Forging My Own Path by Jaden Shackelford
12/9/2021 9:16:00 AM | Men's Basketball
I've talked to God about a lot of things over the last year — my decision to declare for the NBA Draft, the lessons I've learned through that entire process, and the choice to ultimately return to Alabama.
I'm a Christian man, and I've always been big on trusting in God's timing.
When I made the decision to enter the draft, I instantly learned so much about what it takes to compete at the next level.
But eventually, it just kind of hit me out of the blue. Something told me I should go back to school and finish what I started.
There's a time and place for everything, right?
I still have dreams and aspirations of playing in the NBA one day, no doubt. But for now, I'm focusing on the challenges in front of me. Nothing else.
They say Sweet Home Alabama for a reason, right?
I can definitely see why.
I'm back, Bama
From the moment I decided to declare for the draft to the moment I made the decision to return, the coaching staff and all of my teammates supported me. They were genuinely happy for me and wanted me to achieve that goal.
Most importantly, they believed in me. I think that was the main thing — just knowing people have faith that I could do this. It meant the world to me.
And when I decided to come back, they all welcomed me with open arms. Not just coaches and teammates — fans and staff, too. It was humbling, man.
It felt like home.
This is the place where I found the confidence and belief in myself to even test that NBA dream in the first place.
One game, in particular, showed me that I belonged. It was against Auburn in my freshman year. At the time, I was still trying to figure out who I was as a basketball player in college.
The atmosphere of that game was crazy, man. In all of my time playing, back then, I had never been in front of a road crowd like that one.
You could cut the intensity with a knife. It was the sort of game that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
But I ended up finishing that game with 28 points.
We weren't able to come away with the win, unfortunately, but that game changed a lot for me. After, I felt comfortable competing with the best.
And I think every college player longs for that moment of 'arrival'.
Being ready means staying ready
As I'm telling this story about my journey, I just have to say a few words about my parents, Anthony Shackelford and Jasmine Shackelford.
After all, everything started with my dad putting a ball in my hands when I was just a little boy.
"If this is what you want to do, I'm all in," he said. "But we've got to be prepared for it."
Those words have stuck with me ever since.
The objective is just to work hard and be as prepared as possible. If you stay ready, you never have to get ready, you know?
That philosophy carried me to a Power Five school. Just seeing that smile on my mom's face when I made this dream a reality made it all worth it. I guess a part of me wants to see their faces when I take it to the next level in the NBA as well.
Even though I decided to come back, I'm still glad I went through the process of preparing for the draft. It was really good for me to see where I'm at and what I need to work on before I get ready to do it again.
I've specifically worked on being more of a decision-maker with the ball in my hands lately. A lot of people can score their way into the NBA, but the scouts out there want to see a lot more than you just knocking down buckets. You have to be able to guard, too.
I've taken the things I've learned from that experience and added them to my college game. Today, I'm just focused on doing the things I need to do to help put this team in the best possible position to succeed.
Because make no mistake, there is plenty of fire for college basketball left. Trust me. After all, I'd love to compete for a national title with my team.
Whatever it takes
My decision to come back here wasn't a hard one either, honestly.
But I'm also not ashamed of putting myself out there and taking a stab at the next level. The decision to do so taught me so much about not only the game of basketball, but it showed me things about myself as a person.
I know I have the strength and willpower to test myself against anything.
I just hope that anyone else out there with dreams—no matter how impossible they might seem at the moment—act on them because you never know what's possible.
There's always a life lesson at the end of just trying.
No, the journey is never easy, and you're going to battle a lot of things. You might even question yourself at times. But if you stick to it and focus on the right things, you'll start to see things fall in line for you.
That's the biggest lesson I've learned during my time here at Alabama.
No matter how long it takes, I'll be fine as long as I get there. I just have to keep working at it. No race is the same in this world, and everybody's path is different. You just have to run your race and stick to what you know.
If you can do that, believe me, your finish line is coming.
