RJ Hampton, an 18-year-old from Dallas, began his day as the only elite prospect inside ESPN’s top 20 yet to commit to a college basketball program, and he announced on Get Up! Tuesday morning that he’ll be forgoing college entirely to play for the New Zealand Breakers in the National Basketball League.
Hampton, a 6-foot-5 guard who received offers from several basketball powerhouses (including Duke and Kentucky), was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Texas, after averaging 32 points, 9.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists during the season, according to The Dallas Morning News. Hampton was originally slated in the Class of 2020, but reclassified to the Class of 2019.
Hampton joins a team that has won four NBL championships since 2011, but the Breakers missed the playoffs in 2019 after a 12-16 season. The Breakers are coached by Kevin Braswell, who played collegiately at Georgetown before a journeyman career across the globe as a player.
Hampton will be eligible for the 2020 NBA Draft, but it remains to be seen how he’ll handle the challenge of playing overseas. If Hampton’s move pays off, we could be seeing more and more top recruits forgoing college – at least until the NBA age rule is changed.
