One player that won’t be following John Calipari after his move from Kentucky to Arkansas is five-star forward Jayden Quaintance.
After signing with Kentucky in the fall and then requesting a release from his Letter of Intent when Calipari left for Arkansas earlier this month, many figured that the gifted forward would follow Coach Cal to Fayetteville. However, that’s not the case.
Sources close to the 6-foot-9 senior from Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God confirmed to 247Sports on Tuesday that Quaintance has eliminated the Razorbacks and will be looking to forge a new path in his reopened recruitment.
A 6-foot-9 senior forward who currently ranks No. 8 overall in the class of 2024, Quaintance had already seen his recruitment turn up. Now, things figure to get very interesting for the athletic forward who was named to the McDonald’s All-American, Jordan Brand and Nike Hoop Summit rosters.
Last week, Quaintance took an official visit to Louisville and he’s scheduled to begin an official visit to Memphis on Friday. Kentucky remains under consideration and head coach Mark Pope will be conducting an in home visit Tuesday afternoon. Other schools are looking to get involved as well but at this point no other visits have been set.
(editor’s note, Pope did not visit with Quaintance’s family on Tuesday as expected.)
It is important to note that because he is still only 16 years old, Quaintance will not be eligible for the NBA Draft until the summer of 2026 so whoever lands him is looking at getting two years out of the elite prospect.
Adam Finkelstein, 247Sports director of scouting, has provided this scouting report on Quaintance.
“Quaintance is one of the most naturally talented prospects in the country. He’s 6-foot-9 with massively long arms (7-foot-3-plus wingspan), vertical athleticism, a strong frame, good hands, soft touch, shooting potential, natural face-up skill, and signs of a passing instinct. He also runs the floor well and is a solid rebounder when he commits himself.
Offensively, he has all the natural tools to be a huge mismatch threat. He’s already a major lob and tip-dunk threat who dunks balls while still on his way up, and is equally dangerous out of the dunker spot. He’s intent on developing his shooting range and has the natural touch to do so, which will allow him to maximize floor-spacing in both directions. Consequently, he should be a very tough cover in ball-screen action, because he’s equally capable of rolling or popping. He can put the ball on the floor and attack opposing bigs off the dribble. He’s also a threat to out-run them from rim-to-rim and capable of both making tough catches in traffic and then absorbing contact. Long-term, he should even be someone who is difficult to double-team because of his natural passing ability.
Consistency and efficiency should be the primary objectives for Quaintance moving forward. His overall production can be streaky, often in correlation to his decision-making and shot-selection. He has a tendency to settle for jumpers and hasn’t yet fully grasped how his vast versatility should allow him easier shots, not tougher ones.
Defensively, his fundamentals, footwork, and overall awareness are going to need to be cleaned up, not unlike many talented youngsters, but there’s plenty of sheer tools to work with. His shot-blocking numbers were still solid during the recent grassroots season. He can close ground quickly for his size when closing out and also has the length and athleticism to stay in plays, even when getting caught in a bad angle.
He’s also extremely young for the class. He won’t turn 17 until July of 2024, meaning that while he reclassified up from his original graduating class of 2025, he is not one-and-done eligible in 2024 because of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement.”
