Arizona basketball recruiting: Two of Arizona's top targets eyeing overseas jump

Could spell trouble for recruiting classes down the line

A source with knowledge of the situation has confirmed that 2017 target DeAndre Ayton, PF, the No. 2 overall player in the class and 2018 target Marvin Bagley, PF, the No. 1 overall player in the class are considering a high-school-to-overseas route to the National Basketball Association.

Ayton and Bagley are both Arizona Wildcats recruiting targets, and the coaching staff is aware of the eligibility issues surrounding both.

The consideration of skipping college for an immediate pro career has less to do with money and more to do with NCAA qualifying. Both Ayton and Bagley attend Hillcrest Hoops Elite High School and Post-Graduate Basketball Program located in Phoenix, Arizona. Hillcrest Hoops is the basketball entity, with actual classes offered through a charter school, Starshine Academy. Interestingly, both Hillcrest Hoops (which opened for the 2014-2015 school year) and Starshine Academy (which opened in 2002) both share the same mailing address.

Prep schools, of which Hillcrest Hoops is one, sell themselves to elite recruits with their coaching, exposure, trainers, and ability to become NCAA eligible. Hillcrest Hoops has been selling itself to recruits the same way. However, despite Hillcrest's claims, the classes offered through Starshine Academy are not NCAA accredited. A phone call to the NCAA Eligibility Center confirmed this fact. Starshine Academy is still awaiting the accreditation that it claims to recruits it already has.

Furthermore, the Arizona State Board of Charter Schools (ASBCS) states that Starshine Academy has failed to meet academic standards the past two years. According to an ASBCS representative, the school will be placed on probationary status unless the Academy takes drastic measures before the end of the current school year.

In addition, the Arizona Department of Education has given Starshine Academy a D grade for the 2013-2014 school year. It was one of seventy-three D grades given by the Arizona Department of Education out of the 606 schools in the state for that school year.

If the issues with eligibility can be worked through, there is a chance Ayton and Bagley will end up in the college ranks. However, the source close to the situation indicates it is more likely than not that both players will follow Emmanuel Mudiay and sign a one-year contract overseas after he graduates from high school.

All of this is bad news for an Arizona Wildcats basketball program that has elite one-and-done talent on its doorstep, but likely won't be able to roll out the welcome mat.

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