Avery is a Pure PG

Jalen Avery

If the Cincinnati city league is known for any one thing, it would be having great guards. Needless to say, when a talented guard transfers into the league from outside of the city, league veterans make try and make sure not to get shown up by the rookie.

However, this season class of 2015 point guard Jalen Avery, of Cincinnati Shroder HS, has not looked the part of a city league rookie.

After starting his career across the river in Kentucky at Covington Holy Cross, Avery had been absent from the high school basketball scene for the last two seasons as he dealt with some personal issues. But since he walked in the building for the first time this fall at Shroder, the 6’0 point guard has made his presence felt.

Through the first fifteen games of the season the junior floor general is averaging 19.7 points (4^th in the league) and leads the league in assists at 9.6 a night. Monday night in a double-overtime victory over perennial league powerhouse Withrow, Triple Double Prospects saw that those numbers are not a fluke, as Avery put up 18 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds and 5 steals in leading his team to the win.

A pure point guard in every sense, Avery is a pass-first player who shows exceptional vision as a distributor off of the dribble in either the half-court or transition setting. A smooth ballhandler and quick athlete who thrives in changing speeds, Avery reminds us more of your prototypical New York City style guard in the way that he moves with the ball.

Also capable of shooting the ball consistently from deep, making an impressive 27/54 for 50% so far this year, Avery is a scoring threat from all three levels, as his quickness and craftiness allow him to get to the rim to finish or draw fouls.

While Avery is currently missing on our list of top Ohio prospects in the 2015 class, expect for the point guard’s name to fall in pretty close to the top when we next release our updated list of guards.

On the collegiate side, coaches are also beginning to take notice, as an assistant coach from Providence recently visited Cincinnati to watch the young lead guard play. With a whole season of AAU ball and his senior year in front of him once his junior season ends next sometime next month, look for Avery to become one of the better known guars in Ohio sooner than later.