Mike Woodson was drafted 12th overall in the first round of the NBA Draft in 1980. On Thursday night, it was Jalen Hood-Schifino’s turn to hear his name called.
In the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, the Los Angeles Lakers took Hood-Schifino with the 17th overall pick in the draft. Hood-Schifino became the first Hoosier to get selected in the first round of the NBA Draft since Romeo Langford in 2019.
Hood-Schifino, a four-star combo guard coming out of high school, committed to Woodson and the Hoosiers on Kobe Day, August 24, 2021. Hood-Schifino played high school basketball in North Carolina prior to transferring to powerhouse Montverde Academy before his move to Indiana.
Hood-Schifino idolized late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant when he was younger. “Mamba mentality” was a frequent theme in JHS’ Instagram posts, and he mentioned Kobe when speaking to the media after getting picked.
At IU, Hood-Schifino was thrust into a do-everything guard role after a December injury to Xavier Johnson. In a conference full of quality teams and guards, Hood-Schifino won Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was voted All-Big Ten Second Team by the media, and helped the Hoosiers to a top-four seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Hood-Schifino averaged 13.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.7 APG in his freshman season. His masterpiece came at Mackey Arena, where JHS erupted for 35 points, leading the Hoosiers to an upset win over the Boilermakers.
Montverde, where JHS and Malik Reneau played in high school, has developed a strong tradition of having players from their program hearing their name called on draft night. In 2021 alone, Montverde set the record for most players picked from any single institution with seven, breaking the previous Kentucky record. Players from Montverde include Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, D’Angelo Russell, and Kyrie Irving.
Hood-Schifino’s IU teammate, Trayce Jackson-Davis, was selected 57th by the Golden State Warriors.