Jalen Goodwin enters his fourth season with the Oberlin College men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach in 2021-22.
During the 2019-20 season, he helped seniors Andre Campbell, Josh Friedkin and Christian Fioretti reach the 1,000 point mark for their careers. Fioretti was also recognized by the conference as a Second-Team All-NCAC selection. Goodwin was also responsible for film exchange and served as the head coach of the junior varsity team.
In his first year, Goodwin made his mark as part of the Yeomen’s record breaking season helping guide the team to their most wins (9) in their North Coast Athletic Conference history and overall wins (13) since the 1991-92 campaign. He helped coach two players, Eli Silverman-Lloyd and Christian Fioretti, who were honored on NCAC league teams. As a senior, Silverman-Lloyd was named on the second team, and Fioretti earned honorable-mention honors. Silverman-Lloyd graduated ranked 20th on Oberlin all-time scoring list. Fioretti was the league's top assist-man, dishing out 113 helpers for an average of 4.3 per game.
Prior to joining Oberlin, Goodwin served the past two seasons as a graduate assistant for the Otterbein University men’s basketball coaching staff and received a master’s degree in Allied Health in Exercise and Health Science. He assisted with the recruitment and development of Justin Carter, the 2018 Ohio Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year. He oversaw the team’s study tables, helping the team go from one Academic All-Ohio (3.50 GPA) selection in 2017 to five in 2018.
He also prepared and presented scouting reports while coordinating youth basketball camps hosted by Otterbein. Additionally, he oversaw game and facility management for the Columbus Condors of the Central Basketball Association, a minor league pro team that used Otterbein’s facilities.
Goodwin began his coaching career as an assistant coach and head coach of the junior varsity for the University of Northwestern Ohio men’s basketball team, an NAIA Division II member in Lima, Ohio. At UNOH he prepared and presented scouting reports, was a recruiter and the team’s academic advisor, resulting with one player honored on the Academic All-Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference team in 2016. He also mentored UNOH player Willis Mackey, an all-conference player, who plays professionally in the Spanish basketball league.
Goodwin, a native of Louisville, Kentucky graduated from The College of Wooster with a degree in communication studies in 2015. He was a four-year letterman for the Fight Scots' basketball team which posted a 99-22 record during his career and helped the program solidify their standing as the winningest NCAA team in the 2000s with 434-84 (.838 percentage). Goodwin helped the Fighting Scots receive four consecutive NCAA DIII tournament invitations, reaching the Sweet 16 twice after winning two North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season and two NCAC Tournament championships.
Known as a defensive stopper, Goodwin led the NCAC in three-point shooting percentage as a sophomore. As a senior, he was one of Fight Scots’ three team captains and received several team leadership awards. He was selected to participate in the year-long NCAC Branch Rickey Mentorship Program and served as a member of the Wooster Student-Athlete Advisory Council.
During his college career, Goodwin served three years as a varsity assistant coach and trainer with the Cincinnati Heat Premier Club Basketball girls program and as the boys’ summer freshman and assistant junior varsity coach at his alma mater Lakota East High School in Liberty Township, Ohio.
He resides in Vermillion, Ohio.
