Jaylen Walker, a Texas native, graduated from Allen High School in 2018, where he earned three varsity letters in basketball. As a senior, Walker led the team to a Texas 6A State Title, was MVP of the state tournament, and served as team captain. Following his senior year, he attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School, where he earned MVP of the team for the season. Fast Forward: Jaylen is now the forward for the United States Naval Academy. He wanted to give upcoming college basketball players some advice on the recruiting process. 

POSITION F
NUMBER: 11
HEIGHT 6-5
WEIGHT 206
HOMETOWN Allen, Texas

Related school rating: United States Naval Academy

Why the Naval Academy? 
I chose the Naval Academy because it created an excellent opportunity for me to play basketball and go to a school that would challenge me in all aspects of my life.

For those who want to go into the Naval Academy, how can they get on a coach's radar? How did you get on your coaches' radar? 
I originally got on my coaches' radar in a Vegas tournament. One of the assistants (Coach Davis) was sitting in the stands, and I had a pretty good game.

Related: 4 Quick Tips to Get on a Coach's Radar

What is the best piece of advice that you can give to athletes who are trying to get on a college roster? Where can they get noticed?
The best advice I would give to younger players is to not worry about a coach noticing them. Be patient and continue to improve, and the coaches will come. Honestly, there's no specific place where they can get noticed. Coaches come all over to see players, and you can get noticed even if they didn't necessarily come to see you. Coaches also know one another, so it's possible that one coach will notify another if they see you play a good game. 

What two key attributes make a great team player in college?
The two attributes that make a good team player are: 

1. Knowing your role  

2. Perfecting your best abilities 

What red flags should they look for when being recruited by a college coach?
It's easy to tell how much a program wants you based on how often the coach texts and calls. As far as red flags, it's always best to just ask if there are concerns because it's better to know than not to.

Related: 4 Red Flags to Look out for on Official Visits

What is the most challenging part about playing a Division 1 sport at a U.S Military academy? 
The most challenging part is all of the things happening simultaneously or back to back. It challenges everyone regardless if they play a sport or not and continually ask for your best effort in everything.

Did you take any unofficial visits? Do you recommend them? 
I did not take any unofficial visits, but I would say there's no harm in it if it is a school nearby.

Do your coaches look at their player's social media? 
My coaches definitely look at our social media, and it's a common thing for most, if not all, coaches to look at their player's social media. Even when recruiting, most check social media immediately after hearing about that player.

Related: Columbia, Brown, and MIT Coaches Talk about Social Media

What advice can you give to high school athletes about how they can use social media when being recruited?
I would say that social media is still an outlet and is a good source on how to express yourself if you desire. I would just say to be cautious in the fact that kids may look up to you that you are unaware of. I would say to remember what you represent and if it would be okay.

What role do you think parents should take in their child's recruiting process?
I think that the parents can have whatever role they want in the recruiting process as long as they're not doing too much or too little, which could hurt the kid in the process.

Related: What Role Do Your Family/Friends/Parents Play?

What is the best piece of advice that a coach has given you, and who was that coach?
The best thing a coach has told me is to go 100% in anything I do on the court, and if I mess up, he can live with me doing it at full speed but that he would never accept me messing up and doing it half speed. This was a quote from Coach Jeff McCullough.

Related: Quinnipiac Athletes Share Coach Advice on Being Confident and Controlling the Game

If you could go back and do your recruiting process all over again, what would you change, if anything?
If anything, I would go back to see what other offers I could possibly get, but I think I would still choose the same college because of the benefits and the challenges that it comes with that makes me a better person.

When did you decide that you wanted to play basketball in college?
It wasn't as much that I decided that I wanted to play basketball in college. It was more that I knew I wanted to keep playing basketball until I couldn't.

What is the craziest thing that you've seen a player do during a game? 
The craziest thing that has happened is one of my AAU coaches getting kicked out and escorted out of the gym when I was young and having a parent come coach.

Have a question you need answered or an idea of an athlete we should interview? Email us at editorial@lrt-sports.com

* Originally published on January 6, 2022, by Hazel Brown