Story & Videos by: Rich Flanagan @richflanagan33
Photos by: La Salle Jr. Reporter Liam Turnbach
WYNDMOOR, PA – When watching Jalen Duren during warmups, one thing becomes immediately apparent to any bystander: the potential is there.
From his highlight reel dunks to his evolving mid-range jumper to his command of the basketball with his left hand during dribbling drills, he’s developing at a rapid rate and yet there’s still so much more that he can add to his game. Just the fact that he’s a 6-foot-9 freshman adds to the allure of what the first-year Roman Catholic forward displays every time he steps out on the floor. Duren has had the spotlight on him for some time.
Even before arriving at the corner of Broad & Vine, Duren was becoming a household name on the AAU circuit with the Team Final 15U squad and playing against some of the best prospects in the country. He was invited to participate in the MADE Hoops Middle School Academy and CP3 Rising Stars Camp, where participants have included three-time Philadelphia Catholic League First Team All-Catholic selection Quade Green (Neumann-Goretti), 2018 First Team All-Catholic Antwuan Butler (Cardinal O’Hara), Jared Bynum and Nate Pierre-Louis, who are now starters at St. Joseph’s and Temple, respectively.
After showing his prowess at those camps and in various tournaments while playing AAU, Duren was invited to the USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp in Colorado Springs, Colo. in October, joined by Cahillites teammate Justice Williams and Haverford School’s Jameel Brown. The camp consisted of some of the most talented players in the Class of 2022 and the young, big man relished every minute of it.
One of several big dunks for Roman Catholic freshman Jalen Duren:
“It was a great experience, especially coming from eight grade into my freshman year,” Duren said. “It was amazing learning everything from the best coaches in the country. I learned a lot.”
All of the competition against high-profile players sped up his development and increased his confidence for when he stepped onto the court alongside such dynamic players as Seth Lundy (Penn State), Hakim Hart (St. Joe’s) and Pa. All-State Class 6A First Team selection Lynn Greer III. He’s gelled with this nucleus, one which took home the PCL and PIAA 6A titles a year ago, and his performance on Friday night stood above the rest.
Duren posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds while adding two blocks in leading Roman Catholic to a 73-67 victory over La Salle to move into first place in the PCL. Playing against the La Salle frontcourt of 6-9 forward Zach Crisler, a Rice commit, and 6-7 forward Konrad Kiszka, a Princeton commit, Duren found multiple ways to score. He scored the first basket for Roman Catholic (15-4, 10-1 Philadelphia Catholic League) on a drop step on the baseline past Crisler. His only two baskets of the second quarter were both dunks: the first one a two-handed throwdown then an emphatic jam with his right hand, which gave the Cahillites a 31-26 lead with under three minutes left in the half. Going against skilled and accomplished upperclassmen like Crisler and Kiszka made Duren have one thing in mind from the tip.
“Dominate,” Duren said. “I don’t back down from a challenge. No matter how tall or big you are, just dominate. It’s always a mindset.”
Roman senior Hakim Hart corrals the loose ball then finds Duren for the alley-oop:
Hakim Hart hits an inside basket for the Cahillites:
Over his first three years, Matt Griffin has shown the ability to integrate freshmen into the fold, just as he did when Greer III (14 points, six rebounds, six assists) arrived in 2016. The Cahillite's head coach didn’t sugarcoat it when discussing about how good Duren is and will become.
“When the lights are on, he plays his best basketball,” Griffin said. “He’s grown tremendously over this year both on and off the court and I’m very proud of him. He’s a dominant force and he’s very strong. He plays really hard and has a good basketball IQ. I think he’s one of the best players in the country.”
Roman vs. La Salle - Photos by La Salle Jr. Reporter Liam Turnbach
Roman vs. La Salle - Photos by Liam Turnbach
After a first half where the Cahillites shot 16-for-24 from the floor, La Salle (17-2, 10-2) was still able to hang around and started to close the deficit in the third quarter. Allen Powell scored seven of his 19 points in that quarter. Kiszka, who had 18 points and eight boards, drove past Lundy and finished at the rim cut the lead to six. After miss by the Explorers’ Kahlil Diarrah (two points, three rebounds), Louie Wild saved the ball before it went out of bounds, Hart corralled it and found Duren sprinting down the floor for the alley-oop.
La Salle closed out the frame with an 11-2 run capped by the third of Jake Timby’s four three-pointers to take a one-point lead into the final quarter.
The last time Roman had a dominant post player prior to Duren’s arrival was Paul Newman (Bucknell) in 2016. He helped the Cahillites to two PCL and PIAA 4A crowns under former coach Chris McNesby, who was in attendance to watch Duren and his teammates. Another former Roman big has been a big help to Duren’s growth as a player: 1993 First Team All-Catholic and PCL champ Marc Jackson. Jackson, who played at Temple as well as nine years in the National Basketball Association including two with the Philadelphia 76ers, has been a guiding presence for the freshman.
“I had talks with Mark and trained with him a couple times,” Duren said. “They’ve brought in a few guys to come in to talk to me and mentor me since I’m a freshman coming into high school. It’s a big transition and I’ve spoken with a number of veterans and alumni.”
Kiszka hit two free throws to push the Explorers lead to three but Hart (21 points, seven rebounds) drilled a three-pointer to tie the game at 51-51 and Roman Catholic never trailed after that point. Later, Hart hit another trey to push the lead to five then he found Duren on the break for a slam on the ensuing possession. Two straight buckets from Greer III then two consecutive dunks by Duren finally put the exclamation point on a commanding win for the Cahillites, who moved one step closer to locking up the number one seed in the PCL playoffs.
La Salle head coach Mike McKee, playing against his alma mater for the first time, took note of Duren’s maturity as a freshman.
“He’s already so mature, which really helps,” McKee said. “You see the maturity and it’s part of what makes him such a great player as a freshman.”
A huge trey by La Salle's Jake Timby:
Nice move by La Salle's Zach Crisler on the inside past Duren:
Duren’s 19 points were a career-high and Griffin knows that each superb performance his big man has had this season has been followed by another spectacular one.
“I know what his goals are as a player and a person,” Griffin said. “He’s taking steps forward every day to improve. At the end of the day, you can’t rely on just your athleticism, height or wingspan; you have to continue to develop your full game. We’re trying to expand his game as well by making shots from the perimeter and as the days go on we’ll get to that point. I’m excited to see where he can go from here.”
Friday was Duren’s night to take over but it has been a season where one or even several players in Roman’s lineup have been able to get hot. He knows he’ll have another chance at a game like the one he had against La Salle but he’s happy knowing there’s an abundance of offensive production around him.
“We play very unselfish,” Duren said. “We don’t care who gets the points because we all want to win and we all hate losing. Whoever has the hot hand, that’s who we go with.”