Jayden Quaintance may only be five games into his collegiate career, but the 17-year-old freshman forward continues to impress early this season for Arizona State.
Quaintance had a season-high 13 points on Sunday night as the Sun Devils defeated St. Thomas 81-66 at Desert Financial Arena. He also finished with a season-high 14 rebounds in the game as ASU improved to 4-1 overall.
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“Playing with more confidence has been the biggest part,” Quaintance said. “Trying to get to the next level and playing with more patience has been the main focus. Slowing down has been a big adjustment for me.”
The 6-foot-9-inch forward recorded seven rebounds in the first half and had the second-highest scoring total on the team as ASU went into halftime with a 10-point lead. Quaintance passed his previous season-high scoring performance (9) with eight minutes remaining in the game with a 2-point jumper.
With just five collegiate games under his belt, Quaintance has shown tremendous defensive instincts despite his youth.
“Defensively, I work on getting my feet down quicker,” Quaintance said. “Defense always came naturally to me because I’ve played it all my life so I got great defensive instincts.”
That defensive development is best exemplified by the freshman’s team-leading 17 blocks.
“I’ve got a 7-foot-4-inch wingspan, which also helps on defense,” Quiantance said with a smile.
The youngster’s performance on Sunday night caught the attention of ASU head coach Bobby Hurley, who continued to praise his top recruit as the season carries on.
“We found a way to get [Quaintance] some easy baskets,” Hurley said in his postgame interview. “Besides the points, I loved how he went to the glass and rebounded for us. His normal defense is what I’m used to seeing.”
ASU takes on Cal Poly on Wednesday at 7 p.m., where Quaintance and Hurley will be looking for a third straight win.
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