STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford head men's basketball coach Jerod Haase announced the signing of nationally-ranked prospect and Connecticut Player of the Year, Jaiden Delaire, to complete the Cardinal's highly-rated 2018 recruiting class.
Delaire, who was one of the top-rated players in the 2019 class, has reclassified as a member of the 2018 class. He has completed four years of high school, beginning at Granby Memorial High School before moving to The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut, the past two years. Delaire plans to enroll at Stanford for the fall quarter and compete as a freshman with the Cardinal for the 2018-19 season.
"Jaiden plays at a high level," Haase said. "He uses his long wingspan to create opportunities on both ends of the floor. "His performance this summer is indicative of his versatility. He is a skilled shooter, who can also attack the basket and handle the ball. We are excited to have Jaiden as part of our program and look forward to welcoming him to The Farm this fall."
A 6-9, 200-pound forward from North Granby, Connecticut, Delaire was the 2018 Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year in the state of Connecticut. He averaged 21.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for The Loomis Chaffee School last season, guiding the Pelicans to a 17-7 record and the top seed in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class A tournament.
A consensus four-star prospect, Delaire is ranked No. 68 by Rivals, No. 76 by 247Sports and No. 79 overall by ESPN in the 2019 rankings. Delaire is ranked No. 78 in the recently updated 247Sports rankings for the class of 2018.
Delaire, a consensus top-20 prospect at his position nationally, is rated No. 18 by 247Sports at the small forward position for 2019. He is considered the top prospect in the state of Connecticut, becoming the first member of The Loomis Chaffee School to win Gatorade Connecticut Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors.
Delaire joins top New York prospects Cormac Ryan (6-5, 180-pound guard from New York, N.Y.) and Bryce Wills (6-6, 190-pound guard from White Plains, N.Y.), Kansas center Keenan Fitzmorris (7-0, 210-pound center from Overland Park, Kan.) and Lithuanian post standout Lukas Kisunas in Stanford's 2018 class.
The quintet forms a class that is ranked No. 20 by 247Sports in its updated 2018 class rankings with the signing of Delaire. The class follows a 2017 recruiting class that was ranked eighth nationally by 247Sports and 11th by Rivals.
A two-time All-New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class A selection, Delaire earned first-team honors last season. The forward, who possesses a 7-2 wingspan, was a First Team All-USA Connecticut Boys Basketball pick by USA Today in 2017-18.
Delaire continued his standout play this summer as a member of the New England-based AAU program, NE6. He led them in scoring with several 30-point performances and was one of the scoring leaders in the Under Armour Circuit over the past two months, averaging 16.8 ppg to go along with 5.4 rpg.
A standout at the Under Armour All-America camp in the spring, Delaire recently competed in Stephen Curry's SC30 Select Camp in Oakland.
Delaire, Fitzmorris, Kisunas, Ryan and Wills join a Stanford team that is coming off a 19-win season in which the Cardinal finished third in the Pac-12 for its highest finish and most conference victories (11) in 10 seasons.
