Top Recruits Headed for G-League over NCAA
Top recruit, Jalen Green, shocked the NCAA and recruiting world by deciding to play in the G-League next season instead of playing college basketball. The G-League launched a new pathway program that would allow elite high school talent to bypass the NCAA and sign for around $500,000. Green had offers to play at Memphis, Oregon, and Auburn, but chose to play pro ball instead. Isaiah Todd, a 5-star prospect who recently de-committed from Michigan, is following in Green’s footsteps and is also signing with the League.
Prospects @JalenGreen and @zaytodd sign to play in the @nbagleague next season! pic.twitter.com/EMz2zNV4Z6
— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2020
What this means for the NCAA
With two elite recruits bypassing the NCAA, it may signal the beginning of a whole new world of college basketball. The NCAA is filled with 1-and-done players who may wish the same opportunity was available to them before their freshmen season. We have seen elite recruits skip college to play pro-ball before but that was overseas. Emmanuel Mudiay decided to play in China instead of attending SMU. Darius Bazley, a former Syracuse commit, decided to train on his own instead of play college ball. Perhaps most famously, Lamelo Ball played pro ball in Croatia and Australia under the guidance of Lavar.
Final Thoughts
The G-League is becoming more like its intended purpose, the NBA’s developmental league. The NCAA however, is becoming more of a competitor rather than a training ground for the NBA. Will the G-League become the place for elite recruits and the NCAA revert back to consistent four year players? Maybe. Does Green’s and Todd’s decisions potentially alter the course for elite recruits forever? Yes.
-Pete Chatterton (@Pchat12)
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