Jalen Lecque

Last updated

Jalen Lecque
No. 0Hapoel Afula
Position Point guard / shooting guard
League Israeli Basketball Premier League
Personal information
Born (2000-06-13) June 13, 2000 (age 24)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school
NBA draft 2019: undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2020 Phoenix Suns
2019–2020Northern Arizona Suns
2020–2021 Indiana Pacers
2021Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2021–2022 Wisconsin Herd
20222024 Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2024–present Hapoel Afula
Stats at NBA.com  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Stats at Basketball Reference  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Jalen Evander Lecque (born June 13, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Afula of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. A consensus four-star recruit and former NC State commit, Lecque chose to forgo college basketball and immediately entered the 2019 NBA draft.

Contents

Early life

Lecque was born in Manhattan, New York and lived in The Bronx until he was three years old. Both of his parents worked in Harlem, his father at a barbershop and his mother at a hospital. As a toddler, Lecque moved with his family to Teaneck, New Jersey, where he attended elementary and middle school. [1]

High school career

Instead of attending his local school Teaneck High School, Lecque decided to enroll at Monsignor Scanlan High School in The Bronx because of its superior basketball program. [2] In the 2016–17 season, he averaged about 11 points per game. [3] In April 2017, Lecque saw breakout success with Southern Stampede at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL), helping him gain interest from many prominent NCAA Division I programs. [4]

Entering the 2017–18 season, Lecque transferred to Christ School in Arden, North Carolina while reclassifying from the 2018 to 2019 class. [5] [6] He was drawn to the school for not only basketball, but also academics. [2] Lecque averaged 20.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game, leading his team to the 3A North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association (NCISAA) state semifinals. He was named Asheville Citizen-Times All-Western North Carolina (WNC) Player of the Year and earned NCISAA All-State honors. [7]

On July 30, 2018, Lecque announced that he would transfer to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire for his senior season. [8]

On April 20, 2019, Lecque declared for the 2019 NBA draft. [9] On May 29, 2019, he remained in the NBA draft past the withdrawal deadline, ensuring that he would not play at the college level. [10]

On May 8, 2019, Lecque was named one of 77 total players participating in the NBA Draft Combine later in the month. [11] He recorded a 43-inch maximum vertical leap, the highest at the combine, and left the combine early after receiving positive feedback from NBA teams. [12]

Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Jalen Lecque
PG
The Bronx, NY Brewster Academy (NH)6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg)Oct 2, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 4 stars.svg     247Sports: 4 stars.svg     ESPN: 4 stars.svg    ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 40   247Sports: 44   ESPN: 42
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "NC State 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  • "2019 NC State Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 14, 2019.

Professional career

Phoenix Suns (2019–2020)

Lecque committed to play college basketball for the North Carolina State Wolfpack as a freshman for the 2019–2020 season, but instead, because of his eligibility and age decided to abstain from a collegiate career and rescind his commitment. [13] Lecque was not drafted in the 2019 NBA draft on June 20. He was signed to a 4-year deal, 2 years guaranteed, by the Phoenix Suns on July 6. [14] On October 28, Lecque was assigned to the Northern Arizona Suns for the start of the 2019–20 NBA G League season. [15] Lecque was recalled to Phoenix on multiple assignments throughout the season. [16] [17] [18] Lecque made his NBA debut on January 16, playing in only two minutes for the Suns' 121–98 win over the New York Knicks. [19]

Indiana Pacers (2020–2021)

On November 16, 2020, Lecque was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside Ty Jerome, Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre Jr., and a 2022 first-round pick in exchange for Chris Paul and Abdel Nader. [20]

On November 25, 2020, Lecque was traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for T. J. Leaf and a future second-round pick. [21] On March 25, 2021, Lecque was waived by the Pacers. [22]

Wisconsin Herd (2021–2022)

On October 15, 2021, Lecque signed a training camp deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. [23] He joined the Wisconsin Herd as an affiliate player. [24]

Lecque joined the Dallas Mavericks for the 2022 NBA Summer League. [25]

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2022–2024)

On November 3, 2022, Lecque was named to the opening night roster for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. [26]

Hapoel Afula (2024–present)

On August 29, 2024, Lecque signed with Hapoel Afula of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. [27]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage 3P%  3-point field goal percentage FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high

NBA

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2019–20 Phoenix 506.2.400.0001.000.4.4.0.02.0
2020–21 Indiana 403.0.111.0001.0001.3.5.0.01.3
Career904.9.263.0001.000.8.4.0.01.7

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References

  1. Jones, Ryan (August 15, 2018). "Jalen Lecque Is Representing New York City to the Fullest". Slam . Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Cordova, David (June 15, 2017). "Rook Season: Jalen Lecque Goes From Underrated Player in CHSAA to High-Major Recruit". Dave's Joint. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  3. Richey, Scott (July 15, 2017). "Illinois offers 2019 point guard". The News-Gazette . Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  4. Zagoria, Adam (April 29, 2017). "Bronx Native Jalen Lecque Becoming Breakout Star on EYBL Circuit". ZagsBlog. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  5. Lawless, Pat (December 9, 2017). "Kentucky, Texas, Oregon, Maryland and more are prioritizing Jalen Lecque - 2019 guard breaks down his recruitment". Made Hoops. Retrieved May 14, 2019.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. Lane, Chris (June 15, 2017). "2019 guard Jalen Lecque taking unofficial visit to Villanova". VU Hoops. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  7. Thompson, David (March 20, 2018). "All-WNC Boys Basketball Team". Asheville Citizen-Times . Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  8. Jordan, Jason (July 30, 2018). "Five-star SG Jalen Lecque to transfer to Brewster Academy". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  9. Abdeldaiem, Alaa (April 20, 2019). "NC State Commit Jalen Lecque Declares for 2019 NBA Draft". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  10. Hines, Travis (May 29, 2019). "NC State recruit Jalen Lecque staying in draft". NBC Sports . Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  11. "Sixty-six players expected to attend NBA Draft Combine". National Basketball Association. May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  12. Krest, Shawn (May 22, 2019). "Little, Lecque among winners at NBA Draft Combine". North State Journal . Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  13. "Jalen Lecque to Forgo Playing at NC State, Enter 2019 NBA Draft". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  14. "Suns Sign Johnson, Jerome, Lecque". NBA.com. July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  15. "Jalen Lecque Assigned to Northern Arizona Suns". nba.com. October 28, 2019. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
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  18. "Phoenix Suns Recall Jalen Lecque from Northern Arizona". January 5, 2020. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  19. Bernstein, Jeffrey (January 16, 2020). "Ayton shines as Suns pound Knicks 121-98". NBA.com. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  20. "Thunder Acquires Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio and 2022 First-Round Draft Pick". NBA.com. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  21. "Pacers Acquire Jalen Lecque from Oklahoma City". NBA.com. November 25, 2020.
  22. "Pacers Waive Lecque". NBA.com. March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  23. "The Milwaukee Bucks have signed Jalen Lecque to a training camp deal". Twitter.com. October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  24. "Wisconsin Herd Announces 2021 Training Camp Roster". Our Sports Central. October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  25. "Dallas Mavericks 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  26. "Vipers Finalize 2022-23 Opening Night Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  27. hapoelaf (August 29, 2024). "ברוך הבא לעפולה, ג'יילן לאקו! כל הפרטים בסטורי🧷". Instagram.com (in Hebrew). Retrieved October 12, 2024.