Stetson guard Jalen Blackmon among nation's leading scorers; Hatters lead NCAA in this stat

DELAND — Jalen Blackmon received a pass in the right corner with 15 seconds left and his Stetson Hatters trailing by one.

He found himself in the midst of his worst shooting night of the season — 3 of 13 from the field and 0 for 7 on 3-pointers — in Stetson’s ASUN opener against North Florida Thursday. But that wasn’t about to matter. Coach Donnie Jones and his teammates still had plenty of confidence in him.

“We were just trying to get him free,” Jones said. “We were trying to isolate him on the side and create confusion to be able to give him space and make a play. That’s really what he did. Any time he can get space…”

He’s lethal. He has been all season.

Tick, tick, tick. Blackmon maneuvered around a screen at the right elbow, took two more dribbles and pulled up for a jump shot at the left elbow.

Swish.

With nine seconds left, Blackmon handed the Hatters (9-6) a lead and, after a defensive stop, a 75-74 win.

Not a bad way to start the new year, especially with how the junior guard ended 2023.

Blackmon won the ASUN Player of the Week award on Dec. 27 after scoring 28 in a win over Florida International and 32 in a loss to Cincinnati. In his final game of December, he set a new career high of 34 points during a home win over Charlotte.

After Thursday’s victory, he ranked fifth in the country in points per game with 23.1. If he stays above 20, he will become just the fifth player in Stetson history to hit the mark across a full season and the first since 1995.

HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS: A look at Volusia-Flagler boys basketball statistics through Jan. 3

“It’s hard not to look at it when people are sending it to you,” Blackmon said. “But I try to stay away from all the stats and stuff because I know I just have to keep working every single day. It’s not about where I am right now.”

This success didn’t come out of nowhere.

The Grand Canyon transfer earned All-ASUN First-Team recognition last year during his first campaign as a Hatter. He averaged a team-best 15.4 points per contest.

Then, in the offseason, he went home to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Every day, he conducted basketball workouts at 10 a.m. and lifted weights afterward. He put himself through another set of workouts each evening.

“That was the whole summer for me,” Blackmon said. “It was great.”

Jones noticed more confidence and sharper skills when Blackmon returned to campus. He torched opponents with at least 20 points in five of Stetson’s seven games in November.

He dropped at least 22 points in all but one of the Hatters’ six December tilts.

“No. 1, he’s worked,” Jones said. “There’s no secret about it. You can’t take that jump if you don’t work. But I think, too, he’s more comfortable in the system and style of play and everything that’s going on. I think that’s really helped him after a year of being in it.”

FLORIDA FOOTBALL AWARDS: Mainland's Travis Roland named Coach of the Year; LJ McCray 4th in Mr. Football voting

The 6-foot-3 Blackmon has always been a good shooter, but this season, he has boosted those numbers to another level.

His field goal and 3-point percentages are 47% and 43.5%, up from 41% and 33.6% last season.

Oh, and Blackmon hasn't missed a free throw since Nov. 21. Forty-four shots across 10 games. He has improved his free-throw percentage by five points from a year ago.

His rate of 96.7% slots him fourth in the country and first among Hatters — who, at 84%, lead the nation in free-throw shooting as a team. They converted 19 of 20 attempts from the charity stripe Thursday.

“One, (we) recruit guys who can shoot,” Jones said. “No. 2, guys have experience now. Guys have been in that scenario a lot more, so they’re more comfortable in games. But obviously, we work on it. It’s repetition.”

Sounds a lot like Blackmon’s formula.

He finished with 10 points, including the game-winning bucket, and sank all four of his free throws against the Ospreys. He faced double teams for much of the night, which Jones expects to be commonplace in conference play.

“He’ll adjust,” Jones said. “He’s a playmaker.”

After changing from his uniform into postgame street clothes Thursday, Blackmon walked out of Stetson’s locker room and smiled when he saw his coach down the hall.

“Way to go, baby!” Jones said as he and Blackmon slapped hands. “You know what it’s going to be like. It’s all about how you finish.”

True for Blackmon. And true for the Hatters over the next three months.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Jalen Blackmon ranks among NCAA top five in scoring, free throws