Adaway focused on building confidence during South Beach summer

By CHUCKIE MAGGIO

Jalen Adaway took his talents to South Beach this offseason not to join the Miami Heat, like frequent workout partner and former Heat guard Kendrick Nunn, nor to simply soak up the Sunshine State, but to work. Adaway enjoyed the area, to be sure, but he also spent hours on his game.

Adaway, St. Bonaventure’s third-leading scorer last season, participated in the Miami Pro League with other NCAA athletes as well as some NBA players. Veterans like Michael Beasley are Pro League mainstays, while 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant made an appearance in July.

“Jalen was a superb workhorse this summer,” remarked trainer Josmel Martinez, who runs 305 Buckets and trained Adaway this summer. “He definitely made a jump in his outside game and his body. Jalen can be an all-conference player and make the pros.”

Outside shooting, namely Adaway’s unwillingness at times to take open 3-point shots, was a focus of Adaway’s first season in an SBU uniform. The Logansport, Ind. native took 29 3s, making 10 of them, as teammates and coaches implored him to shoot more.

Adaway vowed to “let it fly” from range near the regular season, and he did, attempting 17 3-pointers over the last five games of the season. He made both of his takes in the Atlantic 10 Championship Game against VCU, both of which came in the first 4:12. His go-ahead 3-pointer at Davidson’s Belk Arena on Feb. 24 was Bona’s only basket after the final media timeout, powering the team to a season sweep of the Wildcats.

One of the difference-makers between SBU’s 19-win 2019-20 campaign and the 2020-21 league championship, Adaway’s confidence nonetheless wavered the further he stepped back to the perimeter. Recognizing this, he has placed an emphasis on trusting his shot.

“I think the one thing I wanted to improve on was just my confidence,” Adaway commented. “One of the things I enjoyed a lot while I was out there was just playing and training with some of the best. Working out with Kendrick Nunn, [Houston Rockets forward] Christian Wood, guys like that, that are in the league, giving me knowledge… on what it takes and what to expect and how to prepare for those types of situations that I want to be in one day.

“That was one of my favorites- going up against them while training each and every day and soaking up all the knowledge that I could.”

Adaway became more involved and more valuable in the Bonnies’ offense each month last season, producing 10.3 points per game in December and January before upping his scoring total to 13.9 a contest over February and March. His rebounding prowess and zone-busting ability did not land him on an all-conference squad in March, but he averaged more points and rebounds than A-10 Third Team honoree Vince Williams.

A look at Adaway’s active Instagram profile reveals the words, “Most Improved” in his bio, which he explained was updated before the start of last season. While not an indication he is gunning for the A-10 Most Improved Player honor, it offered a view into his mindset both before his first game as a Bonnie and before his senior season.

“I felt like the jump I made coming into last season was huge,” Adaway noted. “Just my overall mindset, how I planned to attack the game overall, completely changed. I felt like I improved so much; I got so much more mature on and off the court, things like that. I just looked at myself as being such an improved person and that’s just something I threw in there.”

One example of Adaway’s cerebral disposition came in a short video clip the St. Bonaventure Athletics Facebook page posted in January. Faced with a series of rapid-fire questions, Adaway was asked about his favorite place on campus. His answer? The Friedsam Library.