Five-star PG Jalen Lecque discusses NBA options, recruiting
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The topic of reclassification has been a hot button issue of late and with Jalen Lecque, the stakes are raised even higher thanks to his national standing. A member of the 2019 class, Lecque is competing in the United States under-18 trials this weekend.
A five-star guard that popped out of relative obscurity last summer, Lecque has become one of the most watched prospects nationally.
“Last year, I had to make a statement for myself since I wasn’t expected to score that many points so I had to do what I had to,” he said. ‘Now, everybody is watching me and everybody is gearing towards stopping me so I just have to adjust to it. This spring, it was a pretty good success towards the end and it is better now since I am in that point guard spot.”
While Lecque is known for his explosiveness and entertaining style of play, he could also become one of the few to jump directly into the NBA, that is as long as he remains in the 2019 class.
“It is a good idea,” he said. “I have to talk it over with my parents and just get bigger physically and just fill out. If I feel like I am good enough next year and my body gets bigger and stronger, and I get better at the point guard position, you just never know.”
Meeting the appropriate grade and age restrictions as a class of 2019 prospect, Lecque will be keeping tabs on Anfernee Simons in the weeks ahead, someone that decided to take a similar leap into the NBA.
“I just feel like it was a great move for him," he said. "I believe that his game is going to translate to the NBA since he is an open floor guy, he can shoot the basketball and is a versatile player. It was a good option for him to go there.”
While he could change plans and enroll in college this fall, Lecque is leaning toward remaining in 2019.
“I am, as of right now, 90 percent sure I am staying in 2019 just because I was never put into the position to be a point guard so I had to make that transition to that spot and learn what I have to do to be dominant at it,” he said. “It is more about being in the right spot and at the right moment. I don’t want to waste a year at a college if I wasn’t going to play as much. I want to go somewhere that I would come out and play and be able to fight through my mistakes and grow as a player.”
Suitors will not be lacking.
“NC State, Tennessee, Wake Forest, Kansas, Kentucky and Duke,” he said regarding schools in the mix. “All of the schools I would like to see, including Tennessee, Oregon, Kentucky, Duke and NC State pretty much.”