Kansas University men’s basketball coach Bill Self went recruiting Saturday night after the Harvard game.
He headed to Kentucky to watch both Josh Jackson (6-7 senior guard, Prolific Prep, Napa, California) and Thon Maker (7-foot senior, Orangeville Prep, Mono, Ontario) compete in the Marshall County Hoopfest. Maker had 18 points and 17 rebounds Saturday in a loss to Oak Hill Academy.
Jackson — he had 34 points and 19 rebounds with eight assists Friday night — had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists with Self on hand in a win over Dallas Advanced Prep. Jackson told Rivals.com he will attend the KU-Texas game on Jan. 23 and visit Arizona on Dec. 19. Michigan State, UNLV and UCLA are involved.
Maker, who was born in Sudan, grew up in Australia and has attended high school in both the U.S. and Canada may face potential academic eligibility issues.
“There is never going to be a ‘Free Thon Maker’ sign,” Maker’s guardian, Ed Smith, told Zagsblog.com, noting Maker may not commit to a school until August and only if he’s declared eligible. “I felt it wasn’t the greatest of situations of what happened with Cheick (Diallo) or what happened with Skal (Labissiere) or what happened with Tacko (Fall, players whose eligibility was in question late). If I see Thon sitting there stressed, going through that level of stress, I always keep his mind open to options of what he can do (perhaps play pro ball in Europe leading up to the 2017 NBA Draft).
“Our thing is this, we are going to give the NCAA a 100 percent opportunity,” Smith added to Zagsblog. “By mid-January, they are going to have everything they need. So we are going to give the NCAA an opportunity to get ahead of this.”
Smith said Maker is considering KU, Notre Dame, Arizona State, Indiana and St. John’s.
“When they (NCAA) come back and say yes or no, then we will sign,” Smith told snytv.com. “We have all the way up until August. We would have options ready by then. We are not going to go until fall. We will look at what’s best for him. We are going to say, ‘Here you go, NCAA. Tell us if we fit within your criteria or if we don’t,’ and then we have to make a decision.”
