Nation's top ranked HS basketball player DeAndre Ayton commits to Arizona

Last edited Wed Sep 7, 2016, 12:03 AM - Edit history (1)

coming fall. He would enroll in Tuscon for the 2017-2018 school year.

Ayton, who is considered one of the best high school basketball prospects at his position, is already the size of an NBA big man and possesses the fluid athleticism of a guy a foot shorter. Ayton is a rare high school athlete who can control the paint on the defensive end and his ability to score from the post or step outside and hit a 15-foot jumper makes him a threat on the other end of the floor as well. Many draft experts are already projecting him as the top pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The question for Arizona fans -- and anyone who has followed Ayton's recruitment -- is whether he will ever actually step foot on a college campus. Ayton played part of his high school career at Balboa City High School, a school which had no athletic programs prior to Ayton's arrival, before he transferred to Hillcrest, where the academic credentials have since been called into question. As of last winter, only Kansas was recruiting him, with many schools fearing that Ayton wouldn't be able to get eligible through the NCAA's clearinghouse. Many have suggested that he might play overseas during before entering the draft if NCAA eligibility were an issue, however, Ayton recently put those rumors to rest.
http://www.foxsports.com/college-basketball/story/deandre-ayton-arizona-commitment-reaction-details-information-eligibility-kentucky-kansas-090616

Hillcrest Prep is a new school, apparently created just to play basketball. They landed him from the Bahamas. Their coursework is online through Arizona Connections K 12 online. They also made sure to have NCAA approved courses for the fall for the basketball players. They haven't yet been approved to play in the Arizona High School divisions so they can't compete for state titles.