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Former Arizona State player Jayden Quaintance has committed to Kentucky, according to ESPN.
Quaintance averaged 9.4 points and a team-best 7.9 rebounds in his freshman season at Arizona State.
He recorded six double-doubles. He also tallied 63 blocked shots which was a school record for a freshman. He was among the national leaders in that category before being injured. He was named to the Big-12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive teams.
This is the second time Quaintance has committed to Kentucky. He requested a release from his letter of intent at Kentucky after John Calipari took the Arkansas coaching job last season. Quaintance later committed to Arizona State.
Former BYU coach Mark Pope led Kentucky to a Sweet 16 appearance this season in his first season in Lexington.
More: Another rotation player enters the portal: What does Arizona State basketball need to add?
"We always liked Kentucky," Haminn Quaintance, Jayden Quaintance's father, told ESPN Tuesday. "He was committed there before John Calipari left for Arkansas, which is the reason we ended up at Arizona State. We were always hoping they'd come back around and recruit him. It didn't make sense for Coach Pope last time, trying to take on one of Cal's guys, but this time it really felt like he wanted him to be there.
Jayden Quaintance was injured in a game at Kansas State on Feb. 23 and didn't play again.
Hammin Quaintance told ESPN earlier this month his son had successful surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee and should be cleared for next season.
Jayden Quaintance, who won't turn 18 until January, played in 24 games, missing a total of nine. He also missed games due to an ankle injury suffered in practice.
More: Arizona State falters down the stretch again in first-round Crown loss to Nebraska
Jayden Quaintance was the highest-ranked recruit the ASU program had landed and was considered a recruiting coup for Hurley. He was not eligible for the draft this year because of his age and was looked at as a potential lottery pick come 2026.
"Kentucky presented us with a very detailed plan for how they plan on bringing Jayden back with the trainers and how they want to use him once he's healthy," Hammin Quaintance told ESPN. "The way that they use their big men as offensive hubs, he really fits into that system. Jayden didn't want to go somewhere where he'd just be a screener. Coach Pope made him feel really good. They went really deep on the analytics, going into things most coaches don't even think of."
Michelle Gardner contributed to this story.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kentucky Wildcats basketball gets commitment from Jayden Quaintance
Continue reading...
Quaintance averaged 9.4 points and a team-best 7.9 rebounds in his freshman season at Arizona State.
He recorded six double-doubles. He also tallied 63 blocked shots which was a school record for a freshman. He was among the national leaders in that category before being injured. He was named to the Big-12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive teams.
This is the second time Quaintance has committed to Kentucky. He requested a release from his letter of intent at Kentucky after John Calipari took the Arkansas coaching job last season. Quaintance later committed to Arizona State.
Former BYU coach Mark Pope led Kentucky to a Sweet 16 appearance this season in his first season in Lexington.
More: Another rotation player enters the portal: What does Arizona State basketball need to add?
"We always liked Kentucky," Haminn Quaintance, Jayden Quaintance's father, told ESPN Tuesday. "He was committed there before John Calipari left for Arkansas, which is the reason we ended up at Arizona State. We were always hoping they'd come back around and recruit him. It didn't make sense for Coach Pope last time, trying to take on one of Cal's guys, but this time it really felt like he wanted him to be there.
Jayden Quaintance was injured in a game at Kansas State on Feb. 23 and didn't play again.
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Hammin Quaintance told ESPN earlier this month his son had successful surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee and should be cleared for next season.
Jayden Quaintance, who won't turn 18 until January, played in 24 games, missing a total of nine. He also missed games due to an ankle injury suffered in practice.
More: Arizona State falters down the stretch again in first-round Crown loss to Nebraska
Jayden Quaintance was the highest-ranked recruit the ASU program had landed and was considered a recruiting coup for Hurley. He was not eligible for the draft this year because of his age and was looked at as a potential lottery pick come 2026.
"Kentucky presented us with a very detailed plan for how they plan on bringing Jayden back with the trainers and how they want to use him once he's healthy," Hammin Quaintance told ESPN. "The way that they use their big men as offensive hubs, he really fits into that system. Jayden didn't want to go somewhere where he'd just be a screener. Coach Pope made him feel really good. They went really deep on the analytics, going into things most coaches don't even think of."
Michelle Gardner contributed to this story.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kentucky Wildcats basketball gets commitment from Jayden Quaintance
Continue reading...
