Jalen Jenkins, the supremely versatile and talented forward out of Cardinal Hayes, has toyed with the idea of going straight to college or taking a postgraduate year for a while now.
The recent high school graduate has gone back and forth between the two like a pendulum swinging from side to side. In that time, colleges have come and gone, some turned off by the possibility he may reclassify into the Class of 2013 and others hoping he would do so.
George Mason never stopped recruiting the Yonkers native. The CAA school wanted him either way – this coming season or the one after. Jenkins returned the Patriots’ loyalty this week, verbally committing to George Mason and head coach Paul Hewitt. He has yet to decide if he will be at the Fairfax, Va., school in the fall or do a prep year – at 17 years old, he is a young senior, after all.
Denis Gostev
Cardinal Hayes' Jalen Jenkins has verbally committed to George Mason.
“They’re with me whatever I want to do,” he said while playing with New Heights at Rumble in the Bronx at John Jay College in Manhattan.
Jenkins, an All-City second team selection by The Post, chose George Mason over Rhode Island, Fordham, Manhattan, Quinnipiac, Iona and others, but he said it was really George Mason all the way. He fell in love with the campus and was comfortable with the coaching staff, notably Hewitt who was his lead recruiter.
“It’s always good when the head coach calls you – that’s who calls the shots,” Jenkins said. “It was a big sign, a sign they wanted me and saw potential in me.”
There were high major schools to enquire and show interest in Jenkins, he said, like Providence and Marquette, but he felt George Mason fit him like a glove.
“They make the [NCAA] Tournament every year, they compete every year,” he said. “I know if I work hard and do what I need to do, they’re going to give me a chance.”
Jenkins was particularly impressed with the sprawling campus, which he said reminded him of the North Carolinas and Dukes of the ACC. He wanted to get out of New York City, but not go too far, and George Mason offered that.
“I wanted to get out, experience something new,” he said. “When you’re a kid playing basketball in New York City, you’ve seen all of the tri-state and everything it has to offer.”
His transition will be eased by the presence of point guard Corey Edwards, a good friend of his who he stayed with on his visit. The two talked a lot about the school in recent weeks and Jenkins liked everything Edwards had to say, from the coaching staff to the school’s social life to its academic programs.
“It’s a great marriage,” New Heights coach Kimani Young said. “It’s a great level for him, whether he gets there this year or next year. Paul Hewitt will be a great mentor for 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.
“Jalen is a very cerebral player who can really pass and handle the ball for a forward,” the coach said. “He’s a great kid that will have a lot of success in the MAAC.”
Jenkins is happy to have the long-and-winding process over with. While there is the possibility he could attend prep school in the fall – he will likely decide after the AAU season ends in July, his most important decision – where he will attend college – is over with.
“[George Mason] has everything I wanted,” he said.
zbraziller@nypost.com
George Mason, Jalen Jenkins, Paul Hewitt, Paul Hewitt, Jenkins, Cardinal Hayes
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