One Of The Best In Washington: Jared Turner

Jared Turner was born in Washington, DC and plays Small Forward at Gonzaga High School. Turner is ranked Top 40 at his position and is listed as a Top 3 recruit in the state of Washington. His top offers are, DePaul, George Washington, and Bryant.

Growing up, were you inspired by any NBA Players?

 I’ve always been a fan of Paul George since I was little and first started watching the NBA and to this day he’s one of my favorite players. The player Id like to model my game after though is Klay Thompson because he’s an elite shooter and can get busy on both sides of the ball.

What high school is your biggest rival?

Our rival school is definitely St. John’s which is also in DC. Those games probably get the most intense and hype in every single sport. Our school’s rivalry is the oldest catholic school rivalry in the country in fact.

What songs do you listen to pregame, to get you hyped up?

 I listen to a lot of different rappers pregame but Some reoccurring artists are Gunna, NBA Youngboy, Pierre Bourne, Lil Uzi, and some local artists like Moneymarr, Yungmanny, and xanman

What is your offseason training like?

My off-season training so far has been pretty solid. I’m coming off an injury in which I was out for 4 months from so I’ve been steadily getting back into shape. My game actually feels a lot smoother and in that time off I’ve grown another inch and a half.My week consists of a basketball workout or two every day and strength training at least 2-3 times a week and I’ve been doing an array of stuff during my basketball workouts from ball handling to a lot of shooting to footwork.

What is your favorite memory of your high school career?

So Far my favorite memory of my highschool career has probably been the team trips we’ve taken. They’re always a lot of fun and give my team time to bond and hangout In a non-school setting which is a big relief. It’s very fun traveling to different states and seeing things we don’t see around the DMV. The fast food in other states that we don’t have around here is a big bonus.

What parts of your high school game do you hope you can transition to the college level?

I definitely want to become a more consistent shooter going into college. I definitely consider myself one of the best shooters in the area and I bet many people around here would back me up on that statement, but I really want to get it to an elite level and not feel as if sometimes It’s a bit streaky. Also to thrive in highschool more and be able to go to the colleges I’d really hope to go to I must work on my defense and get my ball-handling down so that I can set up my shot even better.

What do you look for in choosing a college?

 Im looking for a college that has a coach who knows how to win and will do anything he can for the success of his program. I also want to come into an environment that encourages a lot of team chemistry on and off the court. In college I want to feel like my teammates are my brothers and that they’d do anything for me and I’d do anything for them.

When did you start looking at colleges, and when did colleges start looking at you?

Honestly I never really started looking into colleges before I got my first offer. I’d always had certain colleges I enjoyed watching but before then I didn’t really look past their athletic teams. Colleges started seriously looking at me I’d say going into sophomore year during EYBL events in spring and summer. I received my first offer from Howard University at the beginning of sophomore year.

If you could meet one sports hero, who would it be?

If I could meet one sports hero it would probably be Kevin Durant. He’s a local guy and is one of the best scorers of all time. He’s also very confident in what he does and is very unapologetic. He’d do anything to win.

What is your favorite sports moment, as a fan?

My favorite sports moment would have to be when the raptors finally won an NBA championship. They’ve been my favorite team since elementary school and I used to get made fun of for liking them, so to finally see them win and gloat to my friends was pretty sweet.