Larry Suggs is reliving his AAU days, when he crisscrossed the country to attend tournaments with his son, Jalen.
"I'll be in Indy in about three hours," he wrote in a message Thursday. "I'll call you then."
Suggs later confirmed from his hotel room that it's about an 8-hour drive from the Twin Cities to Indianapolis, site of the NCAA men's tournament bubble. He, his wife, Molly Manley, and brother, Tramon, will be in the stands on Saturday when Gonzaga plays Norfolk State in the first round. Papa Suggs will hop back into his car following the game and drive home, where his daughter, Jennica, is a guard for Minnehaha Academy. State tournament time. He's also an assistant on the boys' team — led by the Redhawks' latest top recruit, Chet Holmgren — that is attempting to win a fourth consecutive title.
He will shuttle between home and Indy as much as he can.
"Yeah, we'll be going back and forth," Larry Suggs said. "Hopefully if it works out that I can just jump in the car and just drive back, watch a section game, jump back in and drive down."
Suggs talked about Jalen shooting jumpers on a Little Tykes hoop at age 2, working on his dribble at 3 and really taking to the sport around 6. The talent became undeniable, as Jalen would play as many as four levels above his age group at tournaments across the country. Current NBA players Tre Jones and Lonnie Walker, both with the Spurs, were AAU opponents of Suggs.
Jalen built and buttressed his skills through these tournaments, becoming a prized national recruit. He joined Minnehaha's varsity team when he was in seventh grade and left the school with three state titles in his pocket to head for Gonzaga. He became the Bulldogs' highest-rated recruit and provided instant everything.
He debuted with 24 points in 24 minutes with eight assists, four rebounds and two steals in a 102-90 victory over Kansas.
