Tennessee’s basketball team only has one scholarship to give out for their 2018 class. They’re understandably being picky with who they offer in this current recruiting cycle, and they’re going after some highly-rated prospects in the class with just a couple weeks left till signing day. The Vols have more scholarships to play with in the 2019 class, and they’re pursuing elite talent there as well.
According to Andrew Slater of 247Sports, Tennessee’s coaches were in to visit five-star combo guard Jalen Lecque in the 2019 class on Wednesday. They were joined by TCU’s coaches as well.
#Tennessee & #TCU will be in to see 5 ⭐ Jalen Lecque @jalenlecque10 of @ChristSchoolBB & @NYRhoops pic.twitter.com/xJI5sZlrfF
— Andrew Slater (@Andrew__Slater) March 22, 2018
Lecque is the No. 12 overall player in the 2019 class and No. 2 combo guard guard in the class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He holds offers from nearly three dozen schools, including Villanova, UConn, Texas, Syracuse, Providence, Georgetown, Miami, Florida, Alabama, Auburn, and many others.
Tennessee has been in play with the talented guard from Arden, North Carolina for a while. They offered him during the summer of last year, and UT’s coaches visited him in November of 2017. He also unofficially visited the Vols on January 6th during their 76-65 victory over Kentucky in a sold out Thompson-Boling Arena.
It’s also worth noting that Lecque has discussed reclassifying to the 2018 class, but those talks were back in December and January. He’s still listed as the class of 2019 with a couple weeks left till signing day (April 11th) in the 2018 class.
At 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, Lecque has the frame and long arms that should make him fit in perfectly as a two-guard in most collegiate systems. But he has skills of a point guard too.
Lecque’s highlight film from his junior season shows off his freak athleticism. He’s an extremely talented player who skies for dunks, drives in the lane consistently, and has a smooth stroke on his jumpers. He can play some defense too, using his long arms and exceptional jumping skills to be a pain to other guards.
According to D1Circuit.com, Lecque averaged 18.1 points, four rebounds, 1.3 assists, and shot 46.8 percent from the field in 15 games of Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League. Per PrepCircuit.com, Lecque averaged 20.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in 13 recorded games during his junior season this year.
Looking ahead to the Vols’ 2019-20 season, they’ll need a few guards on their roster to replace outgoing seniors. Admiral Schofield and Chris Darrington will be scheduled to graduate after the 2018-19 season, and forward Kyle Alexander will graduate after next season as well.
Tennessee currently has a commitment from three-star small forward Davonte Gaines in the 2019 class. His commitment has the Vols ranked No. 18 overall in the 2019 recruiting rankings according to 247Sports.
