Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Basketball guard Jalen Pendleton to transfer
03/24/2015 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University men's basketball coach Barry Hinson announced today that junior guard Jalen Pendleton will transfer at the end of the spring semester.
A native of Evansville, Ind., Pendleton was the first recruit signed by Hinson after he took the job at SIU in 2012 and has played in 95 games during three seasons. He started 14 games in the 2014-15 season and finished the year as the second-leading career scorer (643) and leading rebounder (271) on the roster.
Pendleton burst on the scene as a freshman when he scored the final six points in a win over nationally ranked Wichita State on Feb. 5, 2013, including the go-ahead basket with 2.0 seconds remaining. He averaged 8.0 points per game in the final nine games of the season and won the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week award after scoring a career-high 17 points at Indiana State.
He averaged 9.1 points as a sophomore, scored double figures in 15 games and was named to the MVC's All-Bench team. Three times he topped the 20-point mark in a game, and he scored the game-winning basket with 5.8 seconds left to beat Loyola on Jan. 8, 2014.
Pendleton's scoring dipped to 6.6 points per game his junior year, however he was the only Saluki player last season with a positive assist (51) to turnover (36) ratio. He is the third player to elect to transfer from SIU since the season ended, joining freshman guards Chaz Glotta and K.C Goodwin.
"Jalen has been an instrumental part of the rebuilding process during the past three years and we appreciate his contributions," Hinson said. "We wish him all the best in his future endeavors."
