One of the surprises of the 2024 recruiting cycle took place on Monday, when Arizona State landed five-star center Jayden Quaintance, a former Kentucky signee who was released form his letter of intent with UK following the school’s coaching change. Quaintance chose the Sun Devils over Missouri, Louisville and a long list of other programs including Arkansas, where former Kentucky head coach John Calipari now steers the ship.
Below, Rivals examines what The Sun Devils are getting in the five-star center as well as what the news means for an Arizona State program preparing to transition to the Big 12.
WHAT ARIZONA STATE IS GETTING
Quaintance is a unique prospect to say the least. 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. A menacing presence in the paint on both ends, he’ll look to expand his offensive game and become a more consistent shooter from outside of 10 feet down the road. For now, however, he’s a good bet to aggressively attempt to dunk anything he catches near the basket, which works out for him more often than not. The fact that the hyper-fluid Quaintance is one of the younger players in the 2024 class is a bonus when it comes to his long-term pro potential, as he won’t turn 18 until well after he’s enrolled at ASU and isn’t close to maxed out from a muscle or skill perspective as things stand.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE SUN DEVILS
One of the most important thing about Quaintance’s commitment is the fact that, barring a transfer, the Sun Devils will get two seasons out of the five-star center due to the fact that he will not satisfy the NBA's age requirement in time for the 2025 draft, meaning the earliest he could turn pro would be following the 2025-26 season. Maybe just as important, however, is that landing Quaintance signifies that the program is well-armed with NIL money and ready to swim in the deepest waters of the recruiting pool when it decides to do so. It will be interesting to see if the Sun Devils are able to recruit at this level going forward, as it has a major piece in place. Having Quaintance in the fold for two seasons should logically make it easier to bring in supplemental talent in the 2025 class.
