Top Kentucky basketball target could be making his decision much sooner than expected

The new No. 1 basketball recruit in the class of 2022 might not stay in that spot for long.

ZagsBlog.com reported Friday that Jalen Duren — a major Kentucky target — is expected to reclassify to 2021 later this summer and announce a decision on his basketball future then.

Duren — a 6-foot-10 center from Philadelphia — led Montverde Academy (Fla.) to a national championship this past season. He averaged 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game and was named the national junior of the year by MaxPreps.com.

After the season, Rivals.com moved Duren to the No. 1 spot in its 2022 rankings, ahead of Emoni Bates, who had long been considered the top overall prospect in the class. Bates, a former Michigan State commitment, has also been surrounded by speculation that he could ultimately reclassify to 2021, and he’s widely expected to skip college basketball and play professionally whenever his high school career ends.

That could also be the destination for Duren, who recently announced a list of options that included nine colleges and two professional routes: the NBA’s G League and the Australian-based National Basketball League.

The colleges on Duren’s list are Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, Memphis, Miami, Michigan, Penn State, UCLA and hometown Villanova.

The buzz in recruiting circles over the past few months has been that the pro route is the most likely path for Duren, and ZagsBlog reported Friday that the G League is offering a deal in excess of $1 million for him to play there next season. That league has already signed star recruits Jaden Hardy, Michael Foster and Scoota Henderson from the 2021 class.

If Duren does play college ball, Kentucky and Michigan had been seen as the most likely options. He’s expected to take an official visit to Lexington later this month. Memphis and Miami are also scheduled to host him for official visits this month.

The Herald-Leader was told Friday that the college path is indeed a realistic one for Duren and that Kentucky is in his top tier of schools. ESPN and 247Sports both reported Friday that no final decision has been made on reclassification.

Miami hired DJ Irving, who has ties to Duren’s former high school in Philadelphia and his NIke-affiliated travel team, as an assistant coach in April. Miami has also landed several star recruits from that Nike program, Team Final, over the past few years.

Team Final posted on social media Friday that Duren was still undecided on reclassification.

Duren was named the most valuable player of the star-studded Pangos All-American Camp earlier this week and will compete with Team Final next month in Nike league play. That squad, which also features Bates and five-star Kentucky target Dereck Lively, is viewed as the favorite to win this year’s Nike Peach Jam.

“The way that Jalen just sets himself apart, the way he commands double teams — his size and athletic combination is a rare thing. Not only in this class, but historically,” Rivals.com’s Rob Cassidy told the Herald-Leader. “A guy doesn’t come along like that every year. And the way he impacts the game when he’s not scoring — I think that’s another big thing. Even on his worst days, he still can control a game on the defensive end and on the glass. And that’s something that not a lot of guys in this class can do.”