Episode 31: Episode 31: Jalen Billups

My guest on this episode of Nobody’s Safe w/Brady Laber is former NKU big man Jalen Billups. Jalen played the Norse from 2011-16 scorning 1,185 points, grabbing 599 rebounds while shoting 62% from the floor.
Among his accomplishments at Northern Kentucky, Jalen scored the first basket in the program’s Division-I era. He was also the first player to score 1,000 career points solely as a D-I player. He set the single season field goal percentage record and is second place all-time for career field goal percentage.
Jalen went to Shroder High School in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Madisonville. He played for the Jaguars and head coach Thomas Owens. He played against some of the top talent in the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference. A number of his high school opponents and AAU teammates also went on the play college basketball at a high level.
Jalen committed to play at Northern Kentucky University and play for head coach Dave Bezold. At the time, NKU was still Division-II but after his freshman season (2011-12) the announcement was made that the school’s athletic department was going to move up to D-I.
His sophomore year (2012-13) got off to a fast start. The plan was that he would redshirt after playing 20% of the schedule and have knee surgery while maintaining the year of eligibility.
Just before he was to have been shutdown for the season a medical emergency happened in practice that changes his path. He was diagnosed with a rare heart condition and would eventually have a pacemaker inserted into his chest. He would have the pacemaker removed in 2018 and saved it, having it engraved as a reminder of his journey.
Jalen recovered just before the next season (2013-14) began and he made a full comeback despite not going through any off-season conditioning and playing 30 pounds overweight.
The next year (2014-15), fully recovered in the best shape of his career up to that point, Jalen led the nation for much of the year in field goal percentage. He set the NKU record for single season field goal percentage at just under 70 percent.
The team finished its season at 13-17 and 7-7 in Atlantic Sun conference play. It was the team’s best record during the transitional phase to D-I which meant they were not eligible for the post season tournament. The did play a thrilling overtime game in a loss to Lipscomb in a conference tournament game that was played at Regents Hall.
Unfortunately, after that season ended and the team moving into the Horizon League with just one year left in the transitional phase, Coach Bezold was fired.
Jalen had just graduated from school with one year of eligibility remaining. He could have transferred to another school without penalty and he talks about some of the schools that showed interest in him.
He talking it over with his mother he decides to stay with NKU and play for new head coach John Brannen. Although the team struggled in its year in the Horizon League (2015-16), he felt that the year under Coach Brannen helped prepare him for a professional career.
We talk about his career overseas and the countries that he has traveled to in his basketball journey. Also, we talk about some of his career options once he retires from basketball.
Jalen also talks about still following the program and how proud he is to have helped build the program for the success it now enjoys.
You can follow Jalen Billups are both Twitter @jbills_21 (https://twitter.com/jbills_21) and Instagram @jbills_21 (https://www.instagram.com/jbills_21/)
You can follow Brady Laber on Twitter @BradyLaber1 (https://twitter.com/BradyLaber1) please use the hashtag #NobodysSafe
Check out the Nobody’s Safe website at nobodysssafe.fireside.fm (https://nobodysssafe.fireside.fm)
For more information on Stove Leg Media go the website StoveLeg.com (https://www.stoveleg.com) or send an email to [email protected]
Intro music for the podcast was provided by bensoud.com (https://www.bensound.com)

My guest on this episode of Nobody’s Safe w/Brady Laber is former NKU big man Jalen Billups. Jalen played the Norse from 2011-16 scorning 1,185 points, grabbing 599 rebounds while shoting 62% from the floor.

Among his accomplishments at Northern Kentucky, Jalen scored the first basket in the program’s Division-I era. He was also the first player to score 1,000 career points solely as a D-I player. He set the single season field goal percentage record and is second place all-time for career field goal percentage.

Jalen went to Shroder High School in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Madisonville. He played for the Jaguars and head coach Thomas Owens. He played against some of the top talent in the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference. A number of his high school opponents and AAU teammates also went on the play college basketball at a high level.

Jalen committed to play at Northern Kentucky University and play for head coach Dave Bezold. At the time, NKU was still Division-II but after his freshman season (2011-12) the announcement was made that the school’s athletic department was going to move up to D-I.

His sophomore year (2012-13) got off to a fast start. The plan was that he would redshirt after playing 20% of the schedule and have knee surgery while maintaining the year of eligibility.

Just before he was to have been shutdown for the season a medical emergency happened in practice that changes his path. He was diagnosed with a rare heart condition and would eventually have a pacemaker inserted into his chest. He would have the pacemaker removed in 2018 and saved it, having it engraved as a reminder of his journey.

Jalen recovered just before the next season (2013-14) began and he made a full comeback despite not going through any off-season conditioning and playing 30 pounds overweight.

The next year (2014-15), fully recovered in the best shape of his career up to that point, Jalen led the nation for much of the year in field goal percentage. He set the NKU record for single season field goal percentage at just under 70 percent.

The team finished its season at 13-17 and 7-7 in Atlantic Sun conference play. It was the team’s best record during the transitional phase to D-I which meant they were not eligible for the post season tournament. The did play a thrilling overtime game in a loss to Lipscomb in a conference tournament game that was played at Regents Hall.

Unfortunately, after that season ended and the team moving into the Horizon League with just one year left in the transitional phase, Coach Bezold was fired.

Jalen had just graduated from school with one year of eligibility remaining. He could have transferred to another school without penalty and he talks about some of the schools that showed interest in him.

He talking it over with his mother he decides to stay with NKU and play for new head coach John Brannen. Although the team struggled in its year in the Horizon League (2015-16), he felt that the year under Coach Brannen helped prepare him for a professional career.

We talk about his career overseas and the countries that he has traveled to in his basketball journey. Also, we talk about some of his career options once he retires from basketball.

Jalen also talks about still following the program and how proud he is to have helped build the program for the success it now enjoys.

You can follow Jalen Billups are both Twitter @jbills_21 and Instagram @jbills_21

You can follow Brady Laber on Twitter @BradyLaber1 please use the hashtag #NobodysSafe

Check out the Nobody’s Safe website at nobodysssafe.fireside.fm

For more information on Stove Leg Media go the website StoveLeg.com or send an email to [email protected]

Intro music for the podcast was provided by bensoud.com