SAN DIEGO – Jay Pal, a prototypical San Diego State wing, has signed a Grant-In-Aid officially making him the newest member of the Aztecs men's basketball program, SDSU head men's basketball coach Brian Dutcher announced today. Last year, the 6-9, 190-pound forward competed at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., and is immediately eligible to compete for the Aztecs in the 2023-24 season.
The Omaha, Nebraska, native began his college career at Clarendon (Texas) College in 2019-20, then spent two seasons at Jacksonville State, 2020-21 and 2021-22, before transferring to Campbell prior to the 2022-23 campaign. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Pal authored the most productive of three major-college seasons last year. A starter in all 32 games in which he appeared, as Campbell made a run to the championship game of the Big South Conference Tournament. For averaging 19.5 points, on 29-of-48 shooting from the field (60.4 percent) and 16-of-19 from the charity stripe (84.2 percent), 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assist, 1.2 blocks in four games in the conference tournament, including a pair of double doubles, he was named to the Big South All-Tournament Team. He had 23 points and 11 rebounds in an 81-68 victory in the quarterfinal and 26 points, a career high, and 10 rebounds in the championship game.
For the season, he averaged 12.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 31.0 minutes per game, while being successful on 58.0 percent of his shots from the field (149-of-257), 32.9 percent from the bonus distance (26-of-79), and 73.4 percent from the line (69-of-94). In addition, he added 221 rebounds, 48 blocks, 45 assists and 30 steals. He led the Camels in rebounds, offensive boards (65), blocks, and field goal percentage. Pal's 156 defensive rebounds and 993 minutes ranked No. 2 on the team, while he was third in steals, assists, points, and field goals. Among Big South players, he ranked No. 3 in blocks (1.5/g) and double doubles (7), No. 5 in rebounds, No. 16 in scoring, and No. 21 in steals.
On a national scale, he ranked No. 59 in blocks per game, No. 63 in total blocks, No. 107 in double doubles (7), No. 175 in rebounds per game, No. 178 in defensive rebounds and No. 186 in rebounds.
A graduate of Omaha (Neb.) Central High, he spent a post-graduate year at The Skills Factory in Atlanta, Ga., before attending Clarendon College in Clarendon, Texas, for the 2019-20 season. In nine starts among 16 appearances in his lone year as a Bulldog, he averaged 10.3 points on 59 percent shooting from the floor and 55 percent from 3-point range while pulling down 5.6 rebounds and helped Clarendon College to a top-10 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) ranking.
From Clarendon, he transferred to Jacksonville State in Jacksonville, Alabama, prior to the 2020-21 season. In two years at Jacksonville State, he appeared in 55 games, making 22 starts, while helping the Gamecocks to a 39-20 record which includes the 2021-22 Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Overall, Pal averaged 4.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, which includes in his 22 starts averages of 6.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
Pal joins Reese Waters, who transferred from Southern California in mid-April, and incoming freshmen B.J. Davis and Miles Heide as newcomers on the 2023-24 Aztecs roster.