Born Into the Game: Jalen Hood-Schifino’s Rise, Resilience, and Redemption

In this episode of The Sam Acho Podcast, Clif Marshall and Sam sit down with Jalen Hood-Schifino—Fino—a pro athlete whose story cuts through the noise. From his roots in a family where both football and basketball were stitched into daily life, to the weight of adversity and the sharp edges of success, Fino opens up about the realities behind the highlight reels. He shares what it means to move cities, face setbacks, choose purpose over attention, and stay anchored in faith and family when the world is quick to judge and slow to understand. You’ll hear the honest emotion behind draft night tears and NBA rookie challenges—and why for Jalen, lasting peace comes through gratitude, consistency, and the courage to be real even when the lights are brightest. This is what it looks like to gain the world and keep your soul.

Key highlights

• Family, sacrifice, and origins: Fino shares how a football and basketball family shaped his earliest dreams—and why his mom and sister remain his foundational support.

• Letting go to go further: The decision in eighth grade to set aside football and lock in on basketball, with his family moving states for new opportunity.

• The cost of growth: The Montverde years—leaving home at sixteen, battling loneliness, embracing development over spotlight, and learning how adversity forges character.

• Indiana and “peace”: An inside look at navigating college pressure, finding his footing, and choosing “peace” as his anchor through highs and lows.

• Draft night—the world’s applause and the soul’s reality: Sam and Fino pull back the curtain on the anxiety, waiting games, and flood of emotion when the phone finally rings.

• The business of the NBA: Jalen reveals the switch from college camaraderie to the high-stakes, transactional world of professional basketball—and how he keeps faith at the center.

• Faith, authenticity, and “failure is no option”: The origin story behind Fino’s brand and the perspective that fuels his commitment to resilient, purpose-driven living, no matter what comes next.

Quotes

• "After my seventh grade year, I kind of told my mom for my eighth grade year, I really want to take this time to just lock in on basketball and get ready for high school. Because I feel like, I told her, I feel like I'm going to end up making it." — Jalen Hood-Schifino

• "If you can have that internal peace and stay even-keeled, you'll be able to maximize and get what you want out of the situation and try to reach towards that positive outcome." — Jalen Hood-Schifino

• "It's not that you're never going to fail. It's like you're just never going to give up." — Jalen Hood-Schifino