Aztecs head basketball coach Steve Fisher landed another solid recruit. Jalen McDaniels is officially coming to Montezuma Mesa.
McDaniels signed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday. A 6-9, 195-pound forward from Federal Way, WA, McDaniels is a four-star talent according to most recruiting services. He’s regarded as one of the top-25 power forwards in the class of 2016.
He averaged 11 points and 7.5 rebounds as a junior, helping Federal Way High School win the Washington State 4A State Championship.
“We are very excited about Jalen McDaniels,” Fisher said in a statement. “He is a tremendous young man, who will be a great addition to San Diego State University. He is a conscientious student and a very versatile player, who can play all over the floor at 6-9. We are adding another quality person, who is an outstanding basketball player to the program. We are thrilled to have him.”
McDaniels will play his senior year in high school and be on campus at SDSU for the 2016-17 season. When he gets to San Diego he’ll have a lot of very talented company. Three players are already sitting out this season; Montaque Gill-Caesar, Max Hoetzel and Nolan Narain. Gill-Caesar and Hoetzel will be eligible to compete as redshirt sophomores following their transfer from Missouri and Indiana, respectively. Narain, meanwhile, will be a redshirt freshman in 2016-17.
McDaniels could be a redshirt candidate, as well. Many scouts think he needs to add a bit of bulk to his frame to blossom at the NCAA level.
