Shady Spring State Champion Hoop Standout Jalon Bailey Signs with WVU Tech

Somehow Shady Spring state champion guard Jalon Bailey has always had to fight for respect.

However, the three-sport standout has always been more than capable of meeting the challenge.

Tuesday afternoon outside the Dave Wills Gymnasium, the first team basketball all-stater received the ultimate measure of respect.

Surrounded by family, coaches, teammates friends and future college coaches, Bailey inked an Institutional Letter of Intent to play basketball for WVU Tech.

Considered undersized during his career, Bailey's heart and drive to be the best, more than made up his height.

Besides earning first team all-state honors as a senior, Bailey helped lead the Tigers to the state football playoffs and the state baseball tournament during his high school career.

Bailey's star always shined the brightest at crunch time, and ironically, when games were the most physical.

During his junior year in the state championship game against Fairmont Senior, Bailey scored a team-high 18 points and was 9-for-9 from the foul line.

But, that was only part of the story.

With his team trailing in the third quarter and needing a spark, Bailey scored 10 points in the period when the Tigers needed it the most.

“I think Ammar (Maxwell) and Jack (Williams), had (Fairmont's) two best defenders on them so I knew I had to make a play,” Bailey said that day. “We were down, I knew we needed a spark so I just tried to step up.”

Fairmont Senior head coach Dave Retton talked about how Bailey frustrated his team defensively.

“He just dribble penetrated and took the ball to the basket,” Retton said. “That was you know, he’s very good. He’s very good. And we got to him late at times. We didn’t stop the ball early enough. And he got too deep and you know, he’s shooting eight-footers, nine-footers 10-footers.”

As a senior Bailey averaged 17 points per game and five rebounds and led the Tigers back to the state basketball tournament where he was named to the All-Tournament team.

Bailey also earned the right to play in the Scott Brown-Little General All-Star game and will also compete in the North-South All-Start Classic in June.

Bailey talked about signing with the Golden Bears and his high school career.

Shady Spring head boys basketball coach Ronnie Olson added his thoughts on his former standout.

WVU Tech head coach George Wilmore was also in attendance Tuesday and talked about his newest recruit.