Jalen Duren, the No. 1 basketball prospect in the 247 Sports Composite rankings for the Class of 2022, reclassified to 2021 and announced Friday he will play college basketball at Memphis.
Duren, a 6-foot-10 center from New Castle, Del., also considered Kentucky, Miami, the G League Ignite and the National Basketball League in Australia. He transferred from a Philadelphia high school to Montverde Academy in Florida last year.
Upon reclassifying, Duren will be able to join Memphis for the upcoming 2021-22 season.
Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway, who starred at Memphis in his playing days, landed a top recruit for the second time in his brief four-year coaching career.
He previously signed center James Wiseman, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2019. But due to an eligibility controversy that involved Hardaway allegedly paying Wiseman’s family cash to help them move to Memphis, the star prospect only played three games at the school before turning pro.
Duren has won a gold medal playing for Team USA at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.
Over the summer, Duren surpassed former No. 1 overall prospect Emoni Bates in 247 Sports’ composite, which combines star ratings from Rivals, ESPN and 247 Sports’ own evaluators. Bates is a small forward from Ypsilanti, Mich.
Memphis is still in the running for Bates, who also reclassified from the 2022 class to 2021 this week. Bates’ final four options also include Michigan State, Oregon and the G League.
–Field Level Media