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Roman Catholic star Jalen Duren transfers to Montverde Academy in Florida

The 6-9 sophomore, a dominant force in the paint, is rated as the No. 2 player in the country in the class of 2022.

Roman Catholic sophomore Jalen Duren (No. 23) shown here shooting over Archbishop Wood's Muneer Newton in the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals Feb. 19 in the Palestra, has transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida.
Roman Catholic sophomore Jalen Duren (No. 23) shown here shooting over Archbishop Wood's Muneer Newton in the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals Feb. 19 in the Palestra, has transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida.Read moreELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer

Roman Catholic sophomore Jalen Duren has transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida, Roman basketball coach Matt Griffin confirmed Tuesday night.

The 6-foot-9 Duren, rated as the No. 2 player in the country in the class of 2022 by rivals.com and most other recruiting rankings, has been one of the more dominant big men in recent Philadelphia high school basketball history during his two seasons at Roman.

Duren averaged 18.1 points and 12.5 rebounds this past season as Roman finished with an 18-10 record. The Cahillites reached the Philadelphia Catholic League title game, where they lost to Neumann Goretti, and had advanced to the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class 6A state tournament before play was suspended and then canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

“We wish him the best,” Griffin said. “Jalen and I have a great relationship. I have a great relationship with his family. I want nothing but the best for him in basketball and in life.”

Montverde Academy, which is located about 20 miles from Orlando, is a national powerhouse program that has produced such NBA players as the 76ers’ Ben Simmons. This past season, Montverde finished 25-0 and was No. 1 in MaxPreps’ Xcellent 25 national rankings.

Griffin said Duren indicated that he was attracted to Montverde, which is coached by former St. Patrick’s (N.J.) coach Kevin Boyle, by the “routine" offered by the prep school program.

“I think it was more personal reasons, less distractions,” Griffin said. “We [Roman] offer many of the same things in terms of basketball competition, playing in the Catholic League, playing a national schedule. But I think they felt that routine would be best for him and his family.”

Duren is a true post player, controlling action in the paint at both ends of the floor. He was named afirst-team sophomore All-American by MaxPreps.

In the regular season, Duren generated 34 points with 19 rebounds in a double-overtime classic vs. Archbishop Wood and went for 20 points with 22 rebounds against Archbishop Ryan.

Duren raised his game in postseason play. He scored 18 points with 18 rebounds and made a buzzer-beating shot on a putback in a victory over Bonner-Prendergast in the first round of the Catholic League playoffs, then went for 20 points and 20 rebounds in a win over Archbishop Wood in the semifinals at the Palestra.

In Roman Catholic’s loss to Neumann Goretti before a capacity crowd Feb. 24 in the Palestra, Duren scored 11 points with 16 rebounds.

“He made tremendous growth in his two seasons with us,” Griffin said. “I know he knows that I’ll always be in his corner, now and for the rest of his life.”