Fulton High School standout Jalen Steele is headed out west again — the SEC West, that is.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Steele, a former Auburn signee, committed to and signed with Mississippi State men’s basketball program Tuesday.
Steele, Class AA’s Mr. Basketball and the two-time News Sentinel PrepXtra player of the year, took an official visit to Starkville, Miss., this past weekend.
Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said he’s glad to have Steele on board and called him an “all-around package.”
“He’s one of those guys that, No. 1, our program has been built around,” said Stansbury by phone Tuesday night. “He reminds me so much of a young man who just graduated: Barry Stewart, from Shelbyville. I’m sure there are some people who can look at him (Steele) and say, ‘Well, he doesn’t do this. He doesn’t do that.’ But all he does is win. He finds ways to win. He’s from a great high school program — where he’s been coached. That’s a plus nowadays in high school basketball.
“No. 2, he’s way ahead of the scale defensively. He’s got a great defensive mind. He’s got great strength. And he’s got one thing you can’t teach — the ability to shoot that basketball.”
Stansbury and his staff made Steele a top priority.
Stansbury visited Fulton the day after Steele was released from his national letter of intent April 8. Stansbury couldn’t meet with Steele that day, since Steele wasn’t free of his SEC letter of intent. So Stansbury met with Fulton head coach Jody Wright and made quite an impression.
Stansbury and two assistants went so far as to visit Knoxville last Friday to meet members of Steele’s family who could not travel with him to Starkville.
“He comes from such a great family,” said Stansbury.
The latter visit to Knoxville by Stansbury nearly convinced Steele on the spot.
“That showed a lot to me, and how committed he was to me,” said Steele. “Everybody (in the family) liked that.”
Steele left three official visits unused. Cincinnati, Ole Miss and Dayton were late players in Steele’s second recruitment, which also at one time featured schools such as Texas, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and LaSalle.
Auburn won over Steele in his first lap through the recruiting circuit. He committed to the Tigers in September after an official visit and signed in November.
But head coach Jeff Lebo was fired March 12, and Steele didn’t mesh with new coach Tony Barbee’s direction. So he asked for his release April 1, a few days after meeting with Barbee in Knoxville.
Stansbury sees Steele, who averaged 24 points per game as a senior, fitting in nicely and possibly securing early playing time.
“That’s why we recruited him,” said Stansbury. “We lost a kid (Stewart), and all he did was help us win four different championships: three Western Conference championships and an SEC tournament championship. I see a lot of similarities in those guys.
“His (Steele’s) adjustment (to the college game) will be minimized because of the high school system he came from. He’s been taught discipline. He understands how you have to play defense. That’s the biggest adjustment for most guys. Offensively, we’re going to get up and down the floor and shoot a lot of 3s. He fits that role very well.”
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Comments » 27
cjtgovols writes:
Is there a reson that we didn't recruit this guy. I love having home town kids on the team.
vet4ut writes:
Well, likely had to do with us having landed 2 guards that are of a higher caliber and we were chasing a top 5 recruit in Selby.
I agree that hometown talent is worth more than a recruiting service analysis but Pearl did an awesome job with this year's recruiting.
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
don't know much about this kid, oh well....
GerryOP writes:
Go forth and do well young man.
Cldvols1 writes:
Bye! GBO
marinevol writes:
I had a good friend that was recruited by Miss. State. When he came back from his visit he was kind of in shock, and kept talking about how desolate the campus was. He immediately committed to his other SEC option, Auburn. Since then, whenever I hear of someone (with other options) committing to Miss. State, I always wonder why. I've never seen the school, but they must see something that my friend didn't see. He still says he couldn't get away from there fast enough. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I always think of Miss. State as an interesting choice.
beachvol1 writes:
This guy can flat out play...Mr Basketball 2 yrs in a row....tell you something...missed out on a good one screwing around with Selby...need the home town talent to stay in Ktown...he will come back to haunt the Vols...talk about the 4 or 5 star players all you want..this guy stacks up against most of them...
iowavol writes:
I have a lot of friends and a lot of employees who are graduates of MState. I hear nothing but good things about it.
volsn1 writes:
I am a Fulton High School Graduate. Bill Justus Ron Widby Jackie Walker Era.. They all went to star at UT. Tennessee needs to look at local players and not ignore them.
1vavolfan writes:
Even if Tennessee had showed an interest he probably doesnt come here. He is not the caliber of Golden or McCrae and probably wouldn't have been too excited about having to compete for what would probably amount to very little playing time. We also have 2 nice guards committed for 2011.
cobbwebb writes:
jalen is a baller, his attitude and grades are fine! to say otherwise is ignorant! this kid is 3 times the player mcbee is, and we will find out very soon, what a mistake it was to let this kid get away. i know for a fact jalen would have commited to pearl, and ut in a flash, with no hesitation! i am glad to see jody wright get some props, he is an amazing coach, and everything stansbury said about him and his program is 100% accurate! go falcons, and go big orange!!!!
eduardo writes:
I agree!! I dont believe in letting the players that can play get away from this area...Need guys that can put the ball in the hole!! Should have reevaluated after decommittment from Auburn!!!
