WindyCityGopher
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It will be interesting to see whether Bazley's experiment is a one-off, or if others follow his lead, opting to be paid and experience NBA-style coaching for the required post-high school year rather than attend college.
The searing scowl of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim—hypothetical, but no less real—scorched its way into basketball brains across America on Thursday, as Darius Bazley, a five-star recruit who was committed to the Orange, became the first five-star high school prospect to forgo college in favor of the NBA’s G League. Currently finishing his senior year at Princeton High School in the Cincinnati area, Bazley played in the McDonald’s All-American game and is also ticketed for the Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic in the weeks to come. Those opportunities to be evaluated up close by team decision-makers are now that much weightier.
With the conversation surrounding the league’s age limit and its effect on pathways to the draft having been reignited this season, Bazley’s decision is significant. The rules stipulate that Bazley cannot enter the draft until 2019, when he will turn 19 and be one season removed from his high school graduation. He is set to spend a year learning as a professional in the minor-league system before becoming available for selection in the NBA draft. It’s a situation full of nuance that will be a fascinating case study for American amateur prospects, and the optics are strong for the league when it comes to growth and visibility.
https://www.si.com/nba/2018/03/29/b...ons-darius-bazleys-g-league-decision-syracuse
The searing scowl of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim—hypothetical, but no less real—scorched its way into basketball brains across America on Thursday, as Darius Bazley, a five-star recruit who was committed to the Orange, became the first five-star high school prospect to forgo college in favor of the NBA’s G League. Currently finishing his senior year at Princeton High School in the Cincinnati area, Bazley played in the McDonald’s All-American game and is also ticketed for the Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic in the weeks to come. Those opportunities to be evaluated up close by team decision-makers are now that much weightier.
With the conversation surrounding the league’s age limit and its effect on pathways to the draft having been reignited this season, Bazley’s decision is significant. The rules stipulate that Bazley cannot enter the draft until 2019, when he will turn 19 and be one season removed from his high school graduation. He is set to spend a year learning as a professional in the minor-league system before becoming available for selection in the NBA draft. It’s a situation full of nuance that will be a fascinating case study for American amateur prospects, and the optics are strong for the league when it comes to growth and visibility.
https://www.si.com/nba/2018/03/29/b...ons-darius-bazleys-g-league-decision-syracuse