Busting Brackets
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AAC Basketball: 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

By Joey Loose

Mar 5, 2020; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson talks to guard Quentin Grimes (24) and guard Marcus Sasser (0) after a play against the Connecticut Huskies in the second half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. UConn defeated Houston 77-71. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2020; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson talks to guard Quentin Grimes (24) and guard Marcus Sasser (0) after a play against the Connecticut Huskies in the second half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. UConn defeated Houston 77-71. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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Memphis Tigers center Jalen Duren AAC Basketball Jrca1710
Memphis Tigers center Jalen Duren AAC Basketball Jrca1710 /

18. Jalen Duren

The top prospect in the high school class of 2022, Duren is a 6’11 center from Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania who actually skipped his final year of high school to head early to Memphis. He’d spend just a single season with Penny Hardaway and the Tigers, but this blue chip prospect showed that he belonged during that season.

Duren’s lone collegiate season saw him average 12.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, becoming the leading scorer for a Tigers squad that was loaded with talent and experience. A 22-point, 19-rebound performance against Western Kentucky early in his career showed his potential. Duren later had a double-double in Memphis’s NCAA Tournament win over Boise State, helping lead the program to the Big Dance for the first time in eight years.

Duren was named AAC Rookie of the Year for very good reason, playing a major role in Memphis’s revival that season. He was also named First Team All-AAC and was among the conference’s leaders in a number of categories, including rebounding, field goal percentage, and several other metrics. Duren wasn’t a top-ranked prospect for no reason, and he did plenty in that lone season to prove his talent. His basketball career continues with the Detroit Pistons.