Jalen Hood-Schifino parents are Glenn Hood and Adrianne Schifino. Jalen was born in Pittsburgh when Adrianne was 19 years old.
The 2022’s five-star collegiate basketball athlete recruit, Hood-Schifino, committed to the Indiana Hoosiers in August 2021. Big Ten named him the highest incoming recruit for the class of 2022.
He later won the title of preseason freshman of the year in an NBA mock draft. His game as a guard is going strong in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men’s basketball season.
Jalen maintains a disciplined life with his loved ones through the The F.I.N.O. Project when he is away from the court. He is the muse and brand ambassador of the family brand.
Jalen Hood-Schifino Childhood
Jalen Hood-Schifino grew up in Charlotte. He was born to his father, Glennard D. Hood Jr., who played football at Santa Monica College.
Glenn excelled in his position as a quarterback. However, he dropped out of college to earn money to look after a newly-born Jalen.
Despite his son’s growing fame in the NCAA division, Glenn remains away from the media attention. Meanwhile, Glenn and Adrianne are happy that they passed down their height and athletic genes to their 6 feet 6 inches tall son.
Adrianne Runs The FINO Project
Jalen Hood Schifino mom Adrianne Hood-Schifino is better known by her nickname, Angel. She was born in Germany and settled in Pittsburgh after many home shifts as her father was in the military.
Angel played basketball at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania on a scholarship. She only played half a season and returned to her Pittsburgh home.
She was 19 then and pregnant with Jalen, her first child. Schifino worked a part-time job at a mall to help the family of three and also relied on government assistance funds.
After some time, she returned to study at Carlow University and obtained her Bachelor’s in Communications in 2008.
After graduation, the former basketball player secured a job at UPMC but later quit the corporate world. Instead, she worked at a furniture store in Charlotte for months to buy her own house.
Jalen joined her after the home shift, where he attended Northside Christian Academy and later Combine Academy in Lincolnton as a sophomore. He then transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida for his high school.
With her son’s ongoing NCAA venture, the basketball mom runs The F.I.N.O. (Failure Is No Option) Project, a brand dedicated to sharing success stories and merchandise.
She promotes her brand works on her Instagram, @_angelfino_, which has garnered more than 1k followers. Jalen’s involvement with the brand is a key factor in its success.
Jalen Hood-Schifino Siblings
Jalen Hood-Schifino has one sibling; his younger sister, Ava Hood is ten years younger than him.
Ava was born in 2013 and is currently an elementary school-going student. She is one of the two inspirations behind Angel’s idea for the FINO brand alongside her elder brother.
Thus, little Ms. Schifino is equally engaging in the charitable ventures of her mom’s brand.
Ava was present at the first free F.I.N.O. Clinic in Pittsburgh on June 3, 2022, requiring children to participate in basketball-related activities. She is also the usual model for the F.I.N.O. kids’ collection on Instagram.
Besides participating in the F.I.N.O. project, she accompanies Angel in the sports events and games. The little one also met her mom’s first-ever coach, Dr.Karen Hall, at the clinic program in 2022.
Coincidentally, Angel was also nine when she first met Dr. Hall after the latter played at UNLV.
Jalen said he wants to give his sister the world in his 2018 commitment video to the Hoosiers. Thus, the two share a great rapport as brother and sister and fellow faces for their company.
Jalen Hood-Schifino Family life
Jalen Hood-Schifino’s family legacy is defined by Failure Is No Option, their FINO project. Jalen’s maternal grandfather started it while in military.
Mr. Vernon M. Schifino Sr. served in the U.S. Army and taught his daughter, Angel, about the meaning behind their last name. He coined the “fino” in the name stood for the F.I.N.O. mindset, which has turned into a Pittsburgh and NCAA-famous brand.
His maternal grandparents babysat Jalen when his mom and dad could not due to their tight work hours.
As Angel got the strictness in her from her dad, she passed it down to her son and daughter. During their 2021 interview with Inside the Hall, she revealed that Jalen doesn’t like to party since he prefers to work out thrice.
His choice for a healthy and balanced life helped him to fight off Covid-19 and to make it to the NCAA.
Aside from his mom and grandfather, his other relatives are also athletically inclined. His uncle Vernon aka “Jake” Schifino Jr, was drafted into the NFL in 2002.
Meanwhile, his other uncle, Drew Schifino played basketball for West Virginia and professionally overseas. One of his cousins, DeAndre was a University of Pittsburgh’s football team member.
Another elder cousin, Sherron played college basketball inspiring the whole Schifino clan. Likewise, Jalen has named his mom, sister, and Jesus as the main-go in his life.