2022 PG Jayden Lemond talks Connecticut, Auburn, others
The 2022 class still has its fair share of emerging prospects, and 6-foot-4 point guard Jayden Lemond certainly fits the bill. Lemond, who plays for New Jersey’s Englewood High School and the loaded PSA Cardinals grassroots organization, holds a handful of scholarship offers and is starting to see additional high majors kick the tires on his recruitment.
This week, Lemond participated in a zoom call with the Connecticut coaching staff. He details that conversation and discusses which other schools are in the mix below.
ON WEDNESDAY’S ZOOM CALL WITH UCONN
“It was good. It was with coach [Dan] Hurley, Coach Kimani [Young] and Coach [Kevin] Freeman. It was great -- went well.”
ON THE CONVERSATION
“They said they like me a lot. They said I can shoot the ball well and they know I’m a guy that wants to work hard. They say I’m the type of guy they are looking for and I’m somebody that can fit well with guards that they already have as well as with some guys that are already committed there.”
ON WHAT HE HOPES TO SEE ON A POSSIBLE POST-COVID VISIT TO UCONN
“I want to see how the coaches are with the players. I want to see their coaching style. I want to watch and see what kind of drills they do and what kind of sets they run. I want to see all the things that go into their gameplay.”
ON HOW HE FITS THE UCONN SYSTEM
“They talked to me about how they let the guards do what they want as long as they guard. That’s a style I think can benefit me a lot. I like to play defense, but on offense I’m a playmaker and can do all the things they need me to do.”
ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UCONN STAFF
“That was the first big call with the staff for me. I’ve talked to Coach Kimani before, but that was it. This was the first big conversation with all of them. They gave me the full rundown and showed me a lot of the videos they have. The one they had with them going back to the big east was pretty dope,”
ON OTHER SCHOOLS IN THE MIX
“Coach [Ira] Bowman from Auburn talks to me pretty much every day. He likes to check up on me. I talk to the staff and Vanderbilt a lot. And, then, Michigan talks to me a lot.”
ON AUBURN
“They tell me that I’m a guard that can do everything. That’s what they see in me. They have guys like Sharife [Cooper], obviously, but that’s what they see in me -- they see a guy that can make the guys they have better. That’s what they like.”
ON VANDERBILT
“Coach [Jerry] Stackhouse is a great coach and I know they have other great guards there that came before. They had Darius Garland and now they have Scottie Pippin Jr, so I have gotten to watch those guys.”
ON MICHIGAN
“They really doesn't see a ceiling for me. They say my game can go beyond expectations as long as I’m willing to put the work in, and I am definitely willing to do that. I still don't have that offer, but they are talking to me a lot so maybe it’s coming.”
ON OFFERS HE WANTS TO OBTAIN IN THE FUTURE
“Vanderbilt and Michigan for sure. Then maybe some Pac 12 schools, like Oregon or UCLA. I’d like to have those two. I like out west. Not just the life out there, but how they play. I grew up watching Lonzo [Ball], and watching him at UCLA was something I was into.”
RIVALS REACTION: Lemond liked what he heard from the Huskies’ staff, and it seems as though Dan Hurley’s program is a safe bet to be involved until the end. It’s much too early to make any sort of solid prediction on where the emerging prospect will land when all is said and done. There are likely more offers in store for Lemond, so his recruitment won’t take real shape until after his junior season.