Duren dunked for a slam in the win. (0:20)
Duren will enter the NBA draft in 2022, he said.
Duren said that he would enter the NBA draft and sign with agent Chafie Fields.
Duren was named the Freshman of the Year and First-team All-AAC after he averaged 12.0 points, 8.1 rebound, 2.1 blocks and 25 minutes.
Duren said that going to Memphis was enjoyable. Making the NCAA tournament and playing in front of millions of people. Huge game atmospheres. I learned a lot and it helped me grow. We dealt with a lot of injuries, but we couldn't get the chemistry right on the court. It helped the team and my game when we got everyone back. I began to understand the game better. Help defenses. The opponents were guarding me. I noticed that as the season went on, I was able to do a lot more.
Duren burst onto NBA radar screens as a 15-year old when he was a member of the USA Basketball team that won a gold medal at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Brazil.
Duren was the top recruit in his class when he decided to graduate early and enroll at Memphis, two weeks after leading Team Final to a Nike EYBL championship. Montverde won a high school championship at the Geico Nationals.
Duren said that he has always been big on development. At the point in high school where I wanted a bigger challenge, I wanted to compete against older guys. We won a lot and there was nothing I could do to get out of there.
As a 17-year-old, Duren was playing his first game in college and Memphis was off to a slow start. He played a major role in the revival, winning 12 of the next 13 games to surge into the postseason, where Memphis lost a close game in the Round of 32 to Gonzaga, with Duren hobbled by foul trouble.
He said that the coaches at Memphis helped him develop in a lot of different ways. The coaching staff is made up of people who have been in the NBA. The amount of NBA knowledge on the staff was appealing to me, and helped my development, as my goal was to go to college. It was a great move for me.
Duren's combination of physical tools, power, explosiveness and budding skill made him a top 10 draft pick. Duren was a major force inside the paint on both ends of the floor for Memphis, be it crashing the glass, protecting the rim or finishing ferociously around the basket, giving him a ready-made role for early in his NBA career. He has a lot of upside because he shows a glimpse of court vision, passing and shooting range.
He said he was looking forward to showing NBA people how much better he had gotten with his skill level and what his game really was with his touch around the basket and shooting the ball. I like to win. I will do whatever it takes to get the W.
Duren is studying NBA players tendencies to help him transition to the next level.
A guy like Evan Mobley brought size, length, and mobility to the team. I want to be that kind of guy early on. He said that he studies guys like Adebayo and Jokic. My game is in line with that. I can guard from 1 to 5. Pick and rolls can be read by Hedge and switch on ball screens. I have developed all those things very well. I enjoy watching KD, KD, KD.
The NBA draft combine will take place in Chicago in May and the draft will take place in New York in June.
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