Baylor men’s basketball bolstered its roster Thursday with the addition of California transfer Jalen Celestine, head coach Scott Drew announced.
The Ajax, Ontario, native brings 80 games of college experience with 45 starts in the Pac 12. Celestine finished second in the Pac 12 in three-point field goal percentage with a 44% clip last season, along with 8.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Additionally, he shot 45.1% from the floor and recorded 11 double-figure scoring performances, including nine in Pac-12 play.
“Any time you can add a career 40% three-point shooter with a degree from Cal-Berkley, you know you are getting someone who fits in with our program on the court and in the classroom,” Drew said. “A great player at Long Island Lutheran, the same school VJ [Edgecombe] went to, we know Jalen is a high-character guy that our fans will enjoy watching play every day.”
Before missing the 2022-23 season recovering from a knee injury, Celestine started 16 of 31 games during the 2021-22 campaign, averaging 7.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 25 minutes per game. As a sophomore, he broke out against Washington State with season highs of 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting and seven rebounds off the bench. From that point, he started seven of the final eight games, notching four more games in double figures that season.
Celestine played 22 games as a freshman for the Golden Bears, starting six of the final eight. Averaging 12.7 minutes per game, he shot 41.2 % from the field and 41.4% from 3-point range. His breakout game that season came against future Big 12 Conference foe Colorado, where he had a season-high 13 points with three 3-pointers.
Prior to going to Cal, Celestine left his mark at Long Island Lutheran, where he was a New York Sportswriters Association All-State selection. He also competed with Nike UPlay Canada on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit, averaging 16 points, six rebounds and three assists in the summer of 2019.
Celestine is the third experienced transfer Drew and his staff have added during this recruiting cycle. He joins former Miami forward Norchad Omier and former Duke guard Jeremy Roach, who signed over the last few weeks. The seasoned additions join one of the highest-ranked recruiting classes in the nation in V.J. Edgecombe, Rob Wright and Jason Asemota. The class is rated as high as No. 4 in the country by On3.com. ESPN, Rivals and 247 Sports also have the Bears’ 2024 class ranked in the top 10.
(Release via Baylor)
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