Editor's Note: In the Tarkanian Classic high school division, FAB 50 No. 34 West Ranch (Valencia, Calif.) takes on Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and FAB 50 No. 22 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NeV.) battles No. 42 Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas)in the semifinals of the event's Platinum Division.

1. Traditional High School Ball Is At A Crossroads

For the first time ever, the Tarkanian Classic was certified for NBA scouts and they definitely got their money's worth, as both the prep division and high school division were loaded with talent. From that evaluation standpoint, NBA clubs want to get a head start on identifying prospects for their level and it's a good thing to have more intel on prospects before they get to college. For college coaches, however, the high school recruiting landscape has changed since COVID-19 hit and the NCAA Transfer portal became so robust. It has nothing to do with the relative strength or weakness of the 2023 recruiting class and everything to do with college coaching staffs desiring experienced players, prospects who don't come from a traditional high school setting i.e. foreign players, and the unrealistic expectations of incoming high school recruits. We had one West Coast D1 staff tell us while they like some of the players in the current recruiting cycle, they are simply waiting to see what college rosters look like after the season in order to upgrade their own roster. The prevailing thinking is the best way to get better quickly it to look for experienced players through the NCAA transfer portal. With academy-type programs constantly recruiting elite high school players (even after the season has started), it's easier than ever for players to leave a situation they don't like and harder for the fringe recruit to get an offer. High school basketball isn't going anywhere and there will always be kids to participate on teams and to have quality events, but the scholarship offers coming from the performances at those same events are not as prevalent as in previous seasons. There is more players in the prep and academy ranks with the size colleges covet, more avenues to recruit players from (such as the NBA Academy teams), and one more important caveat to recruiting high school aged players (see below). It doesn't seem to be anything that is going to stop these trends.

2. High School Recruits Must "Get It" Quicker

When we say "get it" we mean understanding the realities of their recruitment and what level these American high school recruits can expect to play at. For some players, this reality hits way too late in the recruiting process and it makes that particular player even more undesirable as a recruit because he feels D2, NAIA or Junior College ball is beneath him. The caveat we were referring to in point No. 1 is with the recruitment of foreign players, they are ineligible for Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) deals if they attend school in America on a student visa. There are some work-arounds to that NIL rule, but if two players are relatively equal, and one is a foreign recruit and the other a domestic, who do you think is going to get the scholarship in the current landscape? NIL is still relatively new and there is little the NCAA is in position to regulate at this point. Families see all these NIL numbers thrown around on social media (most of which will never see a player's bank account) and it has created at atmosphere where expectations for NIL opportunities are quickly out of control. NIL makes sense for elite scholarship players, but the combination of colleges looking for more experienced recruits and unrealistic NIL expectations, makes a foreign recruit a much more desirable option. That means high school players must have a better (and faster) understanding of NCAA eligibility requirements, keep up grades, and have realistic expectations of playing level more than ever before. Those that don't "get it" will be left behind wondering why they don't have a scholarship when their high school career comes to a close. Even for those high school players that do get it, scholarship opportunities are harder to come by than ever before.

3. Alex Toohey & Thierry Serge Darlan Are The Real Deal

The NBA Academy teams (Global, Africa, Latin America) have been a great addition to the Tarkanian Classic, especially since the G-League 2022 AT&T Winter Showcase took place at the Mandalay Bay on the Las Vegas strip. With the Tarkanian Classic now certified for NBA scouts to evaluate, the G-League event and the Tark Prep Division gave NBA personnel an extended look at the prospects on these three academy teams, not to mention the other prep schools in attendance, and overall they liked what they saw. Gonzaga, Arizona, St. Mary's (CA) and Tennessee are four of the college programs tapping into the foreign well the best and Gonzaga got a gem in NBA Global's Alex Toohey, a 6-foot-8 2023 forward from Australia. The 18-year old has experience playing for the Australian Senior National Team in FIBA competition and is one of the best international prospects going the college route in 2023. In fact, if Toohey was in the national Class of 2023, he'd be a consensus Top 10 prospect. He has an element of toughness and skill that is hard to find and is a matchup problem with his versatile inside-out game. He also moves he feet on defense and can defend pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop situations well. NBA Africa's Thierry Serge Darlan, a 6-6 2023 prospect, was another standout at the Tarkanian Classic and would rate as a Top 10 2023 consensus prospect as well. The South Africa native is a terrific big guard prospect. He has positional NBA size, can handle the ball well and shoot it consistently enough to make NBA scouts give him a long look. Darlan's 7'1 wingspan and defensive intensity could shoot him up draft boards after teams take a deeper look. Darlan has plenty of options, too, as the G League has been mentioned as a potential destination, Arizona is in hot pursuit and he's also eligible for the 2023 NBA Draft. Others standouts in the Tarkanian Classic Prep Division included 7-foot 2024 Makhan Diouf of Bella Vista Prep (Ariz.), 6-foot-9 2025 forward Alejandro Aviles of Dream City Christian (Ariz.), 6-foot-10 2025 Jaden Toombs of Dynamic Prep (Texas), 7-foot 2025 Khaman Maluach of NBA Africa, 6-foot-7 2023 Augusto Cassia of NBA Global, 6-foot-8 2024 Chris Tadjo of NBA Latin America, 6-foot-11 2024 Steven Osei of Real Salt Lake (Utah), 6-foot 2026 Imahri Wooten of Redemption Christian Academy (N.Y.) and 6-foot-3 2025 Aram Soqui Urbano of Veritas Prep (Calif.).

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

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On Episode 94 of the "In The Paint" Show, co-hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland go in-depth on the top teams and players with an eye on the 2021 NBA Draft. The fellas also introduce their now Ballislife original show "On The Rise", where they will use their evaluation and scouting background to break down each year's top draft prospects and the NBA stars of tomorrow!

Click the PLAY button below to tune into the latest episode of the In The Paint Show!

Ron breaks down the top players on the top teams in the latest FAB 50 National Rankings, including fast-rising prospects such as Kennedy Chandler of No. 2 Sunrise Christian Academy and Jalen Duren of No. 1 Montverde Academy. Where do these two rate among the top high school national player of the year candidates for 2020-21?

The fellas break down the top Mr. Basketball USA candidates and how much the fortunes for many of the nation's elite players has changed since the preseason amid the backdrop of COVID-19. The fellas break down Paolo Banchero (has not yet played), Jaden Hardy (no official high school season) and Emoni Bates (mixed bag of limited games on an independent club).

Dev also goes in-depth on the Jalen Johnson situation at Duke. Did he "opt out" or "quit"? How will this affect his standing as a potential 2021 NBA lottery pick? Dev also gives a preview of the first three players that will be broken down on the new "On The Rise Show."

Please listen in to get the drop dates on Ron and Dev's new show!

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First, the guys discuss Giannis signing a five-year supermax contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks. What other pieces do the Bucks need to add in order to create a championship contender? Can Giannis draw another superstar to Milwaukee to play alongside him?

Hit the PLAY button below to tune into ITP 90!

James Harden

6'5"   -   SG   -   2007

Next Ron and Dev dissect the latest story on ESPN regarding James Harden and his influence on the culture in Houston. Does Harden's partying lifestyle hurt the continuity of the team chemistry or does it make his insane stat lines even more impressive? Ron and Dev also debate whether a team can win a title with Harden as its centerpiece.

To follow that up, the guys take a closer look at LaMelo Ball's first two preseason games with the Hornets. Were they impressed or does Ball need to show more? Also, why Hornets fans and NBA fans in general should be patient for LaMelo's offensive game to get into full gear.

Ron and Dev then transition into their latest story on Ballislife on the six rookies that NBA fans can expect to make an immediate impact in the league and close out the show with some more updates on high school basketball guidelines, scheduling and COVID-19-related cancellations.

The post In The Paint Show: Giannis' Supermax, LaMelo's Debut, Looking Forward to Top Prospects in the 2021 Draft appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

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Don't look for Jalen Green of Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) to be traveling the country with an NBA G League as most players do with the hopes of an NBA call-up as result of his recent decision to bypass college for a season and join the NBA's G League development program.

Jalen Green

6'5"   -   SG   -   2020

Green instead will be suiting up for a developmental team outside of the traditional G League contracts. The new developmental team will play exhibition games against some G League teams and against other barnstorming-type pro teams. A few other elite 2020 prospects may also sign contracts and join the new developmental team such as 2020 McDonald's All-American Isaiah Todd of Word of God (Raleigh, N.C.) and Makur Maker, who previously prepped at Orange Lutheran (Calif.)

Green, who attended San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno, Calif.) for three seasons and became the school's all-time leading scorer after spending his senior year at non-CIF program Prolific Prep, will be getting paid much more than the $125,000 the G-League announced it would offer elite high school prospects back in 2018. No figure was officially announced in Green's deal, but it could be worth closer to $500,000 for the 2020-21 season before he joins the pool of the 2021 NBA Draft. With his charisma/looks and elite athleticism, Green is also a good candidate to land some endorsement deals.

The G-League developmental team concept is the brainchild of G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim (the former Cal Pac-12 Player of the Year) and Rod Strickland, the former NBA guard who is in charge of the NBA G League's pro path for high school prospects, and it's been in the works for over a year with the backing of the NBA commissioner's office. Green is being represented by Aaron Goodwin, the Oakland-based agent who helped broker LeBron James' initial deal with Nike out of high school in 2003 and other deals in the early stages of James' NBA career. Green played his travel ball in the Nike-fronted EYBL for Team Why Not.

"We're thrilled to welcome a player and a person of Jalen's caliber to the NBA G League," said Abdur-Rahim in the G-League's official press release. "He represents the next generation of NBA players, and we couldn't be more excited to have him develop his professional skills in our league. Jalen will learn from an NBA-caliber coaching and player development staff as he begins his professional basketball journey in the NBA G League."

Green just finished third in the voting for the prestigious Mr. Basketball USA National Player of the Year honor. Finishing ahead of him in voting by the Mr. Basketball USA Tracker panel were Oklahoma St-bound Cade Cunningham of FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) and USC-bound Evan Mobley of Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.). Cunningham, Mobley and Green were the only three of 21 national player of the year candidates to appear on all 10 ballots.

Green broke the Prolific Prep single-season scoring mark with 1,008 points (he missed two games) and combining his three seasons at San Joaquin Memorial, amassed 3,299 career points. For the 2019-20 season, he averaged 31.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 5 apg and for the first time Prolific Prep was invited to GEICO Nationals, but the event was canceled (as many sporting events in March and April were) over COVID-19 concerns.

Green is the first player announced to participate in the NBA G League professional pathway program but won't be the last. The new format also calls for the incoming player to not be part of the regular G League. This was done to ease some concerns about young players playing a full season against older pro players and counter the desire for elite American high school prospects to play their one season between high school and the NBA overseas in a league such as the National Basketball League of Australia, which is where LaMelo Ball played this past season and expected to be a high choice in the 2020 NBA Draft.

LaMelo Ball

6'6"   -   PG   -   2019

If and when the NBA and its players association reaches a new bargaining agreement allowing elite high school players such as Green (and back to the years when Kevin Garnett started the 10-year trend in 1995) to skip college and go directly to the NBA, deciding what to do for that one season in-between will remain a very fluid situation.

Social media chatter has been heavy about Green's pro move and its impact on NCAA basketball, but this G League option will only be available to the top elite prospects that have legitimate credentials to be high NBA lottery picks. The college recruiting process and accepting a valuable college scholarship will still be the best option for a vast majority of players good enough to play after high school. What it could mean, however, for NCAA basketball going forward is it will need to include language in its scholarship agreements where student-athletes have much more control over their names, image and likeness in order for recruits of Green's caliber to accept a college scholarship offer.

Since the end of the prep-to-pro era in 2006, a majority of the elite high school tenet has spent one year in college, with a few exceptions such as Ball, RJ Hampton and Brandon Jennings. While NCAA basketball's level of play has gradually suffered since Garnett made the prep-to-pro leap in 1995, the business of college basketball has not and make no mistake, it is a business. Garnett and players such as James and the late Kobe Bryant not playing a second of college ball hasn't stopped the lucrative television contracts, college coaches being handsomely paid or fans being glued to the television in March watching their favorite team participate in the popular-as-ever NCAA tournament, which didn't take place this season because of COVID-19.

The G-League developmental team reportedly will operate out of Southern California, with the Mamba Facility in Thousand Oaks mentioned as one of the possible places were the team could train and practice.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

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