Top Hoops Prospect Jalen Duren Talks Starting and Finishing at the Top

Duren will play at Memphis next season after reclassifying from 2022 to 2021.

More than a year ago, Jalen Duren was given the proverbial top dog bull’s-eye that accompanies the country’s No. 1 player, and, by the end of the summer he’d not only maintained his standing, but also elevated it in many ways.

Duren managed to remain the most dominant post player in the country, regardless of class, despite playing alongside, arguably, the second most dominant post player in Dereck Lively.

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The culmination came last month when Duren led Team Final (Penn.) to the prestigious Nike Peach Jam title.

Jon Lopez/Nike

Three months prior he’d Montverde (Fla.) Academy to the GEICO Nationals title, averaging 17 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks a game.

Dominating is one thing, but elevating said dominance when they see you coming is quite another.

The question is obvious, but his matter-of-fact response is as simple as it is complex.

How?

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“It’s two things,” said Duren, who signed with Memphis earlier this month after reclassifying from 2022 to 2021. “Block it out and then work harder and try and get better than you were the day before. Do that every day.”

Duren won’t go as far as to say the appointment is meaningless, just that overthinking it can be the beginning of the end for an elite prospect.

“It comes, but it can go just as fast as you get it,” Duren said of being on top. “You can’t believe your own hype and get in your head about stuff. Just work. Without the work, you already lost. I’m definitely going to take the same mindset with me to Memphis. I know the work is just starting for me, I’m excited about the challenge.”