Chapin High School boys basketball star Jayden Leverett verbally committed to Vanderbilt University of the Southeastern Conference.
The 6-foot-11, 230-pound Leverett narrowed down his recruiting list to four teams earlier this month, which included the University of New Mexico of the Mountain West Conference, Colorado of the Big 12 Conference and Oklahoma State of the Big 12 Conference.
He announced his decision on Saturday, Oct. 19. Vanderbilt is located in Nashville, Tenn.
“It’s a great school academically and I loved the school, the city and the team,” said Leverett, who plans to major in engineering. “Coach (Mark) Byington was successful at James Madison University and he’s brought a great system to Vanderbilt. In his system, the big man is used a great deal.”
Byington was hired by Vanderbilt after last season.
“When I went on my visit to the school, I really liked it and it felt right,” Leverett said. “Vanderbilt started recruiting me at a tournament in Chicago, which was my last summer tournament. We built a good relationship. Now I concentrate on my senior year and helping us win state.”
Leverett is entering his fourth year on the Chapin varsity team and has been a starter the previous two in helping lead the Huskies to the Region 1-5A championship game for the past two seasons.
In his junior season, he was named the El Paso Times’ Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged nearly eight rebounds per game, and his 6-foot-10 frame caused havoc for opposing teams near the basket. He averaged nearly 15 points per game on offense and shot 64% from the field.
He also earned All-State honors by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.
Leverett also had offers from Mississippi State, SMU, UTEP, Utah State, UC Santa Barbara, Rice, Texas, TCU, Sam Houston State and New Mexico State.
“He’s a great kid, always helping other players in our program and he’s been a leader, which says a lot about his character,” said first-year Huskies coach Tevin Caldwell.
Added former Chapin coach Rodney Lewis, who coached Leverett for his first three years of high school: “Jayden worked hard for this opportunity and there is still work to do. But when he got to Chapin, we saw the potential.”
More: Recruiting News El Paso’s Chapin HS basketball star Jayden Leverett narrows college choice to 4 schools
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X
