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Jalen Duren

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Jalen Duren
No. 2 – Memphis Tigers
PositionCenter
LeagueAmerican Athletic Conference
Personal information
Born (2003-11-18) November 18, 2003 (age 18)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeMemphis (2021–present)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Americas U16 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2019 Brazil Team

Jalen Montez Duren (born November 18, 2003) is an American college basketball player for the Memphis Tigers of the American Athletic Conference (AAC). A center, he stands 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m) and weighs 250 pounds (113 kg). He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2021 class. Duren was ranked as the top player in the 2022 class before reclassifying.

Early life[]

Hailing from New Castle, Delaware,[1] Duren grew up playing football and baseball in addition to basketball, which he ended up focusing on as he grew older and improved his skills.[2] By the eighth grade he measured about 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), gaining recognition on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit playing with Team Final and winning the MADE Lea8ue title.[3] Strong showings at the MADE Hoops Middle School Academy and the CP3 Rising Stars Camp that summer solidified his position as one of the top players in his class.[3][4]

High school career[]

Duren committed to playing high school basketball at Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania along with AAU teammate and highly-ranked guard Justice Williams.[3] He averaged 12.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 71 percent from the field as a freshman, leading his team to their second consecutive Philadelphia Catholic League title.[5][6] He earned first-team all-league and second-team all-state honors, and was named a MaxPreps Freshman All-American.[7][8] That summer he was a standout performer at the 2019 Nike Elite 100 Camp.[9][10]

Duren averaged 18.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per contest during his second year, leading his team to an 18–10 record.[11][12] In the first round of the Catholic League playoffs he recorded 18 points and 18 rebounds against Bonner-Prendergast, hitting the game-winning buzzer beater in the 61–59 victory on Valentine's Day.[11][13] He added 20 points and 18 rebounds in their 83–73 semi-final win over regular season champions Archbishop Wood at the Palestra.[14] They were unable to defend their league crown, though, as they were defeated by Neumann Goretti in the title game; Duren contributed 11 points and 16 rebounds in the 66–58 loss.[15] In the first round of the PIAA class 6A playoffs, they defeated Coatesville 81–75 with Duren posting 13 points and eight rebounds.[16] He recorded 20 points, six rebounds and eight blocks in their 62–51 quarter-final win over Pennridge before play was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11][17] At the end of the year he collected first-team all-league, first-team all-state and MaxPreps Sophomore All-American honors.[12][18][19]

For his junior year Duren transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida,[11] who was in the process of joining the independent National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) with other elite programs like Oak Hill, Wasatch Academy and Sunrise Christian amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.[20] Duren was one of only five underclassmen named to the Sports Illustrated Preseason All-American team.[21] In January 2021, Duren had a strong showing competing against high-level talent at the St. James NIBC Invitational in Washington, D.C.,[22][23] including a SportsCenter Top 10 play against Wasatch Academy where he blocked a shot by catching the ball in mid-air.[21] On March 11, Montverde avenged their only loss of the season by defeating Sunrise Christian 61–57 for the inaugural NIBC championship; Duren finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.[24] He averaged 15.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in NIBC conference play, leading the Eagles to a 12–1 league record (20–1 overall).[25] He was also recognized as the 2020–21 MaxPreps Florida High School Basketball Player of the Year.[25] Duren overtook Emoni Bates in his Junior Year as the top prospect in the 2022 recruiting class and was ranked one over Bates by ESPN , 247Sports and Rivals.[26]

Recruiting[]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jalen Duren
C 		New Castle, DE Montverde Academy (FL) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Aug 6, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 97
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 3  247Sports: 4  ESPN: 7
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Memphis 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  • "2021 Memphis Tigers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 2, 2021.

National team career[]

Duren played for United States at the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Belém, Brazil. He averaged 10.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game en route to a gold medal and a spot on the tournament all-star five team.[5]

Player profile[]

Duren is widely considered the best "true post" player in his class by recruiting sites and sportswriters alike.[10][27] He wields influence in the paint due to his size, strength, athleticism and footwork that allows him to dominate on both sides of the floor.[28][29] Jake Weingarten, founder of recruiting site StockRisers.com, described him as NBA-ready as a tenth grader amid reports that the NBA was considering lowering the minimum draft age from 19 to 18.[30]

