The yell from the stands resounded through the highlight clip posted to TikTok: “Hold up Jalen!”
Jalen James did not hold up. The 5-foot-9 sophomore received the outlet pass, took two dribbles, and elevated to the rim. An incoming defender flew toward him. James dunked through the contact, grabbed the rim one-handed, and used that momentum to get his entire body over the defender rushing under him.
The Columbia High School (Maplewood, N.J.) auditorium went berserk. The crowd got to its feet. Teammates on the bench started leaping up and down. A handful of fans, apparently students, rushed onto the court, unable to contain their glee after watching the most absurd thing they had ever seen take place on a basketball court. Pandemonium.
@jalen.jamess #fypシ ♬ original sound – daddy jay
The Instagram post paints the chaos of the scene in photos quite well, too:
View this post on Instagram
Not more more to say that the photos and video didn’t convey. Still a sophomore, James produced a wild dunk and one of the best crowd reactions so far this season.
