# Jaloni Cambridge

Jaloni Cambridge (born November 19, 2005) is an American college basketball player for the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference. She attended Montverde Academy and was a five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class.

## Early life and high school career

Cambridge began her high school career at The Ensworth School in Nashville, Tennessee. She started on the high school varsity team as an eighth grader. During her sophomore year she averaged 17.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 3.1 assists per game. She was named the Division II-AA state tournament MVP after leading the Lady Tigers to the 2022 TSSAA state championship. During her junior year she averaged 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.3 steals and 3.8 assists per game in 30 games, and led the Lady Tigers to the Division II-AA state championship game for the second consecutive year. She scored a career-high 41 points in the state championship game, however Ensworth lost the game 59–64. Following the season she was named Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year.
She was named a three-time Division II-AA Tennessee Miss Basketball winner and a three-time Tennessean Girls Basketball Player of the Year. On June 30, 2023, she transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida. During her senior year, she averaged 20.7 points, 9.0 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game. During the semifinals of the 2024 Chipotle High School Nationals championship against No. 1 ranked Long Island Lutheran she had a game-high 33 points, and scored the game-winning buzzer-beating shot. During the championship game against IMG Academy she scored 17 points to help Montverde Academy win their third consecutive Chipotle Nationals championship. Following the season she was named Florida Gatorade Player of the Year, and the MaxPreps National Basketball Player of the Year. She was also named a finalist for the Gatorade National Player of the Year and Naismith High School Player of the Year awards. She was named to the 2024 McDonald's All-American Girls Game.

### Recruiting

Cambridge was considered a five-star recruit and was the number-three ranked basketball player in the class of 2024 by ESPN. On December 29, 2023, she committed to play college basketball at Ohio State, where she will join her sister Kennedy. Other finalists she was considering included Baylor, Florida, Georgia, Louisville, LSU and South Carolina.

## College career

During her freshman year she averaged 16.0 points, 3.88 assists and 2.12 steals per game. She was one of only eight players in the conference to record more than one 30-point game this season. She led the conference with four Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. Following the season she was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, and all-Big Ten freshman teams.

## National team career

On June 7, 2022, Cambridge was named to the United States' roster to compete at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Women's Basketball World Cup. During the tournament she averaged 9.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and a team-high 5.1 assists per game and won a gold medal. During the gold medal game against Spain she scored a team-high 16 points, six rebounds, nine assists and one steal. She was subsequently named to the All-Tournament Team.

## Personal life

Cambridge's father, Desmond Cambridge, played college basketball at Alabama A&M. She has six siblings, Desmond Jr., Devan, Jalon, Jasiah, Jordyn and Kennedy. All of her siblings also played basketball.