NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Jalen Tate drawing interest from high-major programs

Jalen Tate recently announced his decision to enter the NCAA Basketball transfer portal and has been hearing high-major programs ever since.

The Northern Kentucky Norse will have to replenish its guard depth after losing three players from its backcourt to the NCAA Basketball transfer portal over the last two days, including starter Jalen Tate. Tate, who announced his decision to transfer on Friday, told 247Sports’ Brian Snow that he has already heard from several high-major programs.

"“My phone was definitely blowing up. Some head coaches called; some assistants called. They all were trying to get a word in and trying to build a relationship. “I had a good feeling that there would be interest and that some schools would be likely to reach out, but there were a lot that I had no idea who would be interested in me that called.”"

Cincinnati’s John Brennan, Xavier’s Travis Steele, and Arkansas‘ Eric Musselman were the head coaches that made contact with the 6-6 wing. Duquesne, Wichita State, Tulane, Ohio University, and Utah State were the other programs that reached out. More teams are expected to be in contact with Tate, who was the MVP of the Horizon League Tournament after compiling 37 points along with 10 rebounds and seven assists in the two-game event.

Tate will be eligible immediately as a grad transfer. He averaged 13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this past season in 22 appearances while shooting 48.5% from the field and 18.2% from beyond the arc. The Pickerington (OH) native produced one double-double and scored in double figures 16 times.

So, where will he end up? It is way too early to guess as it is unknown who else will pursue him. But three landing spots that immediately stand out are Cincinnati, Xavier, and Ohio State. Cincinnati and Xavier because it is just two hours from his home town as well as the fact that Tate played for current Bearcats head coach John Brannen. Plus, Tate’s father, Jermaine Tate, played at Cincinnati.

Meanwhile, Columbus is even closer as it is just 17 miles from Pickerington. Both Tate’s father and brother, Jae’Sean Tate, played for the Buckeyes.

Wherever Tate ends up, he knows what he wants.

"“Honestly, I am looking for a place where I would have an opportunity to play at point guard a lot of the time. “Also, I want to go to a team that has pieces around me that can put me in a position to make them look good, and for them to complement me and make me look good. Maybe the most important thing, though, is I want to compete for championships. That can mean a league title, but also a place where we could make noise in the NCAA Tournament.”"

Tre Cobbs and Bryant Mocaby are the other two players that have entered the transfer portal. NKU went 23-9 this past season and finished second in the Horizon League at 13-5. The Norse, who won the Horizon League Conference crown, will now be without three of its top three scorers from the past season for the 2020-21 campaign as seniors Tyler Sharpe and Dantez Walton have graduated.

Tre Cobbs, Bryant Mocaby also depart from NKU while Darius Harding commits

Both Cobbs and Mocaby saw sparse action this season under first-year head coach Darrin Horn. Cobbs appeared in 14 games and averaged 6.9 minutes a game, seeing over 10 minutes of action only four times, as he averaged 2.7 points on 44% shooting from the field. Mocaby saw a touch more action than Cobbs as he appeared in 19 contests, including two starts at 10.3 minutes a game. The 6-5 sophomore guard has career averages of 2.4 points on 25.3% shooting from the field. While Mocaby will have to sit out the upcoming campaign, Cobbs is immediately eligible as a grad transfer.

One day before Mocaby and Tate announced that they were departing and two days before Cobbs did the same thing, Horn secured a commitment from junior college guard from Darius Harding.  Harding had a super sophomore campaign at Motlow CC as he finished among the top scorers in the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association, averaging 19.3 points along with 2.7 treys and six rebounds a contest while shooting 46.3% from the field and 38.9% from beyond the arc. The 6-5 guard scored in double-figures in 27 of his 30 appearances, which includes 13 contests of 20 or more points and two outings of at least 30 points this past season and collected double-digit rebounds on four occasions.

Harding is a scorer who really can light it up. The athletic Elizabethtown (KY) native can score from any spot on the floor, whether off the catch or bounce. He is a very good rebounder who also a decent ball-handler, facilitator, and defender.

Rated as the 81st best JUCO prospect in the class of 2020 by JUCO Recruiting.com, Harding chose NKU over Bryant, Cleveland State, Akron, Kent State, Arkansas State, Southeast Missouri State, Drake, and Portland.