On Wednesday afternoon, Thon Maker, was of basketball’s most highly-regarded prospects, announced on twitter that he is “on track to graduate this year”, meaning that the seven-footer will likely reclassify into 2015.
Maker will immediately become one of the most sought-after prospects in high school basketball. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2016, according to Rivals, and will be slotted at No. 5 in the Class of 2015. Maker is a native of South Sudan and grew up in Australia. He’s currently playing his high school ball at Orangeville Prep in Canada.
This move isn’t a surprise. It’s been a topic of conversation in the high school ranks for nearly a year, and it’s a change that many expected to see happen.
The question now will be where Maker continues his basketball career after this season. Kentucky and Kansas, among a handful of other programs, are the favorite to land his services in the collegiate ranks, although there has been talk that Maker will eventually turn professional and play for a year overseas before entering the 2016 draft. There’s also the possibility of spending a year as a post graduate in the high school ranks before entering the 2016 draft.
Maker was rated as the No. 13 overall prospect in high school basketball by Scout.com earlier this week.