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Why are so many college basketball recruits reclassifying and enrolling early? – The Athletic
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NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — For all the future college stars and potential NBA lottery picks on display ay Nike’s Peach Jam earlier this month, a different group of players stood out:
The ones not there.
Not because of injury, or illness, or any other temporary unavailability. Rather, kids who could have been playing on the grassroots circuit — some who were as recently as June — but who have since moved onto bigger things. To bigger places.
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To college.
We’re talking about players who reclassified, who eschewed their senior year of high school to enroll in college a year early. Conceptually, reclassification is nothing new; it’s been happening for decades, the most-gifted high schoolers jump-starting the next phase of their careers. (Shout out Mike Gminski for first taking the plunge, back in the 1970s.) But since 2006, when the NBA stopped allowing high schoolers to go straight to the league, it’s become a relatively common phenomenon. Andrew Wiggins did it. So did Nerlens Noel, Karl-Anthony Towns, Marvin Bagley Jr., and many more.
What’s different now is the sport itself. College basketball is a grown man’s game these days; it’s never been older or more reliant on experienced talent. Case in point: The last three national champions — Baylor, Kansas, and Connecticut — all started a minimum of three upperclassmen. Baylor started five.
And yet, just in the last two seasons, consider the volume (and reputations) of guys who have reclassified. The headliner last summer was G.G. Jackson II, formerly the No. 1 player in the 2023 class; Jackson decommitted from North Carolina last July — the Tar Heels didn’t have an available scholarship for him at the time — and instead enrolled early at South Carolina as part of the 2022 class. Tyrese Proctor, a five-star Australian guard in the 2023 class, also came to Duke a season early, after Trevor Keels’ late NBA defection freed up a starting spot. Same deal at Arizona, which likewise needed another guard and took five-star point Kylan Boswell a season early. And this summer? The trend has been even more widespread. Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina), Trentyn Flowers (Louisville), Yves Missi (Baylor), Jarin Stevenson (Alabama), and Dink Pate (G League Ignite) are all top-50 talents who reclassified to 2023; there are dozens of others down the recruiting rankings. But their decisions all lead back to one central question:
Why, if college basketball has never been older, are so many teams embracing players who should still be in high school?
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Like most things in modern college athletics, there’s no easy answer.
“Does a 17-, 18-year-old kid help you beat a 25-year-old kid? I don’t know,” Alabama coach Nate Oats says. “But, shoot, the NBA’s got 20-year-olds going against 35-year-olds — and they’re able to help their teams.”
Mechanically, reclassification works the same way it always has. Players must complete 16 core courses, 10 of them by the start of their seventh high-school semester, to be NCAA-eligible. That hasn’t changed.
It’s also why, traditionally, reclassifying players tend to come from one of two places: Canada, or a prep school. The Canadian academic calendar functions differently than the American one, allowing elite Canadian prospects — like Wiggins, or more recently, Jamal Murray, R.J. Barrett and Shaedon Sharpe — to complete their core courses earlier in high school. Similarly, many prep schools can structure their curriculums in a way so that those mandatory core courses come earlier in a player’s high school career.
“Academically, those schools not only know what’s required to graduate early, but might help people (tailor their classes to achieve that),” Baylor coach Scott Drew says. “Sometimes, families might choose schools because they want to graduate early, so it all goes hand-in-hand. More options on the buffet.”
That academic foresight has been a more recent change, multiple coaches agree, as the idea of reclassifying trickles down to younger and younger kids. Louisville coach Kenny Payne says Flowers, a 6-foot-8 wing ranked No. 23 in the 247Sports Composite, planned his core course cadence multiple years in advance just to have the option of reclassifying. “They did a great job of the academic piece, of preparing themselves to have the choice to do it either way, which is good,” Payne says, “but also of knowing that the school you choose has the structure to help you once you get to college.” Drew adds that when he’s considering reclassified player like Missi, the conversation starts — and sometimes ends — with academics.
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But just being academically eligible doesn’t mean a player should reclassify. It also requires being “ready” — however you choose to define that. In one sense, that’s physical development. “I mean, a 15-year-old today looks different,” Drew says, “than a 15-year-old 20 years ago.” The popularity of workout culture — players having strength coaches or skills trainers before they hit middle school — has diminished that hurdle to some degree, but thanks to the transfer portal and the bonus COVID-19 year of eligibility, many college rosters are populated with 23- and 24-year-olds.
In Flowers’ case, Payne and his staff were comfortable with his physical readiness. “When we evaluated him, obviously he’s athletic, strong enough,” Payne said. “He has the game for it.” Payne was more concerned about the other key principle of reclassifying: mental and emotional maturity. “Physically, we know where he is,” Payne added. “Mentally, can he handle what college basketball is? And that’s where coaching comes into play, and we’ve got to help him get through it to make up that time.”
