After recently opening up his college recruitment after de-committing from Santa Clara University, Mountain Pointe High School's 6-foot-9 senior post Jalen Graham has found a new college home - giving a verbal commitment to Head Coach Bob Hurley and the rising Arizona State Sun Devils.
The commitment and future signing of Graham is a big one for the Sun Devils, as Graham is a top-rated local product that has seen his college recruitment soar over the last (6) months, as he has become one of the elite 2019 post prospects in the West and even the country. Graham is coming off an excellent showing this spring and summer, and has had a big senior season in the state. His dominant performance recently in his team's big win over Pinnacle High School, with two Arizona State assistants in attendance sealed the deal this fall.
The lure to stay home and play for the surging Sun Devils program became too much to pass up for Graham and his family, and he decided to give a pledge to Arizona State before the late, spring signing period.
Graham went into the summer with no offers, and quickly became a hot commodity for many college programs around the country. Graham formerly chose Santa Clara over offers from numerous schools such as Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Nevada, Kansas State, Fresno State, Grand Canyon, Boise State and Weber State. After re-opening his college recruitment and having each of these schools begin to re-recruit him, the Sun Devils made the strongest case for Graham quickly in his new recruiting process.
Graham received honors this summer while traveling with a loaded and heavily-Nike sponsored Team Why Not club program, as he was selected as the Nike Peach Jam Defensive Player of the Tournament - an amazing honor for Graham. Graham helped lead Team Why Not to a runner-up finish at this year's Nike Peach Jam on national television - catching the attention of many college coaches in attendance and watching on television. As a result, Graham became one of the hottest sleeper prospects in America. No prospect in Arizona's talented 2019 class of rising senior prospects saw their college recruitment soar more this summer, and he has seen the most dramatic rise in our player rankings for the 2019 Class in the state.
Graham is a true gem - a prospect with loads of upside and potential for the future. He blossomed into a high-major division-I recruit over the past several months, and saw his stock rise more than any other prospect in the state of Arizona. As much as we have ever seen. Graham is a lengthy and athletic post prospect that will only continue to improve a great deal over time.
Graham helped lead his Mountain Pointe team to one of the best high school seasons in the state last season (26-4), and a 6A State Championship runner-up finish - averaging 11 points, 9.1 rebounds and3.4 blocks per/game.
Congratulations to Graham and his family from our staff on this amazing commitment, which is a nice fit for the talented post prospect. He is a nice prospect to land for the ASU program, as he has unlimited potential as a player , and fits the defensive mentality of the Sun Devils' program.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Jalen Graham is among the top sleeper prospects in America in the nation's 2019 Class. A long, lengthy and athletic post prospect, Graham is a nice developing prospect that has as much upside as anyone in the country. Graham has a very long wingspan that allows him to block or change shots consistently and at a high level. His rangy body allows him also to finish plays around the paint that most players cannot. Graham has a good jump hook but is still raw offensively. He does possesses excellent footwork and also runs the floor very well and is an excellent finisher around the basket. Has a soft touch from the perimeter but needs consistency to improve the range on his stroke. An active and very good rebounder. A good passer that sees the floor and is unselfish. Has a bright future.
