Jen Kallon has had a remarkable, rapid rise in the ranks of basketball in Manitoba. And she's going to continue it on to the University of Winnipeg.
Kallon, a 5-foot-10 forward from River East Collegiate and TAP Basketball, is the first recruit in the Winnipeg Wesmen women's basketball Class of 2023, committing to head coach Alyssa Cox during a signing ceremony at River East last month.
She plans to enroll in Kinesiology and will have five years of eligibility.
Kallon has taken leaps and bounds to become one of the top players in Manitoba in a very short time. Kallon, who said she started taking basketball seriously in her Grade 9 year, had no club experience prior to making the TAP squad in 2021, and then had her Grade 10 year wiped out by COVID.
But that short, fractured timeline didn't keep her from becoming not only a provincial team member, but a starter on last summer's U17 squad.
With Team Manitoba at nationals in Quebec, Kallon averaged 8.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in six contests, including a 16-rebound effort against Newfoundland and a 13/15 game against New Brunswick.
"Compared to where I started, I think I've improved so much," Kallon said. "I feel like I gained more knowledge. I began to understand the game more. I learned how to take my time, I learned how to make better decisions. I think I developed a lot."
Kallon credits a sort of wake-up call she got when she first arrived at TAP. Seeing players who'd been in high-level basketball longer than her, she realized she had to put in the work to get on equal footing.
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Kallon gives a lot of credit to her first TAP coach, Randy Kusano, who has been a fixture in basketball in Manitoba for decades.
"He helped me so much to get to where I'm at right now. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even be here right now. I'm so grateful to him."
As a developing player, Kallon said she set her goals to play post-secondary ball, and now that she's going to get that chance, she has a hard time believing it.
"I still can't believe that it's real," she said. "If I were to go back and tell myself that this is where I'd be at, I would not believe it. I'm so excited."
Cox, who coached the provincial U18 team last summer, has had a close-up view of Kallon for some time and made the first push to sign her prior to this school year.
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With brothers who play basketball as well, and a tight family unit, Kallon said she knew Winnipeg was where she wanted to be.
"It was important to me. When I genuinely sat down and thought about it, I realized that me and my family we're really close and I just couldn't imagine going to a school and not having them at my games," she said. "I couldn't imagine missing out on watching (her brothers) play and watching them grow. My family was really important to me and that's why I really wanted to stay."
Jennifer, with her high school coach Kristen Asmundson
2022 MANITOBA PROVINCIAL TEAM BIO
TEAM
17U Female
NAME
Jennifer Kallon
HOMETOWN
Winnipeg
POSITION
Forward
PRESENT AGE
17
PRESENT GRADE
Grade 11
YEARS IN BASKETBALL
3 years
SCHOOL PRESENTLY ATTENDING
River East Collegiate
SCHOOL ATTENDING THIS FALL
River East Collegiate
BASKETBALL CLUB NAME
TAP Manitoba
FAVOURITE PLAYER & TEAM
Favourite player: Giannis Antetokounmpo; Favourite Team: Miluwakee Bucks
SUMMER GOALS
To gain more confidence in my ability on the court and become a stronger player mentally.
BASKETBALL ASPIRATIONS
To play D1 basketball
FONDEST MEMORY IN BASKETBALL
When I found out I made the Team Manitoba training camp last summer because I wasn't expecting it at all. It helped me realize that if I worked hard enough, I could actually go far with ball and achieve my dreams.
BIGGEST BASKETBALL INFLUENCE
Giannis Antetekounmpo
AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
If I don't end up playing basketball, I want to study kinesiology and become a physiotherapist or do something in that field.
WHEN BASKETBALL CAREER IS OVER
Potentially become a physiotherapist, or something along those lines. I'd also love to coach.