Tigers get their man!
In a scheduled ceremony this evening at the Team Final (AAU) headquarters in his native DE, 5* big man Jalen Duren announced his intentions to reclassify to the class of ‘21, and attend the Univ. of Memphis. He chose the Tigers against stiff competition from Miami, Kentucky, as well as the G-League and NBL. The Memphis staff remained confident throughout the process, and really put on the full court press to close the deal. During Peach Jam, the few games where Coach Hardaway wasn’t in attendance, his assistants were. This exemplified how much of a priority he was to the staff.
This is the biggest recruiting coup of Hardaway’s tenure as head coach. Landing James Wiseman was a tremendous accomplishment, but there was a prior relationship there. To go outside of the city of Memphis to reel in a prospect of this magnitude, proves that Penny is a legitimate recruiting threat on the national stage.
Just last year it appeared that the majority of elite high school prospects would bypass the college route, and elect to turn pro via the G-league or NBL.There they were assured guaranteed dollars awaited. NIL has changed the game, and this was likely one of the first major examples of such. Reports say Duren was blown away by Memphis’ presentation on earning potential here in the city. I expect the university to be a big player in this new landscape, with FedEx and Nike in their backyard.
The 6’10” 235lb. C out of Montverde Academy is a definitive ceiling raiser for this year’s team, because he is an absolute force in the paint. He can single handedly change the opposing teams game plan on the offensive end, with his shot blocking and rim protection abilities. Even when he doesn’t get the block, he uses his 7’5” wingspan and athleticism to alter shots. On the offensive end, he dunks everything around the basket. He is a monster on the boards on both ends of the floor, and is able to clean up a lot of his team’s misses by scoring off offensive rebounds. Adding Duren to the Tiger’s roster will definitely breed tremendous expectations, and this may not be the last domino to fall. Stay tuned!