Jalen Washington 'glad' to return to court in collegiate debut

The former four-star recruit had spent the last 17 months recovering from knee surgery.

On Saturday, North Carolina big man Jalen Washington made his collegiate debut after recovering from knee surgery. Washington had not competed in a game at either the high school or AAU level since July of 2021, the same month he committed to the Tar Heels.

With 2:22 remaining in North Carolina's ACC home opener, Washington made his way onto the court from the scorer's table for his first appearance in a Tar Heel uniform.

In a game that was already decided, the 6-foot-10 big man still left his mark, scoring his first collegiate basket on a turnaround jumper with 48 seconds remaining. 

Only two points will show up on the stat sheet, but they meant a lot more than the 74th and 75th points for North Carolina. They were a culmination of hard work, resiliency, and a long-awaited dream for the Gary, Indiana native.

“It’s been a long road,” Washington said when speaking to the media after Saturday's win. “Obviously this isn’t the finish line where I want to be, but it’s a milestone. It’s a big milestone, and I’m glad that I could check the box of being able to play my first game.”

Washington's debut and impact in a Tar Heel uniform was only a matter of time, but with no certain timetable. He had yet to be cleared for basketball activities when practice began in September and could have seen the court as early as last Sunday against Virginia Tech.

After missing the season's first nine games, Washington received the call and capped off the first win for North Carolina since Nov. 24th.

While a 6-4 record is not what the Tar Heels had hoped for in December, snapping the four-game losing skid and playing a complete game is a step in the right direction.

As for Washington, playing two minutes in the late stages of a decisive victory doesn't mean he's ready to log quality minutes off of the bench. But much like his recovery, taking it one day at a time will help him make his way into the rotation.

North Carolina will host the Citadel on Tuesday with a chance to gain some confidence and give Washington another opportunity to see the floor.