Jayden Quaintance Wins Big 12 Newcomer of the Week

IRVING, Texas - Sun Devil Men's Basketball's Jayden Quaintance was named Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week, the conference announced as part of their weekly awards.

The freshman forward showed why he was a coveted five-star prospect in the 2024 class and the highest-rated recruit to ever sign with ASU. He was spectacular this week in helping the Sun Devils move to 9-2, ending the non-conference portion of their schedule on a high note. In the win over UMass, Quaintance finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks while shooting 57% from the field.

Quaintance is the second Sun Devil to win a Big 12 Player of the Week award since ASU's transition to the new league, joining fellow freshman Joson Sanon. Sanon earned his after leading ASU to wins over Grand Canyon and St. Thomas earlier in the year. Their accomplishments are even more impressive when you consider there are 16 teams in the Big 12 vying for two weekly conference awards. Arizona State is one of six teams in the league that has two honorees so far this season.

It is the 16th time a Sun Devil has won a Conference Player of the Week award under Bobby Hurley. Quaintance and Sanon are not the only Sun Devil with a conference newcomer of the week on their ASU resume, as Austin Nunez won Pac-12 Newcomer of the Week during his freshman campaign back in the 2022-23 season.

Joson Sanon - Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week
In arguably the most talented league in the nation, Jayden Quaintance is proving to be one of the most impactful newcomers. He was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week by the league on Dec. 23.

MVP Performance
Sun Devil Men's Basketball defeated UMass, 78-62, at the 2024 MGM Springfield Basketball Hall of Fame Classic thanks to a comeback effort fueled by freshman Jayden Quaintance. He was extremely productive - scoring 19 points and adding 11 rebounds - on his way to earning Game MVP honors. The Sun Devils wrapped up non-conference play in impressive fashion at MassMutual Center in Springfield, winning by double digits at a venue only 25 miles from the campus of their opponent. Quaintance shot an efficient 8-of-14 (57.1%) from the field while making 3-of-4 free throw attempts.

Block Party
Freshman Jayden Quaintance added four more rejections and has recorded 38 blocks thus far in the 2024-2025 season, which was the second-most of any player in the nation coming into the game. He has already surpassed Pac-12 career blocks leader Jordan Bachynski on the ASU freshman single-season blocks list. Quaintance has the second-most blocks in a single season by a freshman in program history and has done it in only ten games. He has two or more blocks in all 11 games this year, including six 4+ block performances. 
 
Sun Devil Freshman Blocks Record (1978-79-present)
55, Mario Bennett, 1991-92
38, Jayden Quaintance, 2024-25
33, Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91
31, Ike Diogu, 2002-03

Hitting the Glass
Not only has Quaintance solidified his status as a premier shot blocker nationally, he has also been outstanding on the glass. That was no different in the win over UMass. He finished with 11 rebounds, his fourth time reaching double digits this season. He is on pace to become the program's all-time leader in rebounds per game by a freshman, a record previously held by Ike Diogu back in 2002-03.

Sun Devil Freshman Rebounds per Game Record (1978-79-present)
8.3 Jayden Quaintance, 2024-25
7.8, Ike Diogu, 2002-03
7.1, Romello White, 2017-18
6.8, Mario Bennett, 1991-92
6.2, Marcus Bagley, 2020-21
6.2, Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91
6.1, Jeff Pendergraph, 2005-06
5.8, Johnny Nash, 1976-77
5.4, Kyle Cain, 2010-11
5.3, James Harden, 2007-08

Double Doubles
Jayden Quaintance put together a monster performance, finishing with a season-best 19 points and 11 rebounds. It was his third double double of the season. Quaintance is one of only six Big 12 players with three or more double doubles this year. 

Getting Acquainted
Quaintance is now averaging 11.7 points and 10.1 rebounds in past seven games. He has scored reached double figures scoring in six of his last seven games after not eclipsing the mark in his first four games.

Battle on the Boards
UMass came into game Top-50 nationally (46th) in rebounding, averaging over 39 per game. Arizona State out-rebounded the Minutemen, 44-33, to move to 5-0 when they win the battle on the glass.

We Will Block You
Arizona State came into the game second in the Big 12 and 15th nationally averaging 5.5 blocks per game. They added to that mark, finishing wth eight blocks. Freshman Jayden Quaintance is a big reason why, contributing four. He came into the game best in the league at 3.4 blocks per game. Basheer Jihad had a season-best three blocks to form an intimidating front line.

Coach Hurley on Quaintance
"His presence on both ends of the floor tonight completely changed the game," Coach Hurley mentioned after the win. "He gave us great effort and energy to go along with the production on the stat sheet."

"The scary part is that he is still only scratching the surface of what he is capable of," Coach Hurley added. "He continues to work extremely hard and gets better every day. The results are starting to show up on the court."

Up Next
Arizona State will begin the Big 12 era with a matchup at BYU on Dec. 31 at 2 PM MST. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN2 and available on ESPN 620 AM (KTAR). This will be the second straight year the two programs have met. The last time the Sun Devils traveled to Provo was back during the 2009 season. This is the first of two games with the Cougars, who come to Tempe later in February.
 
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