In a shocking development, top-10 2018 recruit Darius Bazley has decommitted from Syracuse with plans to enter the G-League Draft in October, according to a Yahoo! Sports report.
Yahoo Sports story: McDonald’s All-American Darius Bazley decommits at Syracuse, becomes first top high school prospect to choose turning professional in the NBA G League. https://t.co/aM7VW2GF9M
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 29, 2018
The SU community wasn’t totally surprised when Matt Moyer announced his decision to transfer on Monday, but this move by Bazley is a stunning one. The 6-foot-9 forward was set to join the Syracuse frontcourt next year and turn an already strong group into a great one.
Several players have decided to forgo college commitments in order to pursue opportunities overseas, but joining the G-League out of college is almost unheard of. Bazley will play in the NBA’s development league next season before becoming eligible for the 2019 NBA Draft the following year.
Bazley, who scored 11 points in Wednesday night’s MacDonalds All-American game, looked to be the perfect forward for Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone. He’s skilled, can shoot the three and has a length body that would have been a perfect fit for the wings of the defense.
This is a significant hit to the Orange’s 2018 recruiting class, which now features just two players: Four-star PG Jalen Carrey and three-star SG Buddy Boeheim.
There are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about next season, but there’s no denying its been a rocky start to the 2018 off-season for the Orange. No matter what happens next year, fans will always be wondering how far the team could have gone with Bazley on the roster.
Stay tuned to OrangeFizz.net for details as this story develops.