His physically imposing frame and shot-blocking talent drew comparisons to Bam Adebayo from 247Sports national basketball director Eric Bossi,[31][32] while his AAU coach Chris Rountree likened him to Marvin Bagley III.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Zagoria, Adam (May 11, 2019). "If The NBA Abandons One-And-Done In 2022, Remember The Names Emoni Bates And Jalen Duren". Forbes. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  2. ^ Martin, Alex (December 21, 2019). "Getting to know five-star Roman Catholic sophomore center Jalen Duren". The News-Press. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Hampford, Eric (August 30, 2018). "MADE Hoops Alumni Series: The Rise Of Jalen Duren Began With The Winter Circuit". MADE Hoops. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Flanagan, Rich (February 3, 2019). "Boys' Basketball: Jalen Duren Stands Tall as Roman Handles La Salle to Take First Place in Philadelphia Catholic League". Philadelphia Sports Digest. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Johnson, Leader (December 14, 2020). "The recruitment of Philadelphia basketball phenom Jalen Duren". Philly Sports Network. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  6. ^ Knebels, John (March 1, 2019). "Roman Catholic takes 2nd straight CL crown, 4th in 5 years". Catholic Philly. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  7. ^ "11 AOP Standouts Named To 2019 PA Sportswriters Boys' Basketball All-State Team". aopathletics.org. May 15, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  8. ^ Divens, Jordan (April 19, 2019). "2018-19 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Freshman All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  9. ^ Snow, Brian (June 28, 2019). "Nike Elite 100: Top 10 Class of 2022 Performers". 247Sports.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Burlison, Frank (June 26, 2019). "Ten standouts from Nike Elite 100 Camp". Burlison on Basketball. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d Anastasia, Phil (April 14, 2020). "Roman Catholic star Jalen Duren transfers to Montverde Academy in Florida". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Divens, Jordan (April 1, 2020). "MaxPreps 2019-20 Boys Basketball Sophomore All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  13. ^ McCaffery, Jack (February 14, 2020). "Roman big man Duren's buzzer-beating putback quiets Bonner-Prendie". Delaware County Daily Times. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  14. ^ Thorpe, Todd (February 19, 2020). "Roman Catholic, big man Jalen Duren too tall a task for Archbishop Wood". The Intelligencer. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  15. ^ Anastasia, Phil (February 24, 2020). "Neumann Goretti beats Roman Catholic for Catholic League boys' crown". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  16. ^ Harden, Tyler (March 8, 2020). "Coatesville falls short in attempt to knock off Roman Catholic in opening round of 6A State Playoffs". Raw Sports. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  17. ^ Robinson, Andrew (March 12, 2020). "Duren's defense helps Roman Catholic overcome Pennridge's heart in PIAA-6A 2nd round". PA Prep Live. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  18. ^ Hunt, Donald (February 14, 2020). "All-Catholic League boy's basketball team announced". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  19. ^ Anastasia, Phil (May 2, 2020). "Sophomore center Jalen Duren among three Roman Catholic players selected to Class 6A all-state basketball teams". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  20. ^ Collings, Buddy (January 27, 2021). "No. 1 Montverde basketball hosts 2 weekends of big games". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Jordan, Jason (February 9, 2021). "Elite 2022 F Jalen Duren Prefers Catching Shots Over Swatting Them". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  22. ^ Jordan, Jason (January 11, 2021). "Jalen Duren, Kennedy Chandler, Felix Okpara and Others Shine at the St. James NIBC Invitational". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  23. ^ "The St. James NIBC Invitational: Elite big man Jalen Duren talks shop". 247Sports.com. January 17, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  24. ^ Divens, Jordan (March 12, 2021). "High school basketball: No. 1 Montverde Academy defeats No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy 61-57 to win inaugural NIBC championship". MaxPreps. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  25. ^ a b Divens, Jordan (March 11, 2021). "Jalen Duren named 2020-21 MaxPreps Florida High School Basketball Player of the Year". MaxPreps. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  26. ^ Jackson, Wilton. "Top Basketball Prospect Jalen Duren Commits to Memphis". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  27. ^ Caprio, Nick (August 15, 2018). "Zion Cruz and Jalen Duren headline 2018 CP3 Rising Stars Dunk Contest". youth1.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  28. ^ Grobeck, Joe (August 10, 2020). "Jalen Duren's Stock Is High, But His Ceiling Is Even Higher". FanBuzz. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  29. ^ Bossi, Eric (October 21, 2019). "Elite sophomore Jalen Duren focused on what he can control". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  30. ^ Sharp, Corey (October 23, 2019). "Recruiting Roundup: Jalen Duren may be NBA-ready, and Carnell Davis eyes Penn State". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  31. ^ Bossi, Eric (November 5, 2020). "2022 rankings update: Breaking down the top players by position". 247Sports.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  32. ^ Meyer, Jerry (November 5, 2020). "NBA player comparisons for the class of 2022". 247Sports.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.

External links[]

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