With the NCAA Basketball season over, the focus for many in the world of college basketball will shift to the 2022 NBA Draft, where some of the nation's finest prospects will enter the draft to begin their professional careers. One such prospect is Memphis Tigers star center Jalen Duren, who announced his intention to enter the NBA Draft after just one season at the university. Duren spoke about the decision, via ESPN.

“Going to Memphis was a fun experience,” Duren said. “It was a great challenge. Making the NCAA tournament and playing in front of the whole world on national television. Huge game atmospheres. I learned a lot and it really helped my growth and development. During the season we dealt with a lot of injuries, we couldn't quite get the chemistry right on the court. Once we got everyone back, it helped the team and my game. I started to understand the game better. Help defenses. How opponents were guarding me. I noticed that more as the season went on and that allowed me to do a lot more.”

Duren noted that playing in the NCAA Tournament in “huge game atmospheres” was big for his development as an NBA Draft prospect. Not only that, but the Tigers star felt that once his team was healthy, he was able to really “understand the game better” and how teams were “guarding him.”

That should be music to NBA Draft scouts' ears. Duren was a force around the rim as a freshman, as he posted averages of 12.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game in 29 starts for Memphis.

A projected lottery pick, Duren is going to be a coveted prospect in the 2022 NBA Draft.