TigerIllustrated.com recently hit the AAU circuit to check in with a number of Clemson’s basketball recruiting targets.
In the first installment of this series, we take a look at Orlando (Fla.) West Oak Academy wing De’Riante Jenkins.
PROFILE
Height: 6-5
Weight: 180
Rivals ranking: No. 63 nationally
Offers: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Jenkins, with Duke’s Nate James and Wake Forest’s Steve Woodberry among others watching.
RECRUITING BUZZ
Jenkins began his prep career at Santee (S.C.) Lake Marion before transferring to spend his senior season at West Oaks and gain more exposure in the basketball recruiting world. Well, it worked, having continually risen in the rankings – including last week’s jump to No. 63 overall.
His offer sheet might not be voluminous, but he’s attracted increasing high-major attention as the spring and summer have unfolded.
In addition to his offers, Texas, South Carolina, Connecticut, Tennessee and Providence have gotten prominently involved of late. UConn has tried to coax Jenkins to reclassify back into the 2015 class.
Clemson eclipsed a few power conference programs as his highest profile offer in December and has forged a favorable rapport since, attracting him for at least two unofficial visits.
He is No. 1 on the Tigers’ board for perimeter targets, and there is confidence Clemson is in strong shape as the frontrunner. Brad Brownell is believed to have been present for all of Jenkins’ games at the adidas Uprising tournament last weekend in Suwanee, Ga.
The sharks loom, and Jenkins’ forthcoming decision on a prep school is an important development to monitor as we have reported. Should he matriculate to Hargrave (Va.) Academy, the Tigers are in favorable position; there is plenty of goodwill from how they handled the recruitment of rising sophomore forward Donte Grantham. Should Jenkins choose Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy, there will be a lot more work to do.
Clemson owns the longest and strongest relationships, a track record with Lake Marion guys, and Jenkins’ late father was a Tigers fan. The Tigers appear strong bets to net an official visit and will try to close the deal there.
FILM ROOM
TI SPOTLIGHT
After last season, Clemson has placed a heavy philosophical emphasis on targeting players who can penetrate and break down a defense – and that showed in the additions of transfer guards Shelton Mitchell and Marcquise Reed.
You can see that influence with their interest in Jenkins, a slasher who is looking foremost to attack the basket. He’s not a Sindarius Thornwell who puts his head down and draws a ton of shooting fouls, but he likewise demonstrates the ability to knife his way into the lane off the dribble using either hand.
Jenkins is a more capable outside shooter, although it’s an unbalanced shot dependent as much on timing and rhythm. He likes to stagger his feet and uses a bit of an upper body recline to create space for his release.
He is a willing passer who displays good vision when in traffic. Defensively he could stand to add strength, but he’s more engaged than a lot of the upper-crust wing prospects we watched last week.
In 10 games on the adidas Gauntlet circuit this spring and summer, he averaged 16.2 points on 49 percent shooting (25.9 percent from 3, 75.1 percent free throw). He also averaged 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.1 turnovers per contest.
The game we witnessed didn’t exactly provide a fair representation by which to judge in some areas. We saw him in the final consolation game during which his already talent-deprived team was down to a total of five players (no substitutes), and everyone in the building knew they were going to be toast (and they were, trailing 37-12 by halftime).
We could see Jenkins being the 3-man of Clemson’s future, with Grantham filling out into Jaron Blossomgame’s replacement as the 4.
QUOTABLE
“There are multiple schools I talk to almost every day. My recruiting is picking up pretty heavily. A lot of them are coming. Tennessee is on me hard. Missouri is now. Indiana, Texas and Clemson have been on me since the spring. LSU and UConn have come into the picture. I saw Providence’s coach, and they’re recruiting me as a point guard since Kris Dunn is going into the draft. It’s only getting muddier. I’m just being patient with it. Finding a prep school is item No. 1.”
“Once I get into my prep school, I’ll start narrowing it down for what schools I will visit. Most schools that ask me what prep school I’m going to, they try to introduce me to more prep schools. I’m going to take my officials in the fall.”
“Clemson stands pretty good. They’ve been recruiting me for the longest. I’m pretty familiar with the staff. It’s in South Carolina, so that stands out. But going away from home doesn’t really matter that much because my family will support me wherever I go. Right now it’s just finding what schools I’ll fit into.”
“Since they’ve been recruiting me the longest, they’ve gotten involved with my family and all that. They have seen me play since I was in middle school and a nobody. They told me back then to just play hard and work to improve my game. Once I did that, they offered me and we talk a lot. Me and coach (Steve) Smith have a good relationship, and we talk almost every day. He makes me laugh all the time.”
GALLERY
Brad Brownell chats with Virginia’s Tony Bennett during Jenkins’ game.
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