The game plan: Elite players find paths to pros besides NCAA
There was a “college basketball team” this season with a collection of players who figure to go high in the upcoming NBA draft.
It wasn’t Gonzaga or Baylor.
In fact, this team was nowhere near the Indianapolis bubble during the NCAA Tournament, but rather, near Orlando, Florida, for the NBA G League playoffs last month.
The Ignite, a development squad affiliated with the G League featuring elite NBA draft-eligible players, had a roster full of teenagers who all could’ve been standouts at the tournament — had they chosen the college route. Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix and Isaiah Todd were all coveted fivestar recruits.
Instead, they chose a different sort of basketball education — an option that may slowly change the nature of the college game itself. Rather than being a one-and-done on some college team, more 18- and 19-year-olds may choose the G League’s development team or head overseas (see: LaMelo Ball).
Coming soon: A new pro league called Overtime Elite, which markets itself to high schoolers and guarantees an academic education along with a guaranteed six-figure salary.
Now that could be a real game-changer on the college landscape.
“The NCAA has had a stranglehold basically on the system in the way it works, from as far back as you can imagine,” said Ignite coach Brian Shaw, a three-time world champion as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers. “So now it gives them some competition. You’re not bound by all these rules and regulations that are advantageous for the NCAA to make all the money.
“These kids get an opportunity to kind of cash in on their market value, what they’re bringing to the table while developing.”
To be eligible for the draft, a prospect must either be 19 or one year out of college. That’s led to plenty of one-and-done players over the years. Kentucky coach John Calipari is renown for courting one-anddone talent. But with more options available to bluechip players, there could be fewer to choose from — and more importance placed on continuity.
Villanova coach Jay Wright tries to be up front with recruits in assessing their career paths — even if it might mean steering them toward the G League.
“When they feel they have choices and not being forced into situations, they’re better when they make their choice,” Wright explained. “They’re far more invested.”
Look on the NBA mock draft sites and no program — with the possible exception of Gonzaga — has as many names mentioned as Shaw’s Ignite squad. Green and Kuminga are projected as top-five picks, while Nix and Todd figure to go a little later.