NCAA Basketball: Ranking 5-star Jalen Duren’s options in case he reclassifies
When it comes to NCAA Basketball recruiting classes, there always is at least one major surprise that occurs in the Summer. And we may have gotten it with the rumors and now rampant reporting that five-star center Jalen Duren could potentially be playing college hoops as early as next season.
It’s been long believed that high school phenom Emoni Bates was going to be the undisputed No. 1 prospect in the 2022 class but in the past few months, Duren has either caught up or for some people, have already passed him up. The 6’10 pure center is a dominant offensive force who is just as good on the other end, while also a strong rebounder and passer.
Duren’s rise as a potential No. 1 overall recruit has put him in a position where he has a number of options, including going pro early to the G League or Overseas Elite, as well as reclassifying to play next season.
Jalen Duren, arguably the top prospect in high school basketball, is considering reclassifying from 2022 to 2021 but a decision has not been made, sources tell @247Sports. || Story: https://t.co/I1My319RKB pic.twitter.com/1fXnZt54sI
— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) June 11, 2021
It became very big news for NCAA Basketball observers, as he has a 1 million dollar offer reportedly from the G League but could also play college hoops if he’s able to graduate high school, which may happen weeks from now.
The center’s decision could potentially change the sport for the 2021-22 season, as he could put a team over the top into a legit national title contender. He’s already given us a top-11 list a couple of months ago but with the timeline now changed, how Duren “fits” with each team has also changed since it’s for 2021-22 instead of 2022-23.
Going with the assumption that Duren eventually does play in college instead of the G League, here’s how I would rank his top 9 college options.
9. Penn State Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions were viewed as an outlier two months ago and nothing has changed, even if the program was able to get a couple of players back from the transfer portal after the head coaching change. There’s a little bit of frontcourt depth with John Harrar returning and Western Michigan transfer Greg Lee joining but neither of them would threaten Duren for playing time.
If the desire to play 35+ minutes for a Big Ten program is strong, then maybe Penn State would have a shot here. But regardless of the class he plays in, Duren joining wouldn’t change the projected bottom-tier standings for the program. Hard to see them having any hope here.