Cadeau’s standout March and April — when he won the GEICO high school national title, played for the Swedish national team, and dominated early Nike EYBL sessions — changed the trajectory for the five-star point guard. North Carolina coach Hubert Davis agreed that Cadeau’s game was ready for college, but was the 6-foot-1 guard ready as a person? In the end, “I felt like it was the right fit,” Davis says.
But Davis also had to ask his incoming guard something that all coaches must consider with reclassifying players: Why do you want to come early?
And within that answer is the best explanation for the recent reclassification frenzy.
“If you’re trying to get drafted in the NBA,” Oats says, “the sooner you get to college to start the one year you have to be there, the better off it is for you.”
Pause. Then the caveat:
“If you’re a legitimate NBA prospect.”
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To be eligible for the NBA Draft under the league’s current collective bargaining agreement, non-international players must be at least 19 during the draft’s calendar year, as well as at least a year removed from graduating high school. That’s why a player like Flowers, who turns 19 in March, is eager to enter college early and get into the draft as quickly as possible.
“We know that he wants to be an NBA player,” Payne says. “He feels like he’s on that track, we feel like he’s on that track — but he also has to know, it’s hard. It’s really hard. At a time where everybody is telling you, ‘It’s not that hard, just play,’ that’s not the reality.”
Because of those two criteria, two NBA scouts at Peach Jam — both of whom requested anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak publicly about prospects — told The Athletic that they anticipate even more players will reclassify in the next several draft classes. One reason, the scouts said, is that players and their families have a better understanding now of the available talent in every class, thanks to online mock drafts and scouting services projecting years in advance. Prospects might take advantage of what’s considered a “down” class — which both the 2023 and 2024 groups are reputed to be — by jumping up a year and hoping for a higher draft position. Take Jayden Quaintance, for instance. Formerly a top-10 player in the 2025 class — which is seen as one of the best high school classes in years — he recently reclassified up to 2024. Same for Cooper Flagg, arguably the best high school player in America; the expectation is that he, too, will reclassify up to ’24 from 2025, so he can get to the NBA a season earlier.
Just getting to the NBA is only one piece, though. The real boon, if a reclassifying player is talented enough, is getting a head start on his second NBA contract — the one that can set guys up financially for life. In that sense, a player’s college performance isn’t even the end-all, be-all, so long as he’s good enough to still be selected.
In that sense, G.G. Jackson — who went from the No. 1 prospect in 2023, per the 247Sports Composite, to No. 6 in 2022 after he reclassified — will be something of a test case. Jackson averaged 15.4 points as a freshman at South Carolina, but he was highly inefficient in doing so, shooting just 38.4 percent from the field and registering only 27 assists all season. Those struggles, and the fact that South Carolina lost 21 games, hurt Jackson’s draft stock; he was selected 45th this summer by the Memphis Grizzlies. Had Jackson stayed in the 2023 class and become a mid-first rounder, his rookie-scale contract would have been in the neighborhood of $16.5 million over four years; instead, he’ll likely be on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies this season, which comes with significantly less guaranteed money and long-term security. The Athletic’s John Hollinger, a former NBA front office executive, says Jackson’s best-case scenario now is to follow the Austin Reaves model in Los Angeles: ball out on a two-way, sign a multi-year minimum deal, and get to that next real contract — in Jackson’s case, technically his third — a year or two earlier than a first-rounder from his same class. (Reaves, who went undrafted in 2021, re-signed with the Lakers this summer for $56 million over four years.) But that also requires Jackson being productive enough to warrant those deals, far from a given for most second-rounders.
“Kids who have a legitimate chance to go pro aren’t looking to have the best college career they possibly can; they’re looking to put themselves in position to get drafted as soon as possible,” Oats says. “If a kid is just looking to have the best possible college career that he can, he should wait to go to college — like back in the day when top kids would do eighth grade twice. Then they’re grown men in college.”
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Even for players who reclassify but don’t end up going one-and-done, earning NIL money a year earlier still offers a financial incentive, albeit a smaller one. And then there are players, like Cadeau, who have simply maxed out what they can get from high school hoops, and who covet the coaching and development a college staff can provide.
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The NBA will gladly take young talent as early as it’s available, especially if that provides their coaching staffs more developmental runway. What NBA team wouldn’t love to draft Flagg as soon as possible?
But what’s in it for college teams?
While Cadeau is likely to start for North Carolina this season, and Flowers has every opportunity to do so at Louisville, reclassifying isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation.
“A lot of people would like to be in the NBA, a lot of people would like to reclass, a lot of people would like to start and play 30 minutes, but it’s harder to do than people think,” Drew says. “The big thing is just making sure everyone knows what the expectation, the reality is, and they feel comfortable with it.”
Those conversations are usually initiated by the player and his family, Drew says. “And then it begins,” he added. “What are your expectations, and what’s the reality? If those meet, it can be a great thing. If it doesn’t meet, then they might have to change their mind … or change their school.”
