5-star '24 C Jayden Quaintance includes Kentucky in final four

Jayden Quaintance is inching closer to a final decision. On Monday night, the five-star center announced that he’s down to just four college options — and one of them is Kentucky.

Along with the Wildcats, Quaintance is considering Florida, Ohio State, and Missouri, according to On3’s Joe Tipton, who also reports that the G League Ignite is no longer in the running. The 6-foot-10 big man reclassified from the class of 2025 to 2024, meaning the 16-year-old will need to spend at least two years at the post-high school level before making the leap to the NBA.

The On3 Industry Ranking considers Quaintance as the No. 8 overall high school senior in the country. He took an official visit to Kentucky in late October during the program’s first exhibition matchup of the preseason against Georgetown College. Quaintance has taken official visits to all four of his finalists.

“They have had a lot of success with previous draft picks. They’ve had guard success, but they’ve had good success with bigs, a lot more than other colleges,” Quaintance previously told On3 about Kentucky. “Coach (John) Calipari has been showing a lot of love, and Coach Chin (Coleman), too. Coach Cal has already come to Word of God twice to see me. We’ve been able to build a good relationship.”

NEWS: 2024 Top-10 prospect Jayden Quaintance is down to four schools and will no longer consider the G-League Ignite pathway, per his coach.

The 16-year-old must complete two years of college before being NBA Draft eligible in 2026.

Story: https://t.co/Qvh1plGEY0 pic.twitter.com/yCM4egK7cO

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) November 6, 2023

Quaintance is arguably the top remaining available prospect on Kentucky’s Big Board. The Wildcats also have eyes on the likes of five-star SG VJ Edgecombe, five-star SF Karter Knox, four-star SF Billy Richmond, and four-star PG Travis Perry from the class of 2024, but Quaintance stands above the rest as John Calipari’s top target. UK currently has two commits locked in with four-star PG Boogie Fland and four-star C Somto Cyril.

Although the G League has been cut from consideration at this time, the possibility of joining the NBA’s developmental program could resurface down the road. Recruiting insider Andrew Slater posted on social media shortly after news of Quaintance’s final four broke that he “Wouldn’t rule out (Quaintance) doing the first year at a college program & the second year with Ignite.”

On3 national recruiting insider Jamie Shaw reported on Monday morning that the two schools to watch for Quaintance are Kentucky and Missouri. At this time, no commitment date has been set. The Early Signing Period starts on Wednesday, November 8th, and will run through November 15th.

“Freedom in the playing style is the big thing for me,” Quaintance told On3 about what he’s looking for in a school. “Getting minutes early, trusting me out on the floor and in the offense, giving me a chance to flourish and a chance to develop. I have good relationships with all the coaches, so I won’t really be choosing off that. My decision has got to be about business and what situation gives me the best chance. It’s great to have a good relationship with your coaches, and I have that with all these coaches. But, it all has to make sense from a basketball standpoint.”

Quaintance currently plays for Word of God Christian Academy, which is a part of the Overtime Elite league this season. The versatile big man has already played two games for the Holy Rams in 2023-24. Although his team lost both contests, Quaintance went for 23 points (9-15 FG), eight rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 32 minutes on Nov. 3 before recording 14 points (5-15 FG), nine rebounds, three assists, four steals, and four blocks in 36 minutes one day later.