; he is also ranked in the top 3 for career points scored and rebounds as a Pirate. On top of all Jalen's accomplishments on the court, I am probably proudest of how he has represented himself as a high character student-athlete in our community. That is something which will take him far in life. I think Missouri Western is a great fit for Jalen. He was talking to a lot of schools but when Coach Wicks came in it really sealed the deal. We look forward to watching all of Jalen's future success down the road in St. Joseph."
