By Zach Smart
Following a breakout season in which he established himself as one of the most vastly improved and underrated players in New York and beyond, Jaden Daughtry has committed to Marist.
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound wing racked up multiple double doubles for St. Francis Prep and routinely grinded defensively to neutralize the opponent’s top scoring threat and wing.
A three level scorer with a evolving passing arsenal Daughtry is an athletic wing with a knack for creating his own shot and finishing at the rim.
Providing a veteran leadership role, Daughtry played a pivotal role in seizing the leadership reins during his senior year at SFP.
He actually could have been even more selfish, but Jaden did everything we asked of him,” explained St. Francis Prep coach Jimmy Lynch.
“He averaged four to five assists, he’s a tremendous passer. He was also constantly tasked with having to guard the opponent’s wing. He never complained about it. From that perspective, we probably would have been just a .500 team without him.”
Daughtry fell through the cracks during a topsy turvy year still reeling from Covid’s impact on the NCAA.
He picked up offers from Marist and Eastern Michigan late in the process, emerging as a mid major stock riser after floating in obscurity outside of the city.
The NYC native has the opportunity to get meaningful tick instantly in the MAAC conference. The program recently lost a big guard in Ricardo Wright to the transfer market.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Wright averaged 13.8 points this past season, including a 27-point game against Rider and a 24-point performance against Monmouth.
Overlooked no more, Daughtry has the opportunity to come in right away and help fill the void as a freshman.
The Red Foxes were derailed by inconsistency this past season, going 14-16 overall and 9-11 in conference play.
