2024 5-Star Center Jayden Quaintance 'Intends to Play Both Years at Kentucky'
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Jayden Quaintance, the No. 8 overall player in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking, announced his commitment to Kentucky on Tuesday, which is significant for multiple reasons. One, Quaintance gives Kentucky the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the nation for 2024. And two, Quaintance just turned 16 in July, meaning he’s likely not eligible until the 2026 NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-10, 225-pound center from Word of God (Raleigh, NC) Christian Academy told On3’s Jamie Shaw that he’s “not 100 percent sure,” but “pretty sure” he’ll have to do two years after high school before entering the NBA Draft.
“I’ll probably stick with Kentucky, seeing all things go well,” Quaintance said. “If everything goes how it’s supposed to go, I intend to play both years at the University of Kentucky.”
A ‘Very Close’ Battle Between Kentucky and Missouri
Jayden Quaintance had a whole list of schools vying for his services, but by the end, two stood above the rest: Kentucky and Missouri.
“It was very close,” Quaintance said. “It was like yesterday [that I decided]. Coach [Dennis] Gates wanted me all summer. I really appreciate all the time that they had. I appreciated the visit. It was a really tough decision, but I think I made the right choice.”
For Quaintance, the final piece came down to the security that comes with going to Kentucky.
“They have so many people that have done it from there,” he said. “If I was at Mizzou, it’s like his second year. No disrespect, I think he’s going to be a great coach, but you don’t really want to experiment with your career. It’s safer, to be honest.”
With the recruiting process behind him, Quaintance is relieved to move on to the season.
“I’m just getting back to focus on basketball, work on team-building, work on finishing this season out and getting some wins,” he said.
Jayden Quaintance Breaks Down Kentucky’s 2024 Recruiting Class
Jayden Quaintance is the highest-rated recruit in Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class, but he’s set to play alongside several highly-ranked prospects. One of those is four-star guard Boogie Fland, whom Quaintance had the opportunity to meet at the Nike World Basketball Festival in New York City in September.
“[Boogie’s team] ended up beating us in the championship,” Quaintance said. “I know how good a shooter he is, how quick he is, and just working on being able to guard all positions. It’s going to be fun working with him and playing with him next year.”
Quaintance said that Fland reached out to him on Instagram and was active in his comments section.
“He was trying to nudge me to Kentucky, so that was cool,” Quaintance said. “He was there for sure.”
Next, there’s Somto Cyril, who will share the frontcourt with Quaintance next season.
“He’s also a big,” Quaintance said. “He’s a good interior guy. I’m working on playing against bigger, stronger opponents, so that’s going to be fun too.”
Lastly, Quaintance talked about Travis Perry, who committed on Sunday.
“He’s going to be a good fit,” he said.
Kentucky still has several other targets in the 2024 class, but Quaintance hasn’t started to recruit just yet.
“I haven’t talked to any of them yet,” he said.
Spending Time with Family on His Official Visit
Jayden Quaintance took his official visit to Kentucky from October 27-29, going up to Lexington with his whole family.
“Spending time with my family was probably the best part just because they didn’t get to go on all the visits,” he said. “It was fun getting to drive up with them and see some of the stuff. They were there for the pictures and things of that nature.”
Quaintance also got to spend time with head coach John Calipari.
“It was fun having family up there, meeting the coaching staff, talking to Calipari and doing all the dinners, going to the football game,” he said. “It was a good experience.”
Quaintance got the opportunity to attend Kentucky Football’s game against Tennessee on Saturday night, calling it a “competitive game.”
“We only stayed for the first half, but the energy was crazy at the football game,” he said. “That was fun for sure. I also got to see a scrimmage against a high-level D2 team. That was fun, just to see their play style in person, which I didn’t get to do for any other colleges. That was big for sure.”
Then there’s the question of the cookie cake. When Quaintance was on his official visit, he posted a photo of the spread given by the UK staff, including a not-so-appealing cookie cake.
While the cookie cake became a big topic on social media, it wasn’t anything Quaintance thought about.
“The cookie cake? I didn’t hear anything about the cookie cake,” he said. “I didn’t get to see too much of that, to be honest. Me and my brother ended up sharing that. It was cool. We only took one side though. I don’t know about the other one.”
Jayden Quaintance Next in The Line of Historic Kentucky Bigs
If Jayden Quaintance had to use one word to describe his game, it would be versatile.
“I can do everything defensively,” he said. “I block shots. I’m working on affecting passing lanes. I can cover all positions. I’m good at contesting threes, contesting shots in the paint. I can move anybody.”
Offensively, he says his game is still growing.
“I can get to the paint,” Quaintance said. “I can play off the pick-and-roll, I can pop, I can shoot threes, and I feel like I can do everything.”
As for his fit at Kentucky, Quaintance values playing freely.
“I just want freedom in the offense, being able to play at the wing, being able to create off the elbow, being able to create in the post, and show off everything I can do, show off my versatility,” he said.
Quaintance joins a long list of great bigs to commit to Kentucky, including NBA players Willie Cauley-Stein, Karl-Anthony Towns, and DeMarcus Cousins.
“That was definitely a big part, seeing other people there that have done it,” Quaintance said. “It just feels like extra security, knowing you can do it. Once you see other people doing it, it just feels more real.”
Quaintance said that at Kentucky, the coaches know what it takes.
“They know the track that you’re on. They’ve seen those guys in practice every day for the time they were there,” he said. “They know what you’re supposed to be doing. If you’re not, they can help correct you on things that may be important that they value at the next level.”
