LaVar Ball Says He Will Home-School LaMelo, Who Won’t Play High School Hoops
LaMelo Ball is done playing high school basketball, his father LaVar says.
The youngest Ball will be home-schooled instead of attending Chino Hills High School for two more years and won’t play on the school’s basketball team, LaVar told Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times. His father intends to train him personally.
“I’m going to make him the best basketball player ever,” Ball told the Times.
Chino Hills coach Stephan Gilling was fired after just one season on the job, and LaVar disputed reports that he was responsible for the coaching change. The elder Ball “had already been having concerns about” Dennis Lattmore, the new coach, according to the Times. Ball expanded on his reservations about the coach in a conversation with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
It’s also possible that the decision to pull Ball from high school competition wasn’t entirely voluntary. LaVar’s Big Baller Brand announced a signature shoe for LaMelo last month, calling into question his amateur status.
LaMelo, like his brothers Lonzo and LiAngelo, has committed to play at UCLA. He will continue to play for LaVar’s AAU team.
LaMelo and LiAngelo helped lead Chino Hills to a 30–3 record last season and LaMelo turned heads with a 92-point effort on 61 shots in a game in February.
