CHICAGO – UIC head coach Luke Yaklich announced the addition of Jalen Johnson to the Flames roster Wednesday afternoon. Johnson, a native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, will have two years of eligibility beginning with the 2020-21 season.
 
"We are excited to welcome Jalen to UIC and our men's basketball program," said Yaklich. "Jalen brings a winning mentality to our program, as he has experienced winning throughout his career. He is a versatile combo guard that takes pride in competing on both ends of the floor. We are really looking forward to Jalen's ability to help grow and build our culture on and off the court at UIC. Jalen loves the game and has a work ethic and passion towards the game and his studies that will allow him to be very successful as a student-athlete at UIC. He's excited about the opportunity to grow and build our culture and helping the Flames compete for a championship."


 
The 6-foot-1 guard spent the 2019-20 season at John A. Logan College where he averaged 9.3 points per game while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 42% from beyond the arc. An 82.9 percent free throw shooter a season ago, Johnson helped guide the Vols to 11 consecutive victories before their season was cut short. Johnson scored a career-high 27 points against Lewis & Clark Community College, finishing 9-for-15 from the field and 7-for-11 form 3-point range.
 
Johnson spent his freshman season at Murray State, where the Racers advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. The guard appeared in 19 games as a freshman, dishing out a season-high six assists in 20 minutes of action against Spalding while adding four points.
 
A prep standout at Hopkinsville High School, Johnson led the Tigers to 119 wins in five seasons, which included three KHSAA Region-II championships and three trips to the Kentucky Sweet 16 State Tournament where HHS advanced to the quarterfinals twice in 2013-14 and 2014-15. As a senior, Johnson averaged 18 points, six rebounds and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 41% from 3-point range. A KHSAA All-State Honorable Mention in 2017 and a Courier Journal All-State Team honoree in 2017 and 2018, Johnson finished his career with 1,663 points. Johnson compete in the Kentucky/Indiana All-Star game following his high school graduation and was also a member of the Kentucky Junior All-Star team in 2017.