Jalen Jenkins commits to George Mason

Paul Hewitt and his staff got a verbal commitment from 6'7" small forward Jalen Jenkins over the weekend. Jenkins, a native of NYC, already knows current George Mason point guard Corey Edwards from his AAU team and chose the Patriots over Iona, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Temple, and Providence. 

Jenkins is often described as a versatile and athletic forward and resembles the template for that type of guys Paul Hewitt likes to have on his roster. He seems to have a ton of upside and is a labled as a hard worker on both ends of the court. Zach Braziller, who covers high school basketball for the NY Post says high majors were also after him:

"There were high major schools to inquire and show interest in Jenkins, he said, like Providence and Marquette, but he felt George Mason fit him like a glove."

Jenkins also seems to have a lot of potential and upside when you read what his coaches have to say about him:

"George Mason is getting a multidimensional player in Jenkins. A combo forward who can step out behind the 3-point line, score inside and distribute and lead a fastbreak, one Division I coach familiar with Jenkins said he has the “potential” to be an all-conference performer in the CAA."

For George Mason to play uptempo and fast they need players like this and it is easy to see what Hewitt likes about this kid. You can watch some video on Jenkins here, he's number #13 and his team is wearing the maroon jerseys. You can see he sometimes handles the ball and is a terrific passer. I like the way he gets up and down the court, especially for someone his size.

According to the report from Adam Zagoria, Jenkins may prep a year, which means he could actually be a 2013 recruit and wouldn't enroll at George Mason this fall. This would also be the program's last available scholarship, unless someone transfers or redshirts in the future. 

It's definitely an interesting move by the staff given the point guard and overall ball handling situation. Hewitt seemed to be scouting a ton of point guards and I wouldn't rule out seeing the staff still actively pursue one.