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Thon Maker chooses... to try for the NBA draft

By Norman Rose
Dino Panato/Getty Images

Thon Maker, the Sudanese/ Australian player who has gone to school in Canada for the past two seasons, will declare for the NBA Draft, according to a video posted on Bleacher Report.

Or at least, the 7'0" center Maker will try to declare, using an interpretation of the NBA's draft eligibility rules to claim that he can go to the Association.

The reason Maker was even considering schools like St. John's, Arizona State, Indiana, Kansas and Notre Dame was because the hype surrounding him was sullied a bit his junior year... and because there was question about whether he could go straight to the NBA after spending three years in United States high schools and two more years at Orangeville Prep in Canada.

Whether or not Maker can be drafted depends on the NBA's interpretation of their draft rules. The NBA rules state that an American player must be at least 19 years old (which Maker is) and one year removed from high school. Maker and his advisors will contend that he graduated school last year - he was planning on reclassifying to the Class of 2015 but chose not to - and is doing a post-graduate year.

If Maker was considered an International player, he would be draftable because of his age. He likely would not gain International status, comments Draft Express' Jonathan Givony.

This, of course, means St. John's is even farther from landing Thon Maker (understatement). St. John's was already on the outside of Maker's top three school choices.

But the Johnnies' staff has been looking at transfers Anthony Livingston, Justin Simon and Marvin Clark Jr. and possibly as still in the running for Kostas Antetokounmpo, the 6'9" brother of NBA star Giannis. And the squad has a strong set of incoming and redshirted players for next year in Shamorie Ponds, Richard Freudenberg, Bashir Ahmed, Tariq Owens and Marcus LoVett.

Next Up In St. John's basketball recruiting