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Five-star guard, Top 3 prospect passing on college hoops to pursue professional career
Published:
One of the best players in the 2020 college basketball recruiting class has decided not to play at the amateur level. Instead, five-star guard Jalen Green plans to pursue a career in professional basketball.
According to a report from ESPN, Green has started to inform interested college programs that his goal is to pursue the NBA G-League’s professional pathway program instead of taking the NCAA route. He is expected to make an official announcement on his decision on Thursday.
Green, a native of Napa, California, is ranked as the No. 3 player in the 2020 recruiting class, according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings. He’s also listed as the No. 2 combo-guard in the cycle.
The NBA G-League professional pathway program launched in 2018 and serves as an alternative route for players to pursue a career in pro basketball without being forced to play at the college level. The NBA’s age requirement to be draft eligible is still 19.
Green received 19 offers on the recruiting trail, but Maryland was the only B1G program to extend an offer to the five-star guard.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB