One of the more fascinating prospects in the 2015 class, Thon Maker still looks to be a long ways off from making his final decision about where he will be playing basketball next season.
For now, it does appear that he will be doing so at the NCAA level, as opposed to the earlier speculation that he may head to Australia, where he grew up, to play a year of professional ball before declaring for the NBA Draft.
But speculation about which college he will be heading to remains rampant.
According to the 247Sports Crystal Ball, Maker is thought to be favoring Arizona State, likely due to his relationship with new assistant coach Brian Merritt, one cultivated through years of training with John Lucas Basketball in Houston.
However, Maker is still considering Kentucky, Kansas, and Indiana, with all three fan bases thinking they still have legitimate shots to land the talented seven-footer.
Wherever he goes, since he reclassified from the 2016 class, it looks like Maker won’t be joining them until the second semester, right at the beginning of conference play. His reclassification is still dependent on him finishing off his credits in time to make it to campus next season.
Enrolling mid-year, stepping right in, and contributing immediately is a lot to ask of a freshman. Very few could be expected to handle all the transitions at stake, both athletically and academically, while also maintaining a high-level of productivity while facing off against bigger, stronger, and faster opponents than ever before.
Whether or not Maker can be an exception to that belief remains to be seen.
