'She was my everything': Late mom powers Logansport native Jalen Adaway in Pacers workout
INDIANAPOLIS — St. Bonaventure star Jalen Adaway, a Logansport native, is proud of where he comes from, but he's even more proud of who he comes from.
After a pre-draft workout for the Pacers on Wednesday alongside Purdue's Trevion Williams, UConn's R.J. Cole, Villanova's Collin Gillespie, UC Santa Barbara's Amadou Sow and G League Ignite's Fando Zeng, Adaway cited his late mother, Aja Mallory, as the No. 1 reason he's on the brink of the NBA.
"She was my everything. She was my rock," Adaway said. "She was the person I could always look up to, always count on. She was always making sure that I had everything that I needed, and if she couldn't get it, she was finding a way for me to somehow get it and stuff like that. ...
"I can't really use words to describe all that she was and all that she did for me."
Mallory died March 19, 2019, due to heart issues, according to Adaway. It was 11 days after his sophomore season ended at Miami of Ohio.
"At that point is when it really clicked. It was like, 'Yo, everything I do now is in honor of her,'" Adaway said. "So ever since then, I've really been locked in. I know she's been here with me spiritually, helping to guide me, so I'm thankful for everything she's done for me. ... She's been the one that's really guided me through the dark times."
After two seasons at Miami of Ohio, in which he averaged 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, Adaway transferred to St. Bonaventure and sat out the 2019-20 season, per NCAA rules.
The 6-5 guard returned to the court in 2020-21 and made an immediate impact. Adaway averaged 12.2 points and 6.0 rebounds for the Bonnies, who won their first Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament since 2012 and received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. He followed that up by averaging a career-high 15.3 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting a career-high 37.6% on 3s to earn first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors in 2021-22.
Adaway, 23, knows some NBA teams still may not pursue him since he didn't play at a high-major program. It's a similar narrative that followed him after a noteworthy prep career at Logansport that culminated with an Indiana All-Star selection in 2017.
"Coming from Logansport, that's an amazing place. ... I'm so grateful to come from there," Adaway said. "But in terms of just having that chip on my shoulder, I feel like that was something I always had to deal with. I was always overlooked. Even coming out of high school, I feel like Indiana teams passed up on me (in college recruiting), and I was kind of confused. But at the same time I was like, 'Alright, I'm gonna use it as motivation.' ... I've shown my true capabilities at the college level, and now it's time to show what I can do at the pro level."
The Pacers have the Nos. 6, 31 and 58 picks in the draft on June 23, but it's a longshot for Adaway to be selected by his home state team. He's also worked out for Charlotte and Sacramento, hoping to sneak into the second round.
Whether Adaway hears his name called or not, he'll remain confident in his potential and the person who always saw it.
"Just to be here (working out for the Pacers), to know that all the time and effort and love and care and passion that she put into me is paying off, I know she couldn't be happier," Adaway said of his mother. "And I don't plan on stopping now."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers evaluate St. Bonaventure star, Logansport native Jalen Adaway
