WICHITA, Kan. (GoShockers.com) – Wichita State men’s basketball added more frontcourt help with the signing of Jaret Valencia Sunday afternoon.
Valencia, a native of Quibdó, Colombia, spent his first three seasons at Monmouth and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. Valencia is an athletic, versatile 6-foot-9 forward that finished his prep career playing for former Shocker P.J. Couisnard at Legacy School of Sport Sciences in Houston, Texas.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Jaret to Shocker Nation,” said Wichita State head men’s basketball coach Paul Mills. “His defensive ability is elite given that he can guard multiple positions and rim protect at a really high rate. He also gives us size on the perimeter and will enhance our rebounding on both sides of the ball. His strong desire to improve aligns perfectly with our program’s commitment to player development and competitive excellence. Jaret will make an immediate impact for us.”
After redshirting as a true freshman, Valencia was named to the CAA All-Rookie and All-Defensive Team as a redshirt freshman in 2023-24. His 55 blocks led the team and ranked second in the CAA. He appeared in all 33 games, making 32 starts, and averaged 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds on 49.8 percent shooting. As a redshirt sophomore this past season, Valencia put up 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 27 games. He scored a career-high 18 points on Nov. 21, 2024 vs. Youngstown State. He came up one rebound shy of his first career double-double at Seton Hall on Nov. 30 with 11 points and a career-high nine rebounds. In 60 career games, Valencia is averaging 7.9 points and 4.3 rebounds on 47.5 percent shooting and converting 37.9 percent of his three-pointers.
As a junior and senior at LSS, he helped lead them to back-to-back Texas 6A state championships. He recorded single game career highs at LSS in points with 56, rebounds with 18 and blocks with 13. Valencia was named a top-100 power forward by 247Sports and earned a 3-star ranking by multiple recruiting services. 247Sports Composite listed Valencia as the No. 58 power forward in the class.
He is the son of Gloria Valencia.
