RJ Hampton may be the biggest recruit to be playing next season overseas, but he won’t have the biggest name.
Kenyon Martin, Jr., son of the former Cincinnati legend and NBA All-Star, will bypass college and immediately pursue a professional career abroad, he told 247Sports.com.
The younger Martin committed last month to another former NBA star, Jerry Stackhouse, and Vanderbilt but instead will get a head start on his pro career in a yet-to-be determined league.
He joins Hampton in taking the lesser-traveled path of spending a one-and-done season not in college but with a pro franchise. Hampton, a five-star prospect, will play for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian league.
Martin’s situation would appear to be a little different given he isn’t the same caliber recruit as Hampton as a three-star prospect, but given his father’s NBA success - he was the No. 1 pick in 2000 and an All-Star four years later - he likely has more flexibility to pursue an unorthodox path and access to professional circles than the average prospect does not.
He also considered UCLA, Cincinnati, TCU and West Virginia before committing to Vandy.