NCAA Basketball: 5-star Jalen Green has a handful of options, decision on April 17
Highly-regarded recruit Jalen Green is set to make his college decision on April 17.
Consensus 2020 top-3 prospect Jalen Green recently announced that he would make his college choice on April 17 via Instagram Live at 4 p.m (ET). Green is considering Auburn, Memphis, Oregon, Fresno State, and Southern California. There is also the possibility that he will forego college altogether and play overseas or in the G-League next year. The 19-year-old holds 19 offers overall and has taken official visits to all five of the finalists.
“All options are open,” Green told Tom Green of AL.com. “I talked to R.J. [Hampton] about it a couple times. We weren’t in contact much when he was out there. He said he liked it. I saw his progression, and he got better there. He said he got stronger there and it was a good move. Really, everything is open and an option.”
Green is an electric high-flying scorer who has the ability to score on all three levels. He has an elite first step, which allows him to blow by defenders on his way to the rim, where he is an outstanding finisher even through contact. But if defenses “pack the paint” to take away the drive, Green can knock down the mid-range jumper with consistency and is a reliable 3-point shooter.
The 6-5 combo guard is coming g off a sensational final high school season where he averaged 31.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and five assists while leading Prolific Prep to a 31-3 record, which included winning the Grind Session World Championship. He also shot 43% from beyond the arc for the Crew. Green set a Prolific Prep single-season record with 1,008 points and finished his prep career just short of 3,300.
The Fresno (CA) native is ranked among the top three players in the class. Green is ranked as the top player in 2020 by ESPN and Rival has him listed at No. 2. Meanwhile, both 247Sports Composite and 247Sports have him third in their rankings.
Where ever Green ends up, he is not expected to be there for more than one season. Here is a look at each of the five finalists.
Auburn: Auburn is considered one of the frontrunners for Green, who took an official visit to the Plains on Sept.27. The Tigers have been one of the best programs in the nation over the last three years, posting an 81-24 record, which includes a share of the SEC regular-season championship and a conference tournament title as well as two NCAA Tournament appearances — reaching the Final Four in 2019. The Tigers just picked up a commitment from JT Thor on Easter Sunday and now have the nation’s eighth-best recruiting class in 2020. They have one scholarship available, and if Green chooses Auburn, he would be able to play with his buddy, Sharife Cooper.
Memphis: Memphis is the other co-favorite for Green’s services. Green visited Memphis on Oct. 3. The Tigers have won 20 games in each of the Penny Hardaway’s two seasons as head coach, receiving a bid to the NIT in 2019. The Tigers have a lot of talent, but they are still very young as they will not have any seniors next year. However, they even may lose forward Precious Achiuwa to the NBA.
“It was good,” said Green told Evan Daniels of 247Sports on Oct. 12, 2019, when asked about his visit to Memphis. “I went to that visit last year, so I already knew everything, so it was a good visit and getting to see the guys and the new players that came in and the coaches. It was good. Really just the same thing that everyone says, just to come there and do my thing, score the ball and things like that. They kept it real with me, and so has a lot of the other schools like Auburn, USC, Oregon.”
Oregon: “It was good,” Green said about his visit. “Coach [Tony] Stubblefield and everybody down there, they’re all good coaches.” The Ducks picked up a commitment from UNLV transfer Amauri Hardy on Sunday, and they now don’t currently have a scholarship available for 2020. Hardy joins a Ducks’ recruiting class that includes four-star point guard Jalen Terry and St. Peter’s transfer Aaron Estrada. Oregon also will have the services of Eric Williams as well as Eugune Omoruyi, both of whom sat out this past season after transferring from their former schools.
Fresno State: Fresno State has seen a lot of upheaval in its roster recently with three players transferring over the last week — Jarred Hyder, CJ Hyder, and Chris Seeley. The Bulldogs picked up a commitment from DePaul transfer Devin Gage over the weekend. Fresno St. has two more scholarships available to give out in 2020.
“It went good,” Green said of the visit to Fresno State. “I’m already close with Coach (Justin) Hutson and them out there. I’ve known them for a minute now. It was fun just catching up with them and talking to them and seeing what their plan was for me.”
USC: Coach Andy Enfield has done a fantastic job restructuring USC’s roster, having brought in transfers Tahj Eaddy, Isaiah White, Chevez Goodwin, and recent addition Joshua Morgan. Enfield also brought in one of the top 2020 recruits in Evan Mobley along with fellow big man Boubacar Coulibaly. Still, the Trojans have two more scholarships available to give out in 2020.
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Prediction: I really don’t think that Green is going to forego college altogether, or I believe he would not be waiting to make his decision. I also don’t that he will stay “home” and play at Fresno State. Plus, the battle for his services does genuinely appear to be between Auburn and Memphis though I can see USC being a wildcard, especially after the moves Enfield has made to the roster. So, I am going 1. Auburn, 2. Memphis, 3. USC 4. Fresno St. 5. Oregon 6. turning pro.