Dylan Petersen
Jalen Suggs is probably up there with Joe Mauer as the greatest high school athlete to ever come out of Minnesota. He was the first ever player in Minnesota history to win Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football. Suggs lit it up on the court and on the field. He was a 3 time state champion in basketball and a 1 time state champion in football. Suggs had tons of D1 offers in basketball and football. After high school Suggs decided that he would play college basketball for Gonzaga; however, he could have played quarterback for a big time college football program as well. In this article I am going to go over the storybook high school career of Jalen Suggs.
High School Basketball Career
Suggs was a monster throughout his whole high school basketball career. He played 2 games of JV basketball before he got pulled up to varsity as a seventh grader. Jalen never looked back from that moment. He started to really blow up in ninth grade as he became a top 20 recruit and he led Minnehaha to a class 2A state championship win. Suggs led all scorers with 22 points in that game. Suggs would continue to get better every year. In his sophomore season, he led Minnehaha to another 2A state championship and he scored 20 points in the championship game. After his sophomore AAU season he was starting to be ranked as a top 10 recruit in the whole country. During his junior season he averaged 24 points per game and he led Minnehaha to yet another 3A state championship win over Waseca. During his junior AAU season he became a top 7 recruit and he solidified himself as one of the top combo guards in the country. His teammate Chet Holmgren blew up during that spring as well and he became the nation’s top prospect for the class of 2021.
Going into Jalen’s senior season, Minnehaha was absolutely loaded. That 2020 Minnehaha team might be the greatest basketball team in MSHSL history. The duo of Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren became must watch basketball. Every game was sold out that season for Minnehaha. Minnehaha also played in front of a sold out Target Center in early January. At the Target Center, Minnehaha played top ranked Sierra Canyon (CA) and it was a thriller. Sierra Canyon was full of top recruits at the time including Lebron James’ son Bronny James. Minnehaha defeated Sierra Canyon 78-58 and Suggs had 23 points. Jalen Suggs and Minnehaha would continue their dominance that season and they finished 22-3. Suggs averaged 23.5 points and 6.5 assists as a senior. Sadly, his senior season was cut short due to COVID which stopped Jalen from earning his 4th straight state championship.
Jalen Suggs finished his career with 2,945 points and 3 state championships. He won the Mr. Basketball award and the Minnesota Gatorade player of the year award as a senior. He also was named a McDonald’s All American and he finished as the #6 ranked recruit in the country according to ESPN.
Suggs had all the tools to be a dominant basketball player. He could score at all three levels. He had great athleticism which helped him perform some vicious dunks. He had great passing IQ which helped him become a great point guard. His number one attribute was his toughness, Suggs was always putting his body on the line for his team but it never slowed him down.
Suggs will go down as one of the best or the best high school basketball player in MSHSL history.
Football Career
Suggs was an outstanding basketball player but some believe he was an even better football player. He had a love for both and it was his toughest decision ever choosing between football and basketball for college.
Suggs’ elite athleticism allowed him to be unstoppable while playing for the SMB football team. Jalen Suggs was a two-way player who played quarterback and safety for the Wolfpack. Jalen was a dual-threat quarterback who could hurt his opponent through the air and on the ground. He played a lot like Kyler Murray. The play was never over for Suggs, time and time again he would make these crazy Murray like plays where he would run all over in the backfield and than launch a 50 yard bomb for a touchdown. He also had great instincts as a safety. Suggs was also a great tackler, due to his unique toughness.
Jalen Suggs was a winner during his time at SMB. The Wolfpack were a combined 25-1 in Suggs’ final two seasons of his career. As a junior, Jalen led SMB to a state championship win over Willmar. The Wolfpack won 44-18. Suggs finished with a Madden type stat line, as he had 216 passing yards, 67 rushing yards, four offensive touchdowns and two interceptions. Suggs showed up when it mattered most.
Jalen Suggs and the SMB Wolfpack put a show during every game of his senior season. After every Friday night there would be a crazy highlight on social media of Suggs making a miraculous play. Suggs and the Wolfpack ran through their regular season schedule until they had to face undefeated Benilde-St.Margarets in the game to go to state. Jalen Suggs and SMB won in an instant classic 36-30. In this game, Suggs had 368 total yards of offense, 4 touchdowns, and the game sealing interception. To this day Jalen Suggs still quotes that section final game as his “favorite game ever”. Jalen Suggs ended up leading his team all the way to the state championship game just to fall one point short as they lost to Rocori 22-21 in overtime.
Just like basketball, Suggs won Mr. Football and Minnesota Gatorade player of the year during his senior season. He finsihed the season with 2,210 passing yards, 974 rushing yards, and 25 passing touchdowns. He finished as a 3 star recruit and he had offers from powerhouse programs like Ohio State and Georgia.
Suggs was a legendary high school football player, and who knows maybe he should have picked football instead of basketball after high school. That will be an all time what if: What if Jalen Suggs chose football?
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