Thon Maker the star, but steers clear of all-star assignment as NBA Draft ruling awaits

TORONTO - In a game featuring the top Canadian high school basketball talent, the biggest draw wasn't Canadian, didn't play, and would have you believe he's not in high school either.

Thon Maker of Athlete Institute Prep is the 7-foot-1 centre of attention from Orangeville, Ont., via Perth via Sudan who is defying convention and defining a potential new preps-to-pros loophole. After recently declaring for the NBA Draft, Maker withdrew from the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, and skipped the BioSteel All-Canadian game in Toronto on Monday night. He is awaiting a ruling from the NBA on his eligibility for the draft.

"I think from now on with him declaring and working with the NBA on his status, he considers himself to be training as a pro," said Jesse Tipping, who operates the Athlete Institute that Maker trained at in Orangeville, an hour's drive northwest of Toronto.

NBA Draft regulations stipulate a player must be at least 19 years of age and one year removed from high school to be eligible.

Trying to prove he's not a high-schooler then turning around and participating in high school showcases won't boost his case with the NBA. OFSAA, the governing body of high school sports in Ontario, does not recognize Athlete Institute Prep or Orangeville Prep as high school teams. The athletes take classes at nearby Orangeville District Secondary.

Maker's position is that he already graduated from high school the end of last year and even though he took some courses, this fifth "prep" year didn't count as high school. That didn't stop him from being named the 2016 High School Player of the Year presented by BioSteel at halftime.

The "Canadian" distinction is dubious, too. Maker clarified this week with FoxSports Australia: “(Canada) has never approached me in any serious matter, and even if they did, I wouldn’t play for them. I still want to play for Australia. No matter what.”

Before Monday's game tipped off, Maker added: "I came [to Orangeville] to get better, and I did. You can see a big difference in my body, my game, my mentality and me as a person."

His former prep teammate in Orangeville, Jamal Murray, was the brightest Canadian star in this year's NCAA tournament and recently declared for the NBA draft after one season at Kentucky. He says college was a great experience for him but respects Maker for following his most direct path.

"He's not crashing my party, I'm happy for him," said Murray. "I want him to succeed and he's put in the work and this is his own dream that he's worried about and it's paying off for him.

"He's a seven-footer that can handle the rock and run the floor just like a guard and he can shoot it so he'll go great in the [NBA pre-draft] workouts so we'll just have to wait and see where he goes."

BioSteel All-Canadian Game Recap

In the main event of the second annual BioSteel All-Canadian weekend it was Team White that completed the comeback to edge Team Red 120-118.

Down by three, Red went 2-6 from the free throw line in the final 20 seconds and sealed their own fate missing 19 freebies total.

Red led by as many as 11, but congested offensive possessions typical of players not usually teammates cost them the game when White won the fourth quarter 36-29.

Team White was led by game MVP Johvon Blair from Orangeville Prep with 31 and Isiaha Mike from Trinity International Prep (NV) with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Team Red was led by Brissett O'Shae from Findlay Prep (NV) with 24 points.

"I realized in the locker room at halftime that I needed to make my own moves and turn it on so I'm proud of myself for coming back out and competing and getting the win," said Blair.

Nine of the players were from outside Ontario and a selection committee comprised of people from across Canada helped with selections. There are no plans yet to move the game itself to other provinces in the future.

"When you look at the growth of the game and basketball in Canada you can see we've made leaps and strides," said game director Tony McIntyre. "Already in our second year we have two players who are going to the NBA Draft so it's a win-win."