An Unlikely Road to Success for Chaminade Alum, Jamal McClerkin

MaxPreps Student Section

Landing a Division-I basketball scholarship is not an easy task, especially coming from a junior college. However, there are many extraordinary athletes that receive these scholarships due to their hard work during junior college. For many, it is a wakeup call. Just look at point guard Dwight Hardy of St. Johns University, who first attended Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. Hardy lead his team to the NCAA tournament during senior year at St. Johns.

6'2, 190 pound Jamal McClerkin, former Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.) Eagles standout, is aspiring for the same path and hopes to continue his career professionally.

McClerkin has increased his basketball IQ during his freshman season at Moorpark College CA. He leads the team by scoring an average of 18 points per game.

With a new mindset, McClerkin is ready to take his game to the next level. "What I have done since I left Chaminade is working out hard trying to better my game on the court, and also watching a lot of film and other basketball games to improve my basketball IQ," says McClerkin. During his career at Chaminade; McClerkin led his team all the way to the CIF championship against Price High School of Los Angeles where he scored 33 points in his junior year.

Although his career at Chaminade had its high points, McClerkin says it made him face reality. "High school taught me that nothing is ever guaranteed if you do not put hard work into it. I was riding on athleticism which is not a good thing. In the class room I learned that you have to get your work done and make sure you and the teacher are on the same page because without academics there is no basketball."

During his first year at Moorpark, McClerkin has used his athleticism to his advantage and improved his fundamentals, which makes him a seriously intimidating player. He also says that his junior college coach has helped him become a better player. "Remy MacCarthy my coach at Moorpark, has taught me so much about the game of basketball, and he really devotes his time to making me better as a player."

McClerkin's hard work and perseverance has already paid off as he was named 1st team All Conference in the WSC North, where the Moorpark Raiders play.

His future is bright and he is very well capable of landing division-I scholarship by the end of his sophomore year. McClerkin suggests for all those who aspire to become a successful basketball player to treat high school as a learning experience, like he did. "Sometimes as a person you need to learn things the hard way and then take it as a learning experience. If I could give a word of advice I would say don't procrastinate and stay on top of things, high school goes by fast and before you know it is over." Watch out for the high flyer Jamal McClerkin and do not be surprised if you see him land a major Division-I scholarship soon.