Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Australian sensation Dante Exum has been the focus of college basketball recruiting since his showing at the Nike Hoops Summit. He was a dominant player for Australia’s Under-19 team in the world championships. Due to Exum being an international prospect, major recruiting services do not rank him. He is regarded as a five-star prospect and one of the best players in the 2014 class. If he decides to jump in the 2014 NBA Draft, he would be the third-ranked prospect behind Kansas‘ Andrew Wiggins and Kentucky‘s Julius Randle.
Whether or not he actually attends college is still in question. Exum is set to graduate from high school this fall, which would make him eligible for the second semester in the United States. As reported from ESPN‘s Jeff Goodman, Exum has now ruled out the idea of playing in December and then entering the NBA Draft. The 6-foot-6 wing player says he is “50-50″ on entering the draft or playing a year in college.
While I find it highly unlikely he will actually forego the draft and play a full year in college, he also told ESPN his five finalists. Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina, Michigan and Oregon all make the cut if he wishes to play. Exum will presumably be eligible for the 2014 NBA Draft without having to play a single year of college ball due to the Australian academic calendar.
I really can’t see why he would risk the chance of getting hurt and/or passing up millions just to play ball for free. However, if for whatever reason he does just the opposite of that, for one school, he will be an instant impact player when he arrives on campus. Just don’t expect him to stay very long.
Brian Lewis is an SEC Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. You can add him to your network on Google for more of his work.
