Thon Maker, a seven-foot center elite college basketball programs are itching to sign, decided to delay his graduation from 2015 to 2016.
According to ESPN, Maker's decision moves him from the recruiting class of 2015 to 2016 and he will play one last season at Orangeville Prep in Ontario, Canada. The highly touted Sudanese center told reporters at the NBPA Top 100 Camp he wants "to stay and play it out."
Also going into his decision was his brother, Matur, who is expected to be a highly pursued prospect in the class of 2017. Matur is a six-foot-ten small forward at Carlisle School, but he would likely shift to power forward and center when arriving at college.
Ed Smith, Thon Maker's guardian, told ESPN the young center is not experiencing any trouble academically. Maker reportedly completed his core classes and plans to take his SATs in the fall, but the decision to delay his graduation was about personal comfort.
"I had to ask, 'What do you want to do?'" Smith told ESPN. "And he said he wants to play with his brother.
"Going into the Hoop Summit [in April], he was staying up until two, three o'clock in the morning. He wasn't playing well. Once he knew [moving back to 2016] was a possibility, he got back into a rhythm. He's feeling good. He's playing really, really well right now."
ESPN, 247 Sports and Rivals agree that Maker is a five-star prospect, with some evaluators comparing his body type and skill set to Kevin Garnett's. ESPN called Maker an "immediate impact player on the college level and potential NBA lottery pick."
While Ton Maker is getting attention from just about every elite basketball program in the country, Arizona State is reportedly consistently keeping in touch with him and Smith. Arizona State is also pursuing Matur Maker.
