LaVar Ball announces LaMelo will 'definitely' play overseas in Australia or China

BleedGopher

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per USA Today:

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but LaMelo Ball’s hopes of playing in college are officially done.

LaVar Ball announced during a halftime interview at Sunday’s Big Baller Brand All-American Game that LaMelo would play overseas next season in either Australia or China rather than even try to gain NCAA eligibility for his freshman season.

The 17-year-old LaMelo is ranked as a five-star prospect from the top recruiting services, but his time as a professional in Lithuania, relationship with an agent and promotion of Big Baller Brand had the youngest Ball brother’s NCAA eligibility in so much doubt that no Power 5 school bothered to recruit him. LaMelo’s claim that Kansas recruited him in November, for example, was refuted by members of the Kansas program.

LaVar admitted during the halftime interview that it would be a waste of time to even bother with the college route.

He said:

“I’m going to let you know the plan now, so everyone can just stop. In college, I already knew what they were about to do. ‘We’re going to investigate, we’re not going to let him play until we let him play, LaVar. We’re not going to let you do all that big-mouth talking and then we’re going to hold him back and a whole year go by.’ The G League: I’m not going to let no 28, 29-year-old dudes tee off on him. And try to make a name for himself, so he’s definitely going overseas … Either Australia or China. One of the two.”

LaMelo had been weighing the options of the G League or a postgrad prep-school program, but given the recent troubles hitting Big Baller Brand, playing overseas would offer more lucrative opportunities.

The Australian National Basketball League offers “Next Star” prospects $100,000 (along with an apartment, car and travel) to play in the NBL. Brian Bowen, the former Louisville commit named in the college basketball scandal, joined the Sydney Kings as part of that initiative. Contracts in China can exceed $1 million for elite players.

From a promotional standpoint, this move would mean that LaMelo will spend a year away from the American sports conversation. Time difference alone will make it difficult for fans to see LaMelo play. But really, it would be difficult to rule LaVar’s management of LaMelo’s high school years as anything but a mistake. Had he stayed in high school (and not been used as an advertising prop for Big Baller Brand), LaMelo would be going into college with Zion Williamson-like hype.

He still has a route to the NBA, but LaVar is essentially declaring defeat here. LaMelo is not playing in college.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/04/lavar-lamelo-ball-college-overseas-australia-china-pro-basketball

Go Gophers!!
 

God, LaMelo Ball in China (if they let that family back in the country) will be a gong show, and kinda amazing. It's a way better option than Australia or going through some battle with the NCAA.

He can build a brand over there among over a billion people who care a lot about basketball and the NBA. Financially that means a lot. Nobody plays defense - even dudes like Jimmer Fredette and old Stephon Marbury have gone off over there. He can put up sick numbers and keep up the mystique...not playing against top US competition until he shows up on an NBA roster as a rookie.
 






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