2026 5-star San Francisco Jalen Montonati Talks Recruitment and Player Comparison

2026 5-star San Francisco Jalen Montonati Talks Recruitment and Player Comparison
2026 5-star San Francisco Jalen Montonati Talks Recruitment and Player Comparison

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA – Owasso (Oklahoma) 6-7 junior small forward Jalen Montonati had one of the most efficient games of the tournament on Friday night against High School on SI’s No. 17 ranked team in the USA Oak Ridge.

In Friday night’s 73-50 loss against Oak Ridge, Montonati scored a team-high 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field, 3-of-7 from the three-point line, and 3-of-5 from the foul line.

Montonati broke down the four leaders in the early stages of his recruitment, starting with High School on SI.

“Right now, I am just taking it day-by-day and one step at a time as it’s still in the early stages of my recruitment,” Montonati told the audience. “The four schools so far in the lead are Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State,” the official said.

Montonati discusses Indiana.

“Playing at a historic venue would honestly bring me a lot of joy to where I’d be able to compete as well as fit in right away.”

Montonati discusses Kansas.

“I’ve been there three times already; it’s a great college town and when you see Allen Fieldhouse it’s one of the greatest places in college basketball.” I’ve also had a terrific relationship with Coach (Self), who has been kind to me and my family since they offered me as a sophomore.”

Montonati discusses Nebraska.

“Playing under a legendary coach like Coach (Hoiberg), where he coached and played at the collegiate as well as the NBA level, has been a dream of mine.” Just hearing his words of encouragement and providing me excellent counsel.”

Montonati discusses Oklahoma State.

“I’ve grown up around the program, seeing a lot of coaches through the years, and continue to build a great relationship with Coach (Lutz) and his staff.”

Montonati discusses Oklahoma.

“Just being close to home and they’ve been extremely supportive of me since the start of my freshman year, my relationship with Coach (Moser) and Coach (Humphrey) has been really good as well.”

Montonati intends to make an official choice on where he will play collegiate basketball next fall, before the start of his senior season.

Who would you compare yourself to in the NBA?

“I would say I compare my game to Klay (Thompson) with my shooting ability, but I could also say my game is very similar to Jayson (Tatum) with my mental toughness and just playing the game the right way.” He’s been a winner recently, and I hope to assist lead my squad to the same success.

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