So high school players can still get drafted into the NBA? Or so it would seem in light of Australian point guard Dante Exum's announcement on Tuesday. According to the rule established by David Stern and Co. in 2006, "players in the NBA draft must be at least 19 years old and a year removed from their high school class graduation," as summarized by one ESPN article (official verbiage here).

According to ESPN's article about Exum today, however, the 6-foot-6 point guard (projected to land in the top 5) "returned" to high school this fall and led his team to the "national schools basketball title" last week.

Born July 13, 1995, Exum will be 19 when he suits up for an NBA team next year, but he won't be one year removed from his high school graduation. Except that's not a requirement for international players, if I'm reading the NBA Players Association rules correctly. It couldn't be a requirement, for Exum graduated in November (Australia's school year ends in November and its "summer break" is from December to February) and the NBA draft is in June, seven months apart.

One other explanation relates to ESPN's use of the phrase "returned to high school," possibly meaning he took a year off at some point? But that's likely not the case, even if it's somewhat unusual to be 19 heading into an NBA draft less than a year out from graduating. The way Australia breaks up its school year, most students are about a half year older than American students of the same grade level, if Exum's case is the norm. Otherwise, Australian students would be a half year younger than American students of the same grade (meaning Exum would have had to take a year off).

Therein is the likely explanation. If Australian high school ends in November and college presumably begins in February, basketball prospects would have to actually wait over a year and a half before gaining draft eligibility at the same time of an actual NBA draft. Rather than punish their inconvenient hemisphere location, Stern decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Prior to today's announcements, most draft experts expected Exum to attend an American University (Indiana was one potential destination). What, then, would he have done from February until September? In light of that, I like the rule. At least it will keep John Calipari away from Australia.