Prospect Profile: Jakhi Calloway

The speedy junior has quickly gained momentum in his recruitment. He's now ready to lead a hungry Hartley team and prove he is one of the area's best guards

COLUMBUS, OH - For those on the East Side of Columbus, Jakhi Calloway, along with his older brother Jaden, have been familiar names since the two were paired together and dominated the middle school ranks at Berwick Alternative. That prominence was extended as they enrolled at nearby Bishop Hartley for high school and have achieved a growing level of success on the varsity level.

As Jakhi enters his junior season, it’s inevitable that the rest of Central Ohio gets acquainted with one of the more premiere guards in the area.

If you’re already behind, it’s time to catch up on Jakhi’s accomplishments over the last ten months. The 6’0 combo guard capped a successful sophomore season when he averaged 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.8 steals per game and was named third team All-District.

Better yet, Jakhi helped Hartley win an outright Central Catholic League title and a district championship, the Hawks first since 2019.

Jakhi carried his high level of play into the AAU season with Nova Village on the UA circuit, which was capped by winning the UA Rise finals. In four games, Calloway was tremendous and averaged 25 points per game, highlighted by a 41-point outburst that included seven made threes in the Sweet 16.

Known for his two-way quickness, Jakhi has now attracted the attention of Division I colleges and has picked up two offers, along with additional interest from a number of mid-major programs.

Jakhi took time to chat with 270 Hoops about his recent play, how he surprised his family over the news of his scholarship offers and previews what we should expect from this year’s Hartley team.

270 Hoops: For area players in the 2026 class, I’d say you are on the short list of top performers throughout the AAU season. What were your takeaways from your game these last few months?

Jakhi Calloway: This AAU season, I had to be aggressive knowing it’s my junior year and I’m trying to get recruited. So I came out this season to be more aggressive, focused on shooting better and hitting threes.

I would talk to college coaches that told me to work on my jump shot and so this AAU season I was shooting more, also more aggressive on defense. My uncle, Joel Jackson [head coach at Westland], helped me a lot with my jump shot.

Your AAU play comes after a successful sophomore season, where you experienced personal and team success. What’s allowed you to be so comfortable against players that are either older than you or of similar high-quality talent? What makes you stand out?

When I was younger, I used to play up and against older people with my brother, up until 8th grade. So I really have been playing against older people my whole life and it just transitioned over to high school.

I believe my defense and ball pressure is what makes me stand out.

Speaking of standing out, your play apparently made an impression with college coaches, as you picked up offers from Toledo and Kent State on the same day. Did that catch you by surprise?