Five-star center Jayden Quaintance commits to Arizona State
Five-star center and potential 2026 NBA Draft lottery pick Jayden Quaintance has committed to play for Arizona State, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Quaintance, who will turn 17 in July, had previously committed to Kentucky, but asked to be released from his National Letter of Intent after coach John Calipari left for Arkansas. He chose Arizona State over Louisville, Memphis and Arkansas.
Ranked as the No. 8 national recruit in the 2024 Rivals150 and No. 1 center, Quaintance was the highest-rated recruit still available. For coach Bobby Hurley, the 6-foot-10 prospect is also the highest-ranked recruit to commit to the Sun Devils since Josh Christopher (now with the Utah Jazz) in the 2020 class.
Rivals’ Rob Cassidy said Quaintance is a “unique prospect”:
The 6-foot-10 big man runs like a wing and handles it pretty well with either hand. He gets up and down incredibly well for his size, which allows him to shine in transition. He also uses his elite agility to take bigger defenders off the bounce in the half-court. Quaintance has potential to be an extremely versatile defender as he becomes more disciplined as he moves his feet well on the perimeter in addition to already shining as a hyper-effective rim-protector with a good motor.
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Rivals has Arizona State’s 2024 recruiting class rated No. 11 in its team rankings.
Quaintance was selected as a McDonald’s All-American after his senior season at Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Ohio native is already familiar with the Arizona region, having previously played his high school ball at Phoenix’s Hillcrest Prep and Dream City Christian in Glendale.
Additonally, Quaintance played in the 2023 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship. He averaged 6.7 rebounds and 6.5 rebounds, helping the United States to win a gold medal. The center has also faced competition in the Nike EYBL and Overtime Elite.
Since Quaintance won’t meet the NBA’s 19-year-old age requirement until 2026, he will likely have to play two years in college before entering the NBA Draft.