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Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance was one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal this season. He announced in early April that he had committed to the Kentucky Wildcats.
Mark Pope's Wildcats have been working hard this offseason to improve their roster.
Quaintance, who is projected to be a top-five pick in the 2026 NBA draft, had a strong freshman season with the Sun Devils, averaging 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. However, he does not think he fully showcased his talents in his first college season.
On Tuesday's episode of the "Aaron Torres Podcast," Quaintance discussed his transfer to Kentucky.
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"I feel like I didn't really scratch the surface of all that I can do," Quaintance said. "I didn't feel like I got to show off how good I am as a passer, how good I am in transition, how good I am at actually handling the ball. I feel like I shot really poorly last year.
"I feel like I'm gonna have a lot better shooting year this year. So, it's a lot of tools I haven't got to show off this year and I'm really excited to show that off at this level."
Jayden Quaintance joins Kentucky a year after he decommitted from the team
In the 2024 recruiting cycle, Jayden Quaintance, a high-profile recruit, initially committed to the Kentucky Wildcats. However, he decommitted from the team after John Calipari left Kentucky to join the Arkansas Razorbacks. He is now committing to Kentucky again, a year later.
Quaintance's father, Haminn Quaintance, spoke about his decision to recommit to Kentucky last month.
"We always liked Kentucky," he told ESPN. "He was committed there before John Calipari left for Arkansas, which is the reason we ended up at Arizona State. We were always hoping they'd come back around and recruit him. It didn't make sense for Coach Pope last time, trying to take on one of Cal's guys, but this time it really felt like he wanted him to be there."
A big factor for Quaintance heading into next season is recovery from a season-ending ACL injury. He suffered the injury on Feb. 23 and had surgery on March 19. Quaintance is expected to be available to return to full contact six months after surgery.
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