WS Chronicle

Photo by Timothy Ramsey

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY 

THE CHRONICLE

Jalen Ferguson is a dynamic two-sport athlete for the Titans of West Forsyth.  Not only was he the starting quarterback for the 9-1 JV football team, he is also a starting guard for the basketball team as well. As a freshman, he has already made a name for himself on the West Forsyth campus.

Jalen was introduced to football and basketball by his father, Lawrence, who was a star football player at East Forsyth High School. He was also a standout football player at North Carolina Central University.  Jalen started out playing basketball at the W.R. Anderson recreation center and with his former Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team, Team Winston.

“When I was young, my dad worked with me a lot and I just had fun with it,” Jalen said of his love for basketball.  “I love scoring the ball and my teammates are fun and push me to the limit of my abilities.”

During the Lash/Chronicle tournament, Jalen says he noticed some things he and his teammates need to work on to become a better cohesive unit.  The Titans had a great showing at the Lash/Chronicle tournament, but inconsistencies led to an early exit by their standards.

For Jalen, he said he is constantly working on his game to get better.  He says he has some holes in his game but knows what he needs to do to get better.

He thinks playing football gave him some toughness that can translate onto the basketball court.

“One of my best assets is my shooting ability but some things I need to work on are my defense and attacking the basket,” he said.

Jalen says his basketball idols are Lebron James and Allen Iverson.  He would love to attend college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  His favorite subjects in school are math and Spanish.  He is an honor roll student as well.

Jalen’s father says he saw potential in his son in both sports at a young age. Jalen was a tall child, so his father played him against older players in order to develop his guard skills and not get stuck playing in the paint.  Lawrence says Jalen needs to work on his mid-range game in order to be more effective on the next level.

“What I tell him all the time is that you don’t have to be an upperclassmen to be a leader, Mr. Ferguson said of his son.  “Alot of times if you get out there and work hard and other players on the team see that they will follow your lead.  He is doing great in school, so if he continues to work he could possibly have a chance to play on the next level, which would be a blessing.”

Jalen’s JV football coach, Jared Eure, said “He is a great kid on the field and in the classroom.”  Eure said it’s rare to have a freshman start at quarterback and have the total comprehension of the offense as Jalen has.  He thinks Jalen has a great chance to start at quarterback on the varsity level next season.

“Jalen is just a winner.  I love his attitude and he always wants the ball in his hands during crunch time.  The other kids like him and they trust him just like I trust him.”