If that seems blunt, it isn’t. When Jackson — fresh off winning MVP honors at the NBPA Top 100 camp — wanted to reclassify last spring, North Carolina was out of scholarships. So he decommitted from the Tar Heels and joined his home-state Gamecocks, who were rebuilding under new coach Lamont Paris.
Jarin Stevenson presented a different situation. Noah Clowney arrived at Alabama last summer as just the No. 79 recruit in the 2022 class, per the 247Sports Composite, but quickly earned a starting role for the Crimson Tide. As Alabama soared to become the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, Clowney’s draft stock rose similarly — he left Tuscaloosa after only one season and became the No. 21 pick in June’s NBA Draft. Oats and his staff didn’t necessarily plan for that, and so they pivoted in their plans with the 6-foot-10 Stevenson. “Nobody expected Clowney to go in the draft after a year,” Oats says. “So (Stevenson) filled a specific need for us.”
Other situations are less clear-cut. What if a player thinks he’s ready, but a coach knows he won’t see the floor as a freshman? Or what if a player comes early, but isn’t prepared for the grind of college hoops against opponents who are years older? What if a player has decided he’s coming early, but a coach doesn’t have a scholarship available? Does he cut the kid loose, or manufacture some other roster movement to appease a top recruit? Is it even possible in today’s era to convince a kid not to reclassify once he’s started considering it? Coaches have to weigh all these variables.
Hubert Davis says he had “some great, long, straightforward and direct conversations,” with Cadeau and his family when Cadeau was considering his reclassification. Complicating Cadeau’s move was that he plays the same position as Tar Heels senior point guard R.J. Davis, who was poised for a larger role after Caleb Love transferred to Arizona. That meant Davis not only had to weigh Cadeau’s game independently, but also how it would mesh with his veteran star, not to mention the locker-room dynamics of adding another ball-dominant guard.
Ultimately, because he believed in Cadeau’s game and fit with the rest of UNC’s roster, and because he had an available scholarship, Davis accepted Cadeau’s reclassification. Still, he wanted to make sure the player knew the full ramifications of his decision. What he’d really be giving up.
“It was a big deal getting my diploma in high school. It was a big deal my senior year for Senior Night,” Davis said. “I remember that, so I don’t want guys to pass that up. I think it’s an important part of growth. It’s not just growth as a player; it’s growth as a person.”
I would like to announce that I will be joining the team this upcoming fall! #gdtbath pic.twitter.com/vdLKJrPzMq
— Elliot Cadeau (@ElliotCadeau) May 30, 2023
Communication is key, and the sooner those reclassification talks happen, the better. Modern roster-building is difficult enough as is, without having to factor in the surprise element of a late decision by an early arrival.
“If you really like somebody, you might really like them for a certain class,” Drew said, “and the sooner you know what their thinking is, the easier it is to recruit and plan based on what you want done.”
Can a reclassified player actually contribute to winning in modern college basketball, though?
South Carolina won only 11 games with Jackson in the lineup. For every success story like Markus Howard or Jalen Duren or Kira Lewis Jr., there’s also a cautionary tale like Khristian Lander or Emoni Bates or Devin Askew. And at least until the extra COVID year of eligibility cycles out, college teams aren’t getting any younger.
Simply put, no matter how talented or highly-ranked a recruit is, there’s no such thing as a sure thing when it comes to reclassifying players.
“If a kid is talented enough and you feel he’s mature enough and wants to work, get him in,” Oats says. “Get him with your strength coach and your dietician and your coaches early. Hopefully he can help you — but he’s really helping himself.”
Payne’s perspective is especially interesting, as a former Kentucky assistant who worked with multiple reclassified players in Lexington. Payne, famous for his conditioning and talent development, knows as well as anyone the work and work ethic it takes for normal freshmen to succeed, not to mention kids coming a year early. So it’s telling what he says after all those years working with one-and-done type players: “Right now, it’s more important than ever to have experienced guys.”
“For freshmen walking in the door, they haven’t seen this yet,” he adds. “They haven’t gone through playing against a guy that’s a junior — that’s been lifting weights for three years, running for three years, working on their game and concepts, offensively and defensively, for three years. So you’ve got to have veterans to 1) help with that, but also 2) to be able to lead the way until freshmen catch up.”
If they catch up, that is.
Big if.
— The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker contributed to this story.
(Top photo of incoming Louisville freshman Trentyn Flowers: Jim Dedmon / USA Today)
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Brendan Marks covers Duke and North Carolina basketball for The Athletic. He previously worked at The Charlotte Observer as a Carolina Panthers beat reporter, and his writing has also appeared in Sports Illustrated, The Boston Globe and The Baltimore Sun. He’s a native of Raleigh, N.C.
