The NBA will allow teams to scout a series of high school events over the course of the 2023/24 season, beginning with the Nike EYBL Scholastic Showcase Games in Las Vegas later this week, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
As Givony explains, after instituting the one-and-done rule, which prevents prospects from entering the draft directly out of high school, the NBA also put a series of “no-contact” rules in place in 2005, prohibiting its clubs from scouting high school players in person. However, front offices have long pushed the league office to loosen those rules and it seems the NBA is complying.
According to Givony, one reason the league is becoming more willing to permit teams to scout high school events and players is the fact that a number of prospects in recent years, including Shaedon Sharpe and Darius Bazley, have opted not to play competitive basketball during the year after high school. Others, such as James Wiseman and Darius Garland, have seen very limited action in their lone college season due to an injury or an eligibility issue.
Being able to scout those prospects at high school events would have given teams more information to base their evaluations on once they became draft-eligible.
This week’s event in Vegas, which will take place when teams are already in town for the in-season tournament final four, will feature top prospects Cooper Flagg and Tre Johnson facing off against one another as members of Montverde Academy and Link Academy, respectively.
Here are the 2023/24 high school events that were certified by the NBA for scouts in a memo sent to teams last month, according to Givony:
- Nike EYBL Scholastic Showcase Games (Dec. 8-9 in Las Vegas, NV)
- Sunshine Prep Showcase at IMG Academy (Dec. 14-17 in Bradenton, FL)
- Tarkanian Classic (Dec. 15-21 in Las Vegas, NV)
- City of Palms Classic (Dec. 18-23 in Fort Myers, FL)
- HoopHall Classic (Jan. 11-15, Springfield, MA)
- Throne National Championship (March 28-31 in New York City, NY)
- High School Boys Basketball Nationals (April 4-6 in Brownsburg, IN)
How long until we measure wingspan via sonogram… They’re people not products smdh
Not to mention it sounds like a terrible job driving to bumblefink Kentucky at 5 Am on a Saturday to watch one good player and 100 terrible 14 year olds. Lord have mercy on these scouts…
If you’re driving to Kentucky to see one of the showcases in Vegas, Florida, New York, Indiana or Massachusetts you’re certainly doing a terrible job.
Yeah have fun in beautiful Indiana with a bunch of cornflakes at least you won’tget your arm bitten off by an alligator and jameis winston wont steal ur crab legs. It’s still high school basketball.
You really have never seen the level of comp in IN
NBA teams never scouted players like that. College coaches pretty much just go through the motions watching kids play travel ball and high school ball these days.
The only thing that matters is the Transfer Portal. Basically, the NCAA came up with a way to create it’s own form of “free agency” with the transfer portal. Most programs prefer to just recruit from the portal.
Great for the sport. For all the reasons presented. Especially with options enabling athletes to specialize sooner.
the NBA is the easiest sport in the world to play. one day there’ll be a 7 foot 8th grader in the NBA
i’m waiting for a kid that can dunk from the 3pt line.
Just shoot threes and you can be in the NBA. Weak NBA product today. I watch you shoot then watch me shoot. Bill Russell and Wilt rolling over angry.
Plus a normal foul from their day would be a flagrant 2 and get a player ejected and suspended 2+games minimum nowadays.
Overtime Elite has the majority of the players that NBA teams would be interested in. Most of the top guys are there, and they have been aggressively recruiting high school freshman and sophomores. They bring in teams like Monteverde with Cooper Flagg and scrimmage them. The brought in Carlos Boozer’s twins, one is 6’8 the other is 6’3. The 6’8 Boozer is arguably the top player in his class.
Guys are getting paid in high school now. For top guys, the whole “scholastic” thing is out the window.
Oh great, more prey for Josh Giddey and Gordon Hayward. Just what the league needs
Maybe they can be on the Next subway commercial
What’s this about Hayward now?