Horizon League Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)
By Joey Loose
11. Jalen Hayes
A 6’7 wing from Lansing, Michigan, Hayes arrived at Oakland in 2013, the same season the Golden Grizzlies joined the Horizon League. He’d eventually redshirt after barely playing in his first season but would become a major part of Oakland’s basketball program across the next four seasons.
As a freshman, Hayes averaged 8.5 points per game on a 3rd-place team, though his personal contributions would increase with each season. By his junior season, the Golden Grizzlies were Horizon League regular season champs and Hayes was averaging 15.9 points and 8.0 rebounds a game. He had a 27-point effort in the conference tournament, but Oakland settled for the NIT. The program was solid during his final campaign, with Hayes now up to 18.8 points per game.
He scored more than 1800 career points, was one of the top rebounders in the conference, and earned First Team All-Horizon honors in his final two seasons. Hayes was a great piece for Greg Kampe who played excellent ball all over the court, helping to take up the mantle as a scoring weapon for the Golden Grizzlies. He didn’t get a chance in the Big Dance, but he was perhaps an underrated and sometimes explosive piece for this program.