Jada Hargrove, a 5’5″ Point Guard from Riverdale, Georgia is a Senior Pre-Physical Therapy major at Alcorn State University (ASU). After a debilitating injury in her Senior year in high school, Hargrove was devastated but despite her setback she still managed to snag a basketball scholarship to fulfill her lifelong dream.
Hargrove is the daughter of James Hargrove and Jennifer Labon. She is a 2016 graduate of Charles Drew High School located in her hometown of Riverdale, Georgia. Throughout her high school years, she balanced a busy life. Although basketball was a top priority, she still excelled within the classroom. Upon graduating, she was ranked #8 in her graduating class while upholding a cumulative grade point average of 4.2.
During Hargrove’s Senior year of high school, she partially tore her Posterior Talofibular Ligament (PTFL), Calcaneofibular Ligament (CFL), and Anterior Talofibular Ligament (ATFL) which prohibited her from playing, however, that did not change her love for the game. Despite her injury, Alcorn still saw the beast and hunger for the game in her and offered her a scholarship. The accomplishments leading up to her offer were what caught Alcorn’s eye. Hargrove was a 4 year starter, 1st team All-Conference and All-Region, and was also named Preseason Player of the Year.
Since beginning her college career at ASU, Hargrove has appreciated the University and all that it has offered her. “I like Alcorn. I definitely like that it’s a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), it’s family-oriented, and it was a good distance from home for me to grow as a woman,” she states. Her accomplishments didn’t stop after high school. While in college she has maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.9, she’s been a 4-time Dean’s List scholar and a 2-time President’s List scholar which recently earned her a purple sweater. She also has managed to complete her undergraduate degree in 3 years and is set to graduate this upcoming December.
Hargrove’s words of wisdom to future basketball recruits is to, “Have fun, be safe, and be smart but be themselves and always remember that in order to be successful in basketball and life it is a process that will take time and hard work.”