Top Basketball Recruit Thon Maker Should Commit To Notre Dame

By Reed Hunnicutt

Thon Maker is a top-five talent in the 2016 class, and he is destined to be playing in the NBA in a few years. He’s still deciding between St. John’s, Indiana, Arizona State, Kansas, UNLV and Notre Dame. While all of the schools have promising programs, Notre Dame would provide the 7-foot forward with the best preparation to succeed in the NBA. It’s not just for basketball reasons either, because he could go to any of those schools and get better at basketball. Notre Dame offers Maker a special opportunity to improve the off-the-court aspects that make the transition to the NBA a lot easier while giving him a positive college experience.

One reason why Maker would benefit from a commitment to the Irish is the opportunity to go through the college process with a high school teammate. In October, Nikola Djogo, Maker’s teammate at Orangeville Athlete Institute, committed to Notre Dame. A lot of freshmen struggle to adjust to the balance of college basketball and classes, but going through it with someone you know can make it a whole lot easier. Other schools will try to make Maker feel at home, but no one can match having a teammate who actually spent a year joking around and getting to know the five-star forward.

Another advantage Notre Dame has over other schools is the ability to make Maker the immediate centerpiece of their frontcourt. Obviously, every school will find minutes for Maker and claim to make him a star. However, if you look at the other teams, they have guys who are going to be eating up minutes and touches in the frontcourt next year. St. John’s has Yankuba Sima, Indiana has Troy Williams and Thomas Bryant, Arizona State has Savon Goodman, Kansas has Carlton Bragg and Cheick Diallo and UNLV has Stephen Zimmerman. On one hand, Maker’s versatility will allow him to play next to anyone, but if his intention is to be a one-and-done, he should go someplace that will give him enough focus to increase his stock. Zach Auguste will graduate from Notre Dame and Maker will have all the touches he needs. Mike Brey has played around with many different types of lineups, so Maker would play wherever he would be most successful.

Notre Dame’s pro-style offense is another aspect that will help Maker be a better pro. The Fighting Irish always have one of the most efficient offenses in the country. It is full of pick-and-rolls and plays set up to exposes mismatches just like an NBA offense. Not only would Maker become a terrific roll man, but in certain lineups, he could learn how to be a threat as a ball-handler attacking off of screens. There would be plenty of post-up packages for Maker but also chances for him to show off his outside touch. At the same time, the balance in the offense will help Maker improve as a playmaker. Of the six schools in consideration, Notre Dame had the most draft picks last year and is also the only team with five players averaging double-figures. Maker would have every chance to become a lottery pick.

Usually when people argue over college commitments, they only focus on the the on-court benefits. If a player’s ultimate goal is to reach the next level, it’s important to understand the off-the-court benefits a school can provide. Notre Dame has a lot of institutional benefits that will aid Maker’s transition to the NBA with one of the tightest alumni groups in the world. The connections that Maker would make would benefit him forever. Once he joined the Notre Dame family, he would always have people ready to assist him with any struggles he had while in the NBA or wherever his career takes him. Maker could learn a lot at the nation’s top business school to help him make a smoother transition to the league and have a strong foundation for a life after basketball.

Wherever Maker goes, he’s going to be successful. There aren’t many 7-footers alive who have the skills that he does. Picking a college may seem like a small decision for someone who will probably be gone after a year, but his choice will determine how ready he is for the NBA and for the rest of his life. Notre Dame seems like the best option to maximize both of those criteria.

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