BOSTON — Jaylen Harrell’s college decision took a little longer than he initially planned, and it was harder than he anticipated. But he believes he ultimately landed in the right place.
Harrell – the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year in Massachusetts and one of the top Class of 2025 recruits in New England – announced his commitment to Providence on Monday night alongside family and friends inside the Tobin Community Center in Roxbury. The 6-foot-6 forward, seated at a table at midcourt next to his father Ryann, unzipped his Nike jacket to reveal a white Providence shirt underneath as he announced his decision live on YouTube.
Harrell – who’s a rising senior at CATS Academy and plays AAU with Expressions Elite – chose to stay home with the Friars, picking them over Xavier, Rutgers, Kansas, Alabama and Virginia Tech.
“It was a tough decision, but I think I made the right choice,” Harrell told New England Basketball Journal.
Harrell originally set May 27 as the date of his commitment announcement, but postponed the decision a few days shortly after he made an official visit to Xavier. At the time, Harrell was turning more heads with a strong showing on the spring Nike EYBL circuit, and he said he received calls from other major conference programs. He also wanted to get further clarity on some things with Providence.
“There were a lot of questions I had that I hadn’t got the answer to yet and they made it clear, answered all my questions,” Harrell said. “There was another aspect of you’re playing great on the EYBL circuit, you have a lot of bluebloods calling you and a lot of Power 5 schools calling you, so just having all those ears in your head, it really makes you paranoid and you want to make sure you make the right choice, so I wanted to push it back to make sure I made the right choice.”
His father helped him navigate through that process.
“At that point in time, there was just a lot going on,” Ryann Harrell said. “There’s a lot of people that try and get in people’s ears and things of that nature, so Jaylen just felt a little bit overwhelmed. But for us, and I know for Jaylen, there was no better fit for us than Providence.”
Harrell – who’s one of the best scorers in his class – said Providence’s commitment to him put them over the top. He said head coach Kim English called him daily – typically, a recruit is assigned an assistant coach with who, he has regular communication – and that made him feel like a priority. On the court, Harrell said English wants him to be a two-way player and specifically an offensive sparkplug who can score for them whenever they need a bucket. He noted that English isn’t afraid to play freshmen, so the opportunity to play right away appealed to him.
Harrell also felt the support from a rabid Providence fan base on social media during the recruiting process. He hears from them in his direct messages on Twitter and Instagram, and every time he posts something on Twitter, he said he receives hundreds of replies from Providence fans that simply say the word, “Friar.”
“They made me turn my notifications off for a good amount of time, but I know I’m going to be loved over there,” Harrell said.
Harrell’s roots clearly matter to him. He’s excited to continue playing in front of his family and friends at Amica Mutual Pavilion about an hour south in Providence, and the location of his life-changing announcement on Monday night was a nod to his upbringing. The Tobin Community Center is his home court, where he’s played since he was 7 years old and the place that shaped him as a player.
Ryann Harrell became an assistant athletic director at the Tobin Community Center when Jaylen was a young age and remembers looking out from his office to see his son dribbling with two balls. When COVID-19 shut down every gym in the city, they had access to Tobin and were in the gym at 6 a.m. every morning working towards this moment. It was fitting and extra meaningful that the biggest night of Harrell’s basketball journey so far was celebrated here.
“It’s crazy how long I’ve been in this gym, so I thought it was only right to do it here,” Harrell said.
