The recruiting process is now over for gifted Mountain Pointe High School 6-foot-9 senior post Jalen Graham. Graham went into the summer with no offers, and quickly became a hot commodity for many college programs around the country. Recently, he decided to end his college recruitment and give an early verbal pledge to a program in the West Coast Conference (WCC).
Rather than accept one of the bigger Division-I offers that he had on his list of schools, Graham chose to give a big commitment to Santa Clara University head coach Herb Sendek and his coaching staff - an excellent get for the Santa Clara staff.
Graham chose Santa Clara over other offers from numerous schools such as Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Nevada, Kansas State, Fresno State, Grand Canyon, Boise State and Weber State. While it seemed that Graham might wait late to make his college decision, now committed and ready to sign, Graham will now have the remainder of his senior year to improve his academics, which he has become very serious about over the past year, especially now after receiving so much recruiting attention this spring and summer.
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.
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, and, as he develops a strength and conditioning regiment, we will see this young man blossom.
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 and 3.4 blocks per/game.
Congratulations to Graham on this amazing accomplishment, and good luck to him in the future, as he continues to develop and is primed to have a big senior season for the Pride.
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.
