ASU lands commitment from five-star center Jayden Quaintance

TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State basketball surprised many on Monday when Jayden Quaintance announced he committed to ASU. Quaintance is a 6-foot-9, five-star prospect, and ranked No. 8 nationally and the No. 2 center in the country.

Quaintance is the highest-ranked recruit in Sun Devil basketball history, outranking James Harden and Josh Christopher.

The top-ranked center in North Carolina committed to Kentucky before de-committing when head coach John Calipari announced he was leaving to coach at Arkansas.

Quaintance is only 16 years old and will turn 17 in July, therefore he will not be eligible for the NBA draft until 2026.  ASU could have Quaintance for two full seasons before he declares for the NBA draft. The center has already been highly touted as a potential lottery pick in 2026.

Major commitment on a potential 2026 NBA Draft lottery pick: Jayden Quaintance – a 16-year old ranked as the No. 2 center in ESPN’s Top 100 prospects — will sign with the Arizona State Sun Devils, he tells ESPN. He recently de-committed from Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/5u8D0Vdd9p

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 29, 2024

Jayden Quaintance has experience despite his young age

Quaintance was the top available prospect in the country since he reclassified from 2025 to 2024. He grew up in Ohio and moved out to Arizona for high school before transferring to play at Word of God Christian Academy in North Carolina.

The McDonald’s All-American played on the East team in the all-star game on April 2, and played on U.S.A.’s FIBA U16 American Championship team in 2023 which defeated Canada 118-36. Quaintance averaged 6.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and a plus 18.5 when he was on the floor in the FIBA tournament.

Quaintance’s impact on ASU

With Quaintance’s commitment to ASU, he will rejoin sophomore center Shawn Phillips Jr. who he played with at Dream City Christian School. He also returns to Arizona where he began playing his high school career.

The Sun Devil’s 2024 recruiting class now features one five-star in Quaintance, two four-star prospects in Amier Ali and Sammie Yeanay, and two three-star prospects in Bo Aldridge and Jaden Smith. ASU ranks sixth nationally and second in the Big 12 in recruiting, per 247, and 13th nationally and fourth in the Big 12, per On3. The Sun Devil’s five commitments are the most of any Big 12 team.

The announcement of Quaintance’s commitment came just days after news broke about head coach Bobby Hurley working on a new docuseries to boost NIL and recognition of the ASU basketball program. Hurley has done an excellent job of bringing in talented recruits, but ASU will need to have the NIL available to keep the talent in Tempe for the future.

Regardless, Quaintance is a huge deal for Sun Devil basketball and should give fans a reason for positivity moving forward after a disappointing 2023-2024 season.

Thank you for reading Sun Devil Daily! Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with Arizona State news! For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at [email protected]. Also, make sure to check out the Sun Devil Daily shop for merchandise! Forks up!