Hawai’i adds strong, athletic wing in former Norfolk State F Jalen Myers

HONOLULU – Adding a beast on the boards. 

Former Norfolk State forward Jalen Myers announced his commitment to the University of Hawai’i men’s basketball program on Friday, becoming the seventh addition via the portal this offseason for the Rainbow Warriors. Myers, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound graduate student, averaged 10.5 points and 5.4 rebounds on 52% shooting from the field across 31 games (29 starts) for the Spartans last year. 

A native of Huntsville, Ala., Myers has experienced a bevy of “highs and lows” since he graduated from Bob Jones High School in 2020, finishing his prep career as the No. 3 overall recruit in the state after pouring 18.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, winning the Class 7A Defensive Player of the Year award and totaling more than 1,000 points before making his way to Texas A&M Corpus Christi to begin his collegiate career. 

Myers would appear in just six of the Islanders’ 24 games that season, playing a total of 53 minutes before transferring to Hinds Community College for a fresh start at a second “freshman” season following the COVID year adjustment. In his lone campaign with the Bulldogs, the forward won Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) Most Valuable Player after he led Hinds in points (19.0), rebounds (11.2) and blocks (1.1) per game and ranking top five in the country in free throw percentage before bouncing back to the D1 level with UT-Martin. 

Two years with the Skyhawks allowed Myers to show off his versatility on the floor while back in the top level of college basketball divisions. In his first year with UT-M, the 6-foot-8 forward appeared in 29 games, starting in eight of them, and provided a high-energy addition on the glass in less than 15 minutes per night. The second year brought more a bit more inconsistency, seeing his minutes fluctuate immensely from one game to the next as he tried to play his role as well as he could on a 21-11 squad. 

Myers hit the portal as a graduate student after finishing out his original four seasons of eligibility, receiving an extra year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that threw off his first go-round in college. With winning on the mind, Myers took his talents to the state of Virginia to play for Norfolk State and helped the Spartans make it to the first round of the NCAA Tournament after winning both the regular season and MEAC tournament titles. 

After a ruling granted players who spent a season at non-NCAA programs (JUCO, NAIA) during their careers and would have otherwise been out of eligibility after the 2024-25 season another year to play, Myers entered the portal again with hopes to find another spot to connect with coaches and compete for a championship. 

He found it with the Rainbow Warriors. 

Myers said he connected quickly with the UH coaches and felt that the program was set up to achieve his number one goal for his last season: win as much as possible. 

“That’s really my priority, helping to be a part of winning,” Myers said in a phone interview with HSRN. “The coaches and I see things similarly – I’m [tall], a lefty and someone who is going to fight for every rebound.” 

Myers also provides another capable shooter for Hawai’i to deploy in the rotation next year, showing an ability to knock down 3-pointers at a respectable clip at every stop with a career 32.4% from behind the arc on more than two attempts per game.  

The forward also mentioned that he had kept an eye on the other additions to the program in this cycle, solidifying his decision to pick the islands over Fresno State, Fordham and other schools hot on his heels for a commitment. With one more season to play college ball and goals to play professionally, choosing a place that could have a legitimate avenue back to the NCAA Tournament was at the top of the list of desires. 

When asked for a message for Hawai’i fans, Myers had a simple response: 

“Come on out, cheer super loud and enjoy the wins we work for,” the veteran forward said. 

Myers joins Hunter Erickson, Tanner Cuff, Isaac Johnson, Dre Bullock, Ike Finlinson and Isaiah Kerr as additions to the Rainbow Warrior 2025-26 roster via transfer. Three-star prep guard Hunter Carter is the eighth member of UH’s recruiting class, leaving two spots open still open after Tom Beattie, Osa Obasohan and Kody Williams announced their intentions to transfer.  

You can stay up to date on the latest in Hawai’i men’s basketball recruiting news with HSRN’s “UH Men’s Basketball 2025 Recruiting Tracker” or by following Paul Brecht on X/Twitter, @12brecht.