Video: Thon Maker high school basketball highlightsFive-star recruit recently decided to play one more year in high school.Guardian/mentor Ed Smith usually does the talking for basketball phenom
Thon Maker, but the tantalizing 7-footer
opened up Thursday to Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader while participating in the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Virginia.
Regarded as the No. 11 overall prospect in the 2016 class by
247Sports, Maker's journey from Sudan to Australia to the United States combined with his blend of size and skill makes him one of the more intriguing players to come along in recent years.
Maker made a push to join the 2015 class and enroll in college in December but he told Roberts that won't be the case.
"I tried to get in the 2015 class. It just didn't work out, so I'm going to stay," Maker told Roberts. "I'll make it official here that I'll stay (in 2016) and just play it out. Take my visits in November and play another year with my brother."
Maker's brother — 6-foot-10
Matur — is a big-time 2017 prospect, and they played together last season at Orangeville Prep in Ontario, Canada.
247Sports lists Arizona State, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky as the key players in Thon's recruitment.
