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Siena Basketball: Jalen Pickett and becoming the next mid-major star

By Benjamin Zacher

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 08: Jalen Pickett #22 of the Siena Saints dribbles up court during a college basketball game against the George Washington Colonials at the Smith Center on November 8, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 08: Jalen Pickett #22 of the Siena Saints dribbles up court during a college basketball game against the George Washington Colonials at the Smith Center on November 8, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Nov 18, 2018; Uncasville, CT, USA; Siena Saints guard Jalen Pickett (22) Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 18, 2018; Uncasville, CT, USA; Siena Saints guard Jalen Pickett (22) Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

What makes Jalen Pickett so special?  His accomplishments speak for itself

  • His freshman year, he recorded a career-high 46 points and 13 assists in a triple-overtime loss to Quinnipiac, becoming just the second player this century with a 45-plus point and 10-plus assist performance.
  • Pickett received MAAC Rookie of the Week honors 11 times, setting a conference record and tying for second-most overall in the history of NCAA Division I basketball, being surpassed by Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger’s 12 in 2010-11.
  • Last season, he was the only player in the nation to average at least 15 points, four rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block.
  • Since the 2009-10 season, he is currently 19th in assist percentage career leaders across all of Div. I basketball at 38.7%.  He finished ninth in the NCAA in assists per game his freshman season at 6.7 and 20th his sophomore year at 6 per game.

Although Pickett has not enjoyed the NCAA tournament success and spotlight that Lillard, McCollum, and Morant have all experienced, his time will come.  The Saints were the heavy favorites in the 2020 MAAC Tournament, and with Pickett returning, they should again be the favorites this coming season.

Thankfully, for Pickett, his stats are a mixture of what Lillard, McCollum, and Morant produced at their respective schools.  Pickett is one of the top shooters in the MAAC, shooting just under 46% this past season and 45% for his two-year career.

In comparison, Pickett’s already established himself as a better shooter than McCollum (.425%) and Lillard (.432%) at the end of their sophomore seasons.  Similarly, his efficiency field goal percentage (.524%) is better than McCollum’s (.494%), and he just barely trails Lillard (.526%) and Morant (.536%) at the conclusion of their second-year campaigns.

He has proven himself on the floor as a scorer – he is shooting 51% on two-pointers and 36% on three-pointers for his career – with a 15.5 points per game average.  That aggregate trails almost any number the other three have put up – it only surpasses Morant and Lillard’s rookie season – but understandably so.  Pickett was one of four Saints to average double-digits this past season.

While that detracts from Pickett’s scoring average, it also solidifies his status as an effective floor general.  With currently being 19th in assist percentage career leaders the past ten years in the NCAA, Pickett has led the MAAC in assists per game both seasons, currently maintaining a 6.4 average with 396 assists overall.

That total, in just two seasons, is more than both Lillard and McCollum dished out in the entirety of their collegiate careers.  It does trail Morant’s two-year total (532) by a significant margin, but Pickett should more than surpass Morant’s number by the end of his junior season.

Pickett is also a capable rebounder, pulling down 285 for his career.  While his accumulative numbers trail both McCollum and Morant’s at the conclusion of their second year, they do exceed what Lillard collected by the end of his sophomore campaign.