ROHNERT PARK, CALIF. - On Thursday, June 27th, former Sonoma State men's basketball star Jaylen Wells made history as the program's first ever draft pick, being selected 39th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Sacramento native came to Sonoma State in the fall of 2021 and simply put, had one goal in mind, "I want to play in the NBA". As a late bloomer in high school Wells went virtually unrecruited but head coach Rich Shayewitz saw his athleticism and work ethic and knew he had a high ceiling and plenty of room to grow. "I watched him play on film a bunch and we reached out and I didn't think we had a real shot at getting him. He was averaging over 25 points and was on the all-state team" said Shayewitz. "Nobody on my staff had seen him play so they didn't believe me when I told them that we got a commitment from our best player". 

"From day one, he was our best player. He had to adjust to the speed and physicality of the game but he did that quickly. By the fourth game, he was a starter and he never looked back". As a result, Wells became an everyday starter just a few weeks into the 2021-22 season and then exploded during his sophomore campaign, leading the league in scoring and eventually being named the CCAA Player of the Year. "Jaylen's sophomore year was amazing. He was the best player on the floor in every game we played. He had a record setting season and helped us get the program in the right direction". 

Wells put together one of the most dominant single-season performances in program history, ranking inside the top-10 in total points, rebounds, field goals, free throws, three point percentage, minutes played and double-doubles. He came within just four points of the single-season scoring record with 672 total points and his 22.4 points per game ranked fourth in program history. Wells did shatter the program's single-season free throw record with 174 made free throws as he shot 86% from the stripe during the 2022-23 season. He also set a new single-season record with 1,105 minutes played, averaging nearly 37 minutes and starting in all 30 games for the Seawolves.      

Wells showcased his athleticism from the start but made a massive jump in his skillset from year one to year two, drastically improving his perimeter shooting and off the dribble pull-ups. After shooting just 26% from beyond the arc during his freshman season, he skyrocketed to 44% in his second season to lead the conference and make him the most dynamic scorer in the league.     
    

"He made my job and my team's job easy", said current point guard Nick Medeiros. Medeiros was a true freshman for the Seawolves during Wells's sophomore season and played heavy minutes alongside him. "He had a crazy skill set for someone who is 6"8. He was able to take people off the dribble, shoot from deep, defend, and showcase his athleticism with some incredible dunks". Recent program graduate Dillon Iyawe said "Jaylen has always been willing to put in the extra work into his craft to get where he is today. Big two-way wings who can shoot and defend are great assets in today's NBA and he definitely has both of those in his arsenal". 

Following the conclusion of his sophomore season, Wells decided to put himself on a bigger stage and transferred to Pac-12 member Washington State. Wells knew he had to prove himself and after not being in the rotation early in the 2023-24 season, he would finally burst onto the scene as one of the best catch-and-shoot wings in the country. His style of play did change with the high level of Division I basketball, but Wells went on to make 20 starts and finish the season averaging 12.6 points while shooting 42% from three to lead the Cougars. 

He helped Washington State to an NCAA tournament appearance where he averaged 18.5 points in his two games, including a massive 20-point effort against Iowa State in the second round. Wells had put himself on NBA draft big boards by the end of his junior campaign and also earned Pac-12 Honorable Mention status concluding the season.   

Among the athletic accolades, one of the biggest takeaways from former teammates and coaches included his attitude, leadership and overall personality. "For me of course the skill set was always there but what shows most is how humble he is" said current forward Julian Bryant. "All he really wants to do is hoop and regardless of the accolades and performances that he's had throughout his career, he never got out of character. Really shows what type of person and player he is". Head coach Rich Shayewitz stated "what people from the outside don't know about Jaylen is what kind of human being he is. He's so kind to everyone. He's always smiling and positive. He's the first one to introduce himself to someone he doesn't know, and all the kids love him. He's just a high quality person who infects a group in more ways than scoring and rebounding".

"As a person, he's even better," said Iyawe. "He's very humble about himself and his game. I've never seen him without a smile on his face, always upbeat and brings a positive energy every single day".
From day one, Wells showed a determination unlike any other to put himself on the map and give himself a chance to play at the next level. Despite accomplishing his goal and putting himself in a specialized category of former Division II draft picks, his journey has just begun. "I couldn't be more excited for Jaylen and his family", said Shayewitz. "His tireless work ethic and incredible character has made his dream come true". From Medeiros, "Jaylen getting drafted is one of the craziest experiences I've ever witnessed. For him to get drafted watching it from my TV at home is more than deserving and incredibly surreal". 

Jaylen Wells had this to say about his journey to the NBA and his time as a Sonoma State Seawolf:

"I would like to thank the entire Sonoma State community for embracing me. Going to Sonoma State was the best decision I made in my basketball career. Not only being able to grow as a player and a leader, but as a person as well. I want to especially thank coach Rich, Dave Granucci, and JJ Santa Cruz for believing in me. Rich saw something in me that I didn't even fully see in myself yet. I am forever grateful to be a Seawolf"!
On behalf of Sonoma State Athletics, we congratulate Jaylen Wells on his incredible basketball journey and his draft selection to the Memphis Grizzlies. Wells positively impacted the culture at Sonoma State on and off the court and we could not be more happy that he passed through our doors on his way to the NBA to become the university's first ever draft pick.  

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