THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
Neumann-Goretti senior Tyreek Duren has given an oral commitment to play basketball at La Salle University. The 6-foot, 180-pound point guard chose the Explorers over Temple and Massachusetts.
For Duren, this was an extremely tough decision, one he dreaded to make. In the end, one thing swayed his selection.
"Out of Temple, La Salle and UMass, I think at La Salle I got the best chance of playing right away and be on a good team," he said.
Duren will be able to sign a binding national letter of intent during the Nov. 11-18 early-signing period.
He planned to make his announcement Saturday, but, at the time, the 17-year-old hadn't fully made up his mind. Duren was leaning toward La Salle, but Temple was a close second.
Early today he informed his family and his mentor, trainer and former basketball coach Lamont Peterson, of his plans to become an Explorer.
"I think it was the hardest decision I had to make," Duren said.
Temple and La Salle "both offered good situations. It was so hard that I was ready to pick it out of a hat and just get it over with."
He would have been a notable addition to any of the three Atlantic Ten programs.
One of the area's most improved players, Duren is ranked as the nation's 25th-best point guard in the Class of 2010 by ESPN Insiders. ESPN also lists him as the third-best overall prospect with Pennsylvania ties behind South Philly native Dion Waiters (Life Center, N.J.) and State College's Taran Buie.
A pure point guard, Duren can penetrate, dish, and finish. He's known as a good long-range shooter and a solid defender.
"Now that he's made his decision, he can go back to being a high school kid and help Neumann-Goretti win a [PIAA Class AAA] state championship," Peterson said.
"This whole process created a lot of stress for him. He didn't want to make the wrong decision. That's why he took so long."
But is there a chance he'll change his mind?
"I can't see a reason why I wouldn't sign with La Salle," Duren said. "To me, La Salle is the only school that really needs a point guard since [senior] Rodney Green and most of other guards are graduating. Every other school has [returning] guards there already."
He becomes the third Neumann-Goretti senior to secure a basketball scholarship. Senior guard Tony Chennault gave an oral commitment to Wake Forest last year. Forward Daniel Stewart accepted a scholarship from Rider on Oct. 23.
