Don’t look for a rush of today’s top high school players to start skipping college in order to play professionally overseas or spend a year in prep school as an alternative path to the NBA.
However, the top prospects are certainly taking more notice of their options and discussing those with each other.
During July, Rivals.com sought out 2017’s top players to see how they view events such as Thon Maker skipping college and getting drafted number No. 10 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks, Emmanuel Mudiay making more than $1 million in China before getting selected No. 7 by the Denver Nuggets in 2015, or 2016 shooting guard Terrance Ferguson blazing a new trail by foregoing his commitment to Arizona to play professionally in Australia.
“Terrance Ferguson opened eyes up on that one,” said 2017’s No. 1 ranked player, DeAndre Ayton. “I think a lot of kids will look into going overseas.
“Kids are just looking at it like, 'Man, I want to get this money.' Personally I just want to take it step by step and focus on my game and college for now.”
Already committed to Washington, Michael Porter is the No. 2 player in the class of 2017. At Washington, the 6-foot-8 small forward will be coached by longtime family friend, Lorenzo Romar, and his father, Michael Sr., is an assistant coach. Plus, his younger brother, Jontay Porter, is also committed to play for the Huskies. Porter’s situation is one where there is no pressure from his family for him to go out and get paid or take care of them financially, but that doesn’t make him blind to what is potentially out there.
“(The top players) have a group chat and whenever a player chooses to do that we take notice and we talk about it in our group chat,” Porter said. “It’s just kind of crazy. It’s not a bad option for any of us really. You get to go overseas, you get to develop and you are a pro who is getting paid. For most of us, though, we plan to go to college. Some of us are thinking one year, some of us two years, but most of us are thinking college.”
While the decision to skip college looks to have worked out well for Maker and Mudiay, how things will go for Ferguson is still up in the air. In the past, players such as Brandon Jennings, who spent a year in Italy instead of going to Arizona, and Jeremy Tyler, who skipped his senior year of high school to go to Israel, haven’t necessarily had the easiest of roads or best experiences overseas before making their way to the NBA.
Today’s players see two big issues with making the move. First is that it’s a direct jump into adulthood. Secondly, they feel like those who have skipped college recently have been portrayed in a negative light.
“My dad always told me don’t grow up too fast,” Porter said. “I think going to college, living the college life and getting a start on your education is important. We’re just 18- and 19-year-old kids and for most of us going to college is something that we should do.
“I think it takes a real mature person. Just to be able to go and live on their own and play professional basketball. My mom actually played over in France and she said that it was a great experience but she was always alone so she says that you have to be really mature and sure of yourself.”
A teammate of Ferguson’s for the past two seasons at Prime Prep and Advanced Prep Institute in Dallas, 2017’s No. 7 Billy Preston, has seen his friend fall victim to some negative attention since making the jump.
“The decision that T-Ferg made, I was all for it,” Preston said. “The way it went made people think that it was something that it wasn’t. I think him committing to Alabama and then de-committing, then him committing to Arizona and going overseas made some people have a lot of questions like maybe he’s not eligible, has bad character or whatever when he’s a good person.
“Going overseas is not a bad thing or something that he should be made to regret. That was the right move for him and his family, and it’s hopefully put him in a better position.”
Trevon Duval, the top point guard and the No. 5 overall player in the class of 2017, said that there hasn’t been a lot of talk about possibly spending a year in prep school after graduation instead of going to college. But, Maker’s ability to convince the NBA that he was actually a 2015 high school graduate and that his 2015-16 season was a prep school year making him draft eligible, did raise eyebrows.
“A lot of us, we see it and we are like dang, maybe we don’t have to go to college,” Duval said. “Maybe we can do it a different way. A lot of us really want to go to school, though, but we see it and see that it’s possible. I was just playing against Thon last year on the circuit so it’s pretty crazy.”
It will take a few years to truly determine whether this will become a trend. However, it is becoming evident that top players are more aware of their options outside of attending college.
“It works for some guys and for some it doesn’t," Duval said. "It’s really something that you have to wait and see awhile to see how everything is working out for you, and if that opportunity is good for you then I think you should take it."
