SI All-American Player Of The Year Skips SEC, College, Turning To G-League
One of the best high school basketball players in the nation, Jalen Green, who was named the Sports Illustrated All-American Player of the Year, will bypass college basketball opting instead for a season in the NBA G-League before being eligible for the NBA Draft.
ESPN reports that Green plans to play in the NBA G League's professional pathway program next season, forgoing college. Though he never officially cut his school list, Green had deep ties to Memphis, Fresno State, and Auburn. He is scheduled to make an official announcement at 1 p.m. ET Thursday.
This decision will likely make coaches around the SEC, outside of Auburn and Bruce Pearl happy as the Tigers were considered a strong contender for Green's signature.
Auburn already has the No.5 recruiting class in the nation without Green, whose signature, while not enough to overtake Kentucky for the conference and national high honors, would have pushed Pearl's class ahead of Tennessee, who currently has the No.5 ranked class in this cycle.
This season at Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), Green averaged 31.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and five assists as his Crew squad finished 31–3 and took home the Grind Session World Championship.
Last summer in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, Green led Team WhyNot (Calif.) to the Peach Jam title game, averaging 23.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and three assists.
Follow Greg on Twitter @GregAriasSports and @SIVanderbilt or Facebook at Vanderbilt Commodores-Maven
