High School Baller Thon Maker Makes Pitch to Skip College, Enter NBA Draft
One of the most intriguing personalities entering the 2016 NBA Draft is a seven footer who plays power forward and can run like a guard. Thon Maker, who currently plays high school ball in Canada, is a Sudanese refugee who used basketball to escape conflict and poverty, and now he's setting his sights on the world's biggest basketball stage.
The announcement brings in questions about the 19-year old and his eligibility to be drafted in the league. According to NBA rules, per report from ESPN, a player should be at least 19 years old and one year off high school to become eligible. For Maker's case, his age is already qualified, but he still is in high school, particularly in Orangeville Prep in Canada.
In pitching for his case, he needs to convince draft officials that he in fact is a member of last year's draft class and that his schooling this year is viewed as post-graduate. Before he went to Canada, he spent his eight up to 10th grade in Louisiana and Virginia.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Maker brings with him a tall and but skinny frame. According to scouts, he's more of a power forward type of player, even though he stands 7 feet. He was born in a region in South Sudan but escaped the conditions in his country by moving to Australia. His legal guardian, Ed Smith, was the one who brought him to the U.S.
Before eventually deciding to apply in the NBA Draft, Maker did consider playing college ball, where he got invites from several established programs, including Kansas, Notre Dame, Indiana, Arizona State, and St. John's.
But in the event that the NBA rules him as eligible, the questions don't end there. It is still subject of debate if he really will invite interest from NBA teams. The kid is very good at his current level of basketball competition. He's no LeBron James or Kobe Bryant in high school but it is no secret that teams will always be interested, or at least intrigued for 7-footer prospects who can run the floor, dribble the ball, and take outside shots.
