Jalen Duren, the best 2022 college hoops recruit, has an upcoming decision that will greatly impact college basketball. Originally reported by Adam Zagoria of Zags Blog, news broke in June that Duren is planning on reclassifying. With his reclassification, Duren would play college basketball this season. About one month ago, he announced his top five options.
2022 five-star Jalen Duren is down to five options, he tells @On3Recruits: Kentucky, G League, Memphis, NBL, Miami. pic.twitter.com/Y3DuqM5aG2
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 2, 2021
Among the top five, there are three college options with two professional routes. Since Duren announced his top five, college athletics has started paying athletes for their name, image and likeness. More than likely, Duren is considering the G League and NBL, Australia’s National Basketball League, for money purposes. Now that Duren can make money playing college basketball, this should sway his decision.
Impact on College Basketball
If Duren decides to reclassify and play for a college, this will impact the landscape of college basketball. He is an elite talent that can change a program instantly. Recently, Duren even surpassed the much-hyped recruit Emoni Bates who is often compared to Kevin Durant. In addition, scouts have even compared Duren’s game to Bam Adebayo. Comparing a high school player’s game to an NBA All-Star is a huge deal.
As mentioned, Duren can impact any college program he chooses. Both Miami and Memphis will not become title contenders with Duren, but they should make the NCAA Tournament with him. Now Kentucky is a different case. If Duren decided to attend Kentucky, this would make the blue blood program a national title favorite.
Even before the change regarding name, image and likeness, Duren was reportedly slightly leaning towards playing college ball.
CBS Sports polled multiple college coaches and NBA personnel on hand at Nike’s premier grassroots event in South Carolina. The collective response from those people put Duren at about 60% to play college basketball.
One would think the fact Duren can now profit of his name, image and likeness will only increase his college chances. His impact on college basketball just cannot be said enough. Duren is a special talent that could make certain programs a title contender. For example, Duren would probably be the best or second-best Freshman in college basketball next season. His sole competition for the top Freshman would likely be Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga.
Duren’s mobility as a 6-foot-10 230 pound big man is uncanny.
Jalen Duren .. WOOO pic.twitter.com/0IM0fgTvSR
— mike gribanov (@mikegrib8) July 23, 2021
Duren’s Decision
The superstar’s recruitment has been pretty murky. No one seems sure of what his decision will be. Recently, the AAU showcase Nike EYBL Peach Jam ended with Duren taking MVP honors. Peach Jam is probably the largest AAU tournament in the nation. By result, Duren put his decision to the side and focused on Peach Jam. Now that Peach Jam has ended, Duren should be making a decision sooner rather than later.
Jack Pilgrim of KSR gave some insight of Duren’s recruitment,
After dozens of conversations during the regular season portion of Peach Jam, Miami (FL) was discussed by national sources as the likely landing spot for Duren largely in part due to the five-star center’s relationship with assistant coach DJ Irving, who previously coached him in high school and with Team Final on the EYBL circuit. Another source close to the situation told KSR that Duren himself likes Memphis’ Penny Hardaway and his experience in the NBA as a four-time All-Star, while his mother likes Kentucky and its pitch from a development and branding standpoint. There was no consensus regarding a heavy favorite and it was made clear that no decision had been made behind the scenes.
Part of what makes Duren’s decision so unclear right now is the unique benefit each college has. Miami is the rumored favorite due to Duren’s relationship with the assistant DJ Irving. While Memphis is intriguing due to the former NBA star Penny Hardaway. Finally, Kentucky is appealing for development and the big brand.
Duren’s decision is truly wide open. Considering his elite talent, Duren’s decision is worth watching. Hopefully, a decision is made soon since this could impact college basketball in a big way.
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