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Making the Case: Top remaining senior Jalen Green

Jalen Green
Jalen Green (Rick Manahan/Prolific Prep)

The top undecided senior in the land and the No. 2 ranked player overall in the class of 2020, 6-foot-5 shooting guard Jalen Green hasn't yet indicated when he'll be making his final decision.

A native of Fresno, Calif. who played his senior season at Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep, Green has never released a list of finalists but has been appearing to focus on a group that includes hometown Fresno State, Auburn, Memphis, Oregon, USC and some others.

However, when it comes down to it, Bruce Pearl and Penny Hardaway's Tigers are considered to be well ahead of the pack and the most likely picks if Green decides to play in college. While, Green has continually downplayed the option of going overseas and playing professionally, that door hasn't been entirely shut so it's important to factor in.

With that in mind, we sought the opinions of experts from across the Rivals.com network as we make the case for Green.

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THE CASE FOR AUBURN

"Pearl has already secured the signature of the five-star point guard Sharife Cooper. If Pearl is to pull Green, Cooper will play a big part in it. The two top-20 recruits are friends, close friends. They’ve known each other for years, played against each other and have talked about playing together in college. Cooper is and has been trying to make that happen.

"The relationship with Cooper isn’t the only one playing an integral part in Auburn’s pursuit of Green. Assistant coach Ira Bowman is instrumental here, too. So is Pearl, who has taken a more active role in recruiting Green. When Green visited Auburn in September, Pearl was there nearly every step of the way. Green is a wanted man in Auburn and Pearl and staff, along with Cooper, have made sure he knows it.

"Will it be enough? That remains to be seen, but it has Auburn at or near the top when discussing Green's college destination." -- Jeffrey Lee, AuburnSports.com

THE CASE FOR MEMPHIS

"As of right now I have Jalen Green Futurecasted to Auburn and I still think playing abroad is a possibility for him. The family has stated time and time again that he would play D1 college basketball next season, but in a recent interview Jalen didn’t exactly close the door on that possibility.

"Despite having Green projected to Auburn and believing he could still possibly play overseas, this one is extremely close. Memphis is still very much in the picture. Green took his initial official as a junior. along with R.J. Hampton to Memphis last season. That shows you what he thinks of the program.

"Green is a no doubt one-and-done prospect. Who better to prepare him for the next level than two guys who have been there done that in Hardaway and assistant Mike Miller? They know how to prepare these guys for the next level because they know exactly what it takes.

"Another big feather in the cap of Memphis is style of play. The up-and-down NBA style offense that the Tigers run is perfect for the way Green plays the game. If you look at this year's team one of the biggest problems for them was scoring from the guard position and Green would definitely solidify that.

"Lastly, Green’s game and body type just scream young Hardaway. Penny was also a big athletic guard who could handle the basketball. I think there is a lot that coach Hardaway could teach him seeing the similarities in the way Jalen sees and approaches the game."

-- Isaac Simpson, TigerSportsReport.com

THE VERDICT

"I've said before that because Green and his family have gone so far out of their way to diffuse talk about him potentially ending up overseas, that we owe it to them to take them at their word and expect him to play college ball. But, we are currently living in a pretty wild time with much uncertainty. If Green can secure a big paycheck to go overseas, then nobody should blame him or give him a hard time.

"But, I do believe he ends up playing college ball next year and as we near the end of his senior season I feel that more and more signs are pointing positively in Auburn's direction.

"Memphis has always been quite strong with Green and there is undoubtedly a strong connection to Hardaway and Miller. But, there are also a lot of questions surrounding the Memphis program right now while they are in the NCAA's crosshairs.

"Auburn isn't without their own fair share of scrutiny after getting caught up in the FBI's trial on college corruption, but so far they seem to be surviving and their recruiting hasn't been negatively impacted in any way.

"I've still got time to change my mind -- again -- on this one, but as of today I'm seeing Auburn as Green's most likely destination." -- Eric Bossi, Rivals.com, National Basketball Analyst

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