Former Arizona State basketball 5-star recruit hits transfer portal after ACL injury
Yesterday at 05:10 PM
After a tumultuous Arizona State basketball season, former 5-star recruit Jayden Quaintance will explore the transfer portal following an ACL injury, according to Draft Express.
He sustained the injury at the end of the regular season. Before then, he averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. As a true freshman, he made the All-Big 12 defensive team.
Coming in as a 17-year-old, Quaintance showed his maturity and natural defensive instincts. For an underclassman, he was one of the best at playing straight up.
He was never easily bated into fouls. After Quaintance committed to Arizona State basketball, he is set to hit the portal. Plenty of teams would like to have the star freshman on their team.
His offensive game expanded to the free-throw line. Still, his athleticism was a major advantage for the Sun Devils. He could play above the rim but had more than enough physicality to play bully-ball in the paint.
Even though Arizona State basketball brought back Bobby Hurley as their head coach, it wasn’t enough to keep Quaintance. Although the latter can return to the program, plenty of more elite D-I schools will pursue him.
More NIL incentives, a more expanded role, and more national exposure could help convince the 5-star to leave Tempe.
Jayden Quaintance leaves Arizona State basketball for transfer portal
For Quaintance, it might’ve been a matter of time before he transferred. Although Hurley is a masterful evaluator of high school talent, implementing that talent has been an issue.
Guys like Jamiya Neal, Remy Martin, and DJ Horne were all former players under Hurley. They hit the portal and became immediate contributors to their respective teams. If Quaintance leaves, he can likely join those players.
No matter what, it comes as another significant blow to the university. Since joining the Big 12, things have not gone well in Tempe. Although the conference is more competitive than the Pac-12, there is a clear disadvantage.
Recruiting is much better for schools like Houston and Kansas. They can offer more NIL money to Quaintance, but most importantly, entertain him with an opportunity to win.
With whatever happens, the Quaintance experiment in Tempe might’ve come to a screeching halt. If things don’t change for Arizona State basketball, recruits might not want to go there at all.
This could be the tip of the iceberg for a mediocre basketball program, searching for its shot of relevancy once again. Since the 2022 season, there has been a major regression.
If it keeps trending that way, a complete teardown could be on the horizon.
The post Former Arizona State basketball 5-star recruit hits transfer portal after ACL injury appeared first on ClutchPoints.