Halls3 writes:
Grades? Attitude? Are you one of Jalen's teachers? You probably don't even know where Fulton High School is do you? This kid played in the Rocky Top League in High School & was a solid player in the league, hits free throws, & is a play maker & great athlete. You sir are just a fool who really knows little to nothing about anything involving basketball or else you would know the talent Jalen truly is. Getting caught up in stars sometimes lets talent slip from right out in front of you, i.e. Chad Pennington, Randall Cobb, etc.
beartn#223846 writes:
I trust Pearl and his staff to know if this kid is a good fit for their system or not. I know he's from Fulton, but I'm not sure anyone can really complain about the two guards we did sign.
It reminds me a little of complaints that Fulmer didn't recruit East Tennessee kids enough. the KNS looked at the players college careers, and very few of them got much playing time at big time programs elsewhere. We hire the coaches to recruit the best talent they can get to fit their systems. I don't care that much where they come from, as long as they stay out of trouble (most important to me) and win (2nd most important to me).
newtonrail writes:
He may or may not could play at Tennessee, but he was already caught in numbers crunch. There are no schollies available. If Selby had come, Pearl couldn't put McBee or Bone on Schollie, and may not anyway. It's going to be close because of APR penalty we are still under.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Good luck, youngster and congrats.
easleychuck writes:
Not picking on your post at all, thought it was an opinion that many others (myself included) have at times when a good local player goes somewhere else, either by his own decision or lack of an offer.
You may be right that this fellow turns out to be special and torments UT over the next few years. There is just no way of knowing. Recruiting is such a crapshoot. There is so much that can trip up a kid once he arrives on a campus...grades, social integration, homesickness, failure to improve, being over-rated, avoiding temptations. Recruiting decisions are made by coaches all the time that turn out to be mistakes. Promising players on the court (Ramar Smith), turn out to have 50 cent brains. There are no crystal balls in recruiting. Can't say that recruiting Selby was a mistake, nobody knows how he will turn out as a player but based on everything available he could have been a special player. Steele may turn out to be one, too or maybe he will not.
So much of recruiting comes down to specific need at the time, unfortunately, for Steele at this time UT thinks that they do not have room for another guard with his skill set. Coaches are paid to make those decisions and get fired for making too many bad ones. Remember Coach Pearl speaks about the middle Tennessee kid at Vandy this year that they may have under-valued. He may have to pay for that evaluation for 3 more years. Coach has brought so much to this program. I am inclined to trust him more than not, and wish Steele a good career at Miss State except when he faces UT.
GreeneVol_TN writes:
My daughter recieved her bachelors and masters degree from Miss State and now teaches there. She loves the place to death. From my few visits there I will have to say it is very isolated but I enjoyed the atmoshphere. It's just different strokes for different folks.
I have watched Jalen Steele play in the Rocky Top League last summer and the kid is the real deal. Even as a high schooler he was starting and playing great ball against tough college competition (even pro - CJ Watson)and doing well. I hope he has a great time at Miss State.
Just not against the Vols! LOL.
GO VOLS!
riversetvol writes:
That's what we should do, recruit more local players who grew up bleeding Orange. You know like Aaron Douglas and Lee Smith.
You Knoxville rubes just kill me.
striker4545 writes:
Congrats big man, if not a Vol, at least your in an SEC school
volboy81 writes:
good luck, Jalen, but not against the Vols!
murrayvol writes:
You know something is amiss when cow-tipping is the #1 recreational activity.
murrayvol writes:
"Jalen is not in the class of a shooter that Jalen is." Care to explain??
murrayvol writes:
He is getting better.....much better. ;)
Volumnus writes:
Jalen did not have an extensive rap sheet. He is a smart, well mannered and upstanding young man from ET. We don't seem to know how to recruit those or treat them well if we do. I am extremely disappointed. Stansbury might win the NCAA with the bodies that we have walked over.
Stansbury was giving a walk-on chance to the kid(name escapes me) that played in the RTL at the same time as McBee(in HS, probably 2008), until the kid blew out two ligaments in the ankle. They were ponying up for a 3/4 ride(academic scholly) in engineering for him. Once he blew the ankle he went somewhere in TX on an academic full ride. The point is, Stansbury is open minded and will work to give anyone a chance to do what they can do. He is not intimidated by a smart athlete. He has a great personality for working with student athletes. I think we need to watch MS State. I am happy for Jalen, but sad he is not in orange.
N2Motorsports writes:
Where did you play D-1 and Professional ball for?
fpcoach writes:
It didn't matter how we evaluated the kid from middle tennessee he wanted to go to vandy